Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
Increase participation in National Tutoring Programme by understanding reasons for non-participation via evaluation
Recommendation
We share the Department’s disappointment that 13% of schools did not take up the National Tutoring Programme in 2021/22, meaning pupils at these schools missed out on the benefits of subsidised tutoring. Take-up of the two centrally run National Tutoring Programme schemes was below the Department’s expectations, but the introduction of a school-led tutoring element gave schools more control and significantly boosted take-up. In 2021/22, 87% of schools in England participated in some form of tutoring under the National Tutoring Programme, but the Department described the fact that 13% of schools had not taken part as the “biggest disappointment” of the recovery programme. The Department says it has put a good deal of resource into persuading schools of the benefits of the National Tutoring Programme. The Department added that there was continuing evaluation of the 6 Education recovery in schools in England National Tutoring Programme to ensure tutoring was delivering the best value for money, and that it had committed to investigate how it could further develop longitudinal studies. Recommendation 3: The Department needs to do more to understand why some schools are not taking part in the National Tutoring Programme and take more effective action to increase participation, informed by evaluation of the first two years of the scheme.
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the recommendation to increase participation in the National Tutoring Programme, stating it has simplified the programme, increased the subsidy rate to 50% for 2023-24, and will use administrative data and ongoing evaluation to understand barriers by August 2024.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: August 2024. The government is committed to narrowing the attainment gap and improving outcomes for the most disadvantaged in society. Informed by evaluation of the first two years of the scheme, on 31 March 2022 the department announced plans to simplify the programme for academic year 2022-23. This has seen the department provide £349 million of core tutoring funding directly to schools and give them the freedom to decide how best to provide tutoring for their pupils. Schools welcomed these changes, and the same model of providing funding directly to schools will apply in academic year 2023-24. This will see the department provide £150 million to schools, bringing total spend on tutoring over the duration of the programme to £1 billion. The department is always interested in understanding more about the barriers to participating in the National Tutoring Programme. The department is using administrative data to look further into the characteristics of schools that have not engaged. The department will continue to use evaluation information in academic year 2023-24 to understand barriers to participation. Various evidence, including the regular School and College Panel survey, has indicated that schools report funding as overwhelmingly the largest barrier to continuing to deliver tutoring. Having listened to schools’ concerns over the 25% subsidy rate previously communicated, the department has set the subsidy rate for the academic year 2023-24 at 50% to make the programme more deliverable for schools. This means that schools now need to contribute less of their own money than originally planned. The department nevertheless recognises that funding can be challenging for schools. To meet their costs when providing tutoring, schools will be able to continue to use funding streams like the Pupil Premium, which will rise to almost £2.9 billion in 2023-24.