Covid-19: £76m National Tutoring Programme launches

A total of 32 organisations, including charities, a school partnership, and private firms have been selected as "Tuition Partners" by the Education Endowment Foundation, which has received £76m to run the initiative, part of the National Tutoring Programme, on behalf of government.

Schools will be able to choose between different providers and a variety of models, including face-to-face and online tutoring and will be able to book tutoring with Tuition Partners from 10am today. It is estimated that approximately 15,000 tutors will be available through the scheme.

Tens of thousands of pupils are likely to be enrolled in the first six weeks, with provision increasing further after Christmas. As tutoring capacity across the country grows, schools serving the most disadvantaged communities will be prioritised.

Meanwhile, as part of the second element of the programme, the first 188 "Academic Mentors", recruited and trained by education charity Teach First, will also be starting in schools as part of its mission "to build a fair education for all".

Mentors will support teachers by providing intensive academic support to the pupils most in need. In total, Teach First, which is receiving £6.8m from government to run the initiative, will recruit and train 1,000 Academic Mentors, with the further cohorts starting in schools in January and February.