Commenting as Labour criticises the government's National
Tutoring Programme, Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of
school leaders’ union NAHT, said:
“There is a wealth of evidence that suggests one-to-one and small
group tuition can significantly help accelerate progress of
pupils that have fallen behind. The government's ambition should
be for tutoring to become a permanent part of the education
landscape for all, not just the privileged few that can afford
it. Schools in every part of the country should have access to
reliable, high quality and affordable tuition support for pupils
that need it, when they need it.
“Unfortunately, right now, we are a long way from this ambition
becoming reality. The NTP is on track to engage 250,000 pupils in
tutoring by the end of this term. This is a significant
achievement but is still a fraction of the total number of
children who could benefit from tutoring support.
“The government needs to provide considerably greater funding and
flexibility to schools, to dramatically expand the availability
of tutoring provision, with a determined effort to improve
provision in our most marginalised and deprived communities. This
requires long-term commitment and investment and a genuine
willingness to work with the profession to train and accredit new
tutors, in every part of the country.”
