Mansfield MP Ben Bradley is delighted with news that two million courses have been started through the National Tutoring Programme, including almost 1.8 million so far during the 2021-22 academic year. Mr Bradley fought hard during the pandemic to ensure Government supported children from areas like Mansfield to catch up on lost learning.
New figures published yesterday (19 July), show the growing impact of the Government’s revolutionary National Tutoring Programme, with almost 1.8 million courses started so far this year across an estimated 80% of schools.
With almost 600,000 course starts in the last two months alone, the boost in tutoring means the programme has now reached just under 2.1 million courses in total, transforming the way young people receive targeted support in school.
The Government set a target of two million courses for this academic year. Final data will be published by the end of the year, with numbers expected to continue growing over the summer.
The 1.8 million courses, started between 1 September 2021 and 26 June 2022, demonstrate the huge value of the programme and the resilience of schools, teachers and young people, in the context of disruption to pupil and staff attendance over the winter, amidst the Omicron wave.
Developed as part of the Government’s ambitious Covid recovery plan, the National Tutoring Programme is supporting pupils across England to get back on track following the disruption caused by the pandemic. It forms part of the Schools White Paper pledge to offer high-quality support to any child that falls behind in English and maths.
Mr Bradley has supported the National Tutoring Programme after urging Ministers to do everything they could to ensure students across Mansfield and Warsop did not fall behind as a result of the pandemic. He previously welcomed the Programme in the Chamber during Education Questions, and sought assurances from the Minister that young people in Mansfield who needed extra support would be able to access it.
These figures also reveal that an estimated 80% of schools are now participating in the programme, highlighting a 14pp increase in take-up since May 2022. The data also highlight the continued success of school-led tutoring, which now accounts for over three quarters of all courses started.
The Department has also announced the appointment of three new delivery partners: Tribal Group, Education Development Trust, and Cognition Education, reflecting the programme’s new operating model for next year which will see funding go directly to schools, making it easier than ever before for pupils to access tutoring sessions. This will replace the previous model, in which Randstad acted as the sole contractor of the programme.
Commenting, Ben Bradley MP said:
“These figures are really positive and I’m delighted that the National Tutoring Programme is delivering targeted support to young people across the country.
“I’ve done a lot of work to support children from disadvantaged communities, and I made it a priority to ensure we limit the long-term effects Coronavirus has had on our children as much as possible.
“Previous evidence shows that one course of high-quality tutoring has been proven to boost attainment by three to five months, so the National Tutoring Programme will be a massive help to kids. I’d also like to say thank you to the brilliant teachers across Mansfield and Warsop – they’ve had to work under incredibly difficult circumstances and I know that they put their hearts and souls into supporting their students.”
