16th May 2023

What is the National Tutoring Programme?

The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) was initially developed in 2020 to provide support for schools across the country that had suffered from the pandemic. It aimed to provide additional support to disadvantaged pupils who may have missed out on education during the school closures. The NTP now continues to support disadvantaged pupils with their education.

What is the National Tutoring Programme and how does it work?

The National Tutoring Programme was launched in November 2020, originally designed to help schools provide extra support to disadvantaged pupils who were most affected by closures during the pandemic. As the NTP has developed, it’s also been simplified, with its main focus being to provide expert tutoring to disadvantaged pupils, with the schools able to spend the funding on tutoring how they see fit. Schools can choose from three different tutoring routes: NTP tuition partners, school-led tutoring and academic mentors. 

It works by schools receiving the funding in instalments over the course of the academic year. The funding is intended to cover 60% of the tuition costs, with schools targeting the funding towards their more disadvantaged students. Schools are given freedom as to which pupils receive the funding for tutors and which tutors they work with in order to meet their goals. NTP makes tutoring accessible to all students, levelling the playing field and bridging the gap between privileged and disadvantaged pupils.

What are the three tutoring options available?

Schools are welcome to choose between three different tutoring options, or even a combination, depending on their objectives and pupils:

NTP tuition partners

By working with tuition partners, schools are guaranteed expert tuition professionals that have been quality assured by the Department for Education (DfE). At Engage Education, we are NTP tuition partners, we work closely with schools and can provide tutors for a variety of needs from subject specialists and SEND tutors. Being quality assured, schools have the added peace of mind that their tuition partner will uphold the standards you set for your staff, delivering high-quality tutoring that’ll make a difference to disadvantaged pupils.

School-led tutoring 

School-led tutoring is a slightly more flexible option for schools as they are able to identify their own tutors using their own staff including teachers or assistants, retired or supply teachers or even returning teachers. Schools can then determine who is an appropriate tutor based on their skills and experience. To maintain consistent quality, schools can access a comprehensive training package which is available from the Education Development Trust and can be completed for free online. The funding must only be used for tutoring and not to pay for core staff responsibilities.

Academic mentors 

Schools with a high level of disadvantaged students might consider academic mentors who are full-time, salaried members of staff that work alongside teachers to provide one-to-one and subject-specific tuition. This enables schools to provide tuition to a larger number of students and truly embed tutoring within their schools. The NTP funding will then contribute to the salaries of academic mentors, which may be more costly than other methods but is a great way to provide consistent tuition.

How much funding does the NTP offer to schools? 

To discover the amount of funding your school will receive for the academic year, you can visit the school-level funding allocations online. For the 2022/23 academic year, the NTP funding will be offered as follows:

• Mainstream schools: a minimum of £162 per pupil premium eligible pupil
• Non-mainstream schools: a minimum of £423 per pupil premium eligible pupil

This NTP funding can be used to pay for 60% of the total cost incurred by a school to deliver tutoring. Schools will need to make up the remainder of the cost using other school budgets.

Additionally, a maximum hour per pupil rate will be applied. These are:

• £18 for mainstream schools, of which the NTP funding will be £10.80 (60%)
• £47 for non-mainstream schools, of which the NTP funding will be £28.20 (60%)

Which schools and pupils are eligible for the National Tutoring Programme? 

The NTP is available to pupils in years 1 to 11 across all state-funded schools. Schools don’t need to apply for funding, they will automatically receive three instalments throughout the academic year. Schools are free to decide to spend their tutoring funding how they see fit, which also extends to which pupils are eligible for the tutoring. Usually, schools will prioritise their disadvantaged pupil premium students. Pupil premium includes the following:

• Pupils who are as eligible for free school meals, or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years
• Children looked after by local authorities
• Children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care

How long will the National Tutoring Programme last for?

So far, the NTP has been around for three years after launching in 2020. The government has revealed that in the 2023/24 academic year, schools may use the NTP grant to cover a maximum of 25% of the cost of tutoring, subject to any other applicable funding rules. More information will be published this year but it appears as though NTP funding will reduce in future years.

Why choose Engage Education for your National Tutoring Programme? 

At Engage Education, we’re proud to be NTP quality-assured tuition partners. All of our tutors are subject to strict background and qualification checks and have completed our additional compulsory tuition training. This ensures that you only ever get the best tutors that can make a real difference in the lives and education of your students. We work closely with your school to ensure that we match the right tutors to your needs and objectives, so your pupils can thrive from accessible, high-quality tutoring. 

Here is just some of what we can offer:

• Tutor shortlisting
• Tuition planning for your tuition groups
• Guidance and assessments
• Pupil progress reports
• Ongoing complete support from our NTP-dedicated team

The National Tutoring Programme is a fantastic initiative to make tutoring accessible to even the most disadvantaged pupils, improving your schools’ offering. Are you searching for your next tuition partner? You can book a NTP consultation with us today to discuss your needs in detail.