CYP Now - School catch-up schemes 'not reaching' disadvantaged children, NAO warns

Government efforts to help pupils catch up following school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic are not reaching the most disadvantaged children, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).

Tutoring programmes have not been set up in hundreds of schools, according to the NAO. Picture: Adobe Stock

A £1bn programme announced in June last year to help pupils catch up has included £350m for a National Tutoring Programme to target disadvantaged children.

In February the government announced £700m further funding for school catch-up plans, with a pledge to focus money on disadvantaged children.

But an NAO investigation has concluded that the tutoring scheme is not being accessed by many of the most vulnerable children.

A chief concern mentioned by the NAO is that the Department for Education has not specified clear targets on which disadvantaged children should qualify for the scheme, such as eligibility for pupil premium funding.

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