NFER: Schools perceive NTP is having a positive impact on pupils’ attainment, progress and confidence, but have concerns over future funding

Following today’s publication of the National Foundation for Educational Research’s (NFER) implementation and process evaluation of the National Tutoring Programme’s third year, commissioned by the Department for Education, Ben Styles, NFER’s Head of Classroom Practice said:  

"Across the sample of schools that participated in the NTP in 2022-23, there was high satisfaction for the programme overall, across the three routes, and with different aspects of delivery of the programme.

“It is encouraging that most school staff using the NTP were satisfied or very satisfied with how NTP tutoring aligned with the school curriculum (79 per cent) and met pupils’ learning needs (79 per cent).

“Senior leaders, teachers and tutors also perceived that the programme had positive impacts on pupils’ attainment, progress and confidence, and that targeted, small-group or one-to-one tutoring was pivotal to this.

“However, funding is seen as the biggest challenge for the long-term sustainability of tutoring.  A minority of interviewed senior leaders said tutoring would remain embedded once NTP funding ceased, but for most, although they want to continue, it is dependent on funding being available.

“The government should explore how financial support can be sustained to allow tutoring to become a permanent support option to help schools close the attainment disadvantage gap.”