The Fair Education Alliance commends the overhaul of the National Tutoring Programme, and urges a re-focus on the programme’s purpose

We applaud the Secretary of State Nadhim Zahawi for acknowledging that the National Tutoring Programme needed an overhaul.

This National Tutoring Programme presents a huge opportunity to level up those children who have fallen the furthest behind, and we must get it right. The programme has been falling far short of its target of reaching two million pupils, and it is crucial that it be easier for schools to access. As we develop an improved iteration of the programme, its original purpose -- to narrow the educational attainment gap using a proven intervention – must also be at the core of what we do. The substantial resource allocated to this programme could have a real impact for children who have lost the most learning in the pandemic; we have a duty to get them the support they need.

We hope lessons were learned from the past school year to ensure that the next version is:

·       Workable for schools, simplifying processes while maintaining quality; and

·       Run by an experienced provider driven by the purpose of the NTP.

We look forward to working with the Department for Education to deliver on the promise of the National Tutoring Programme.