A briefing on the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), by youth charity Impetus, warns that a move to split the contract for running the scheme between three providers for the current academic year risks it failing to reach disadvantaged pupils.
During the first two years of the NTP, which launched in 2020, DfE passed funding on to delivery partners, initially the Education Endowment Foundation and TeachFirst, followed by Randstad.
However, under the new model, funding is passed to schools with the three delivery partners each responsible for a different area of the scheme.
Impetus warns that the aim of the NTP - to provide catch-up tutoring to all pupils in receipt of the pupil premium following the disruption to learning caused by the pandemic - already “risked being lost” due to a combination of ministerial upheaval and issues in the delivery of the scheme under Randstad which was heavily criticised over its failure to meet targets.
It describes the Department for Education’s decision to reform the delivery model amid such uncertainty as “a bold one” which will see DfE “taking on more responsibility itself”.
The report states: “It is not without risk - the department is now responsible for NTP, and will need to manage its three contracts carefully to avoid any issues falling through the cracks.
“The risk is a gap at the heart of the NTP, with some functions vital to the success of the progamme being overlooked or forgotten and the department’s stated ambition of reaching young people from disadvantaged backgrounds risks being missed.
“In a decentralised NTP where schools have lots of autonomy and individual contractors have narrow responsibilities, stated priorities like this require an explicit mechanism for delivery,” it adds.
Impetus has set out three key areas that need to be addressed by the DfE to ensure the scheme reaches disadvantaged pupils. This includes making better use of data to drive improvements in the system and giving schools greater influence over programme development.
Ben Gadsby, head of policy and research at Impetus, and author of the report said: “The NTP has the potential to transform the lives of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. But with many changes of programme structure and responsible minister, essential things risk being overlooked.
“As new ministers bed in, it’s vital they ensure the NTP is set up to succeed and support the young people from disadvantaged backgrounds most in need of high quality tutoring.”
