Schools will have greater flexibility to offer high-quality, 15-hour tutoring courses that meet the needs of their pupils, in a major expansion of the National Tutoring Programme backed by £1 billion.

One course of high-quality tutoring has been proven to boost attainment by three to five months, and the government ays tutoring will be vital for young people in recovering the teaching hours lost in the last year.

The programme is expected to reach up to six million pupils across the country in total over the next three years to make sure students that need it receive quality catch up support.

Key elements:-

• Schools can sign up with this year’s external tuition providers, covering the whole country and expected to reach over 500,000 students this year
• New guidance has been published to support schools to offer their own teacher-led tuition, expected to reach over one million students this academic year
• Academic mentors are being placed in selected schools across the country to work in small groups with over 250,000 students most in need of support this year

As the new school year starts, 52 new free schools are opening for the first time to support continued growth in student numbers across the country.

Schools and colleges are ready to welcome students back with the right balance of measures in place to minimise Covid related disruption, including enhanced ventilation, regular Covid testing and vaccinations of older students and staff.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “It’s fantastic to see pupils returning to schools and colleges at the start of term once again. This year we have a greater sense of normality thanks to the roll out of the vaccination programme. That extra protection helps us find that sensible balance between protecting staff and students and ensuring education is not disrupted.

“Keeping children in the classroom helps them catch up. It has given pupils real, hands-on help to support them following the disruption caused by the pandemic and we want to build on that success. So I’m delighted to be further expanding the National Tutoring Programme.”

Teachers are also returning to the classroom with additional support for training, especially in the early years of their careers to help improve outcomes for young people. The new Early Career Framework (ECF) launches this term, providing teachers with even greater high-quality training opportunities over the first two years after they qualify.

The new ECF is just one of the teacher training programmes being funded with £400 million for teachers at every stage of their career, making sure all children have access to the best possible teaching.

The government is also investing £102 million in 21/22 through the 16-19 Tuition Fund to support hundreds of thousands of young people to catch up in English, maths and other vocational and academic subjects. This is in addition to the £96 million made available in 20/21 to deliver vital support for those 16-19-year-olds who needed it the most.

The three National Tutoring Programme routes have been developed to complement one another, allowing students to potentially access up to all three areas of support at the same time.

Evidence suggests that pupils who receive one-to-one or small group tuition can make between three to five months’ additional progress. This is likely linked to pupils receiving more feedback, being more engaged and completing work tailored to their specific needs. Tutoring is an effective intervention to support attainment, which is crucial in addressing the impact of COVID-19 on educational outcomes of their pupils, and in particular, those who are most disadvantaged.

Students will be able to get going with tuition from the start of term, building on the 300,000 students reached by the NTP in year one, as the government has prioritised a return to the full education experience, minimising disruption from measures that were in place last year like bubbles.