Expansion of tutoring to support six million pupils

Schools will have greater flexibility to offer high-quality, 15-hour tutoring courses that meet the needs of their pupils, in a major expansion of the National Tutoring Programme.

One course of high-quality tutoring has been proven to boost attainment by three to five months, so tutoring will be vital for young people in recovering the teaching hours lost in the last year.

The programme is expected to reach up to six million pupils across the country in total over the next three years to make sure students that need it receive quality catch up support.

From 1 September, schools can sign up with this year’s external tuition providers, covering the whole country and expected to reach over 500,000 students this year. Additionally, new guidance has been published to support schools to offer their own teacher-led tuition, expected to reach over one million students this academic year.

As the new school year starts, 52 new free schools are opening for the first time to support continued growth in student numbers across the country.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “It’s fantastic to see pupils returning to schools and colleges at the start of term once again. This year we have a greater sense of normality thanks to the roll out of the vaccination programme. That extra protection helps us find that sensible balance between protecting staff and students and ensuring education is not disrupted.

“Keeping children in the classroom helps them catch up. It has given pupils real, hands-on help to support them following the disruption caused by the pandemic and we want to build on that success. So I’m delighted to be further expanding the National Tutoring Programme. We are boosting the tutoring that is available to pupils so that millions more can benefit from the support they provide and we see a real tutoring revolution take place in our schools.”