Labour slams “failing” National Tutoring Programme as figures reveal just 1% of children are being supported by the scheme

Labour has today [Friday] slammed the Conservative’s National Tutoring Programme for failing children, as new figures reveal that just 1% of pupils are receiving support under the scheme. 

Figures released in response to Parliamentary questions reveal that just 93,000 pupils across England have started to receive tutoring under the Government’s flagship programme, equivalent to just 1% of school pupils. Among those eligible for pupil premium, who are most likely to have struggled to learn remotely during lockdown, 41,850 are receiving tutoring – equivalent to just 2% of those eligible for pupil premium.

Kate Green MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary has said the figures show the Government is “failing to deliver on its promises to children and families”, with the Department for Education previously stating that the programme would target “disadvantaged” young people to accelerate their academic progress and ensure they do not fall behind.

The figures also show that just one in 8,277 pupils are being supported by an academic mentor under the scheme, with mentor support so far reaching just 23,000 children.

The figures come ahead of a visit from Kate Green and Wes Streeting, Shadow Schools Minister, to a school in the West of England where they will speak to exam year students about the summer assessment process 

Despite repeated concerns raised by education staff, students and parents the Government still has no plan to support students who will be moving on to a different education or training providers come September to make-up for the learning they have missed. Like last year, this has prompted concerns about further and higher education providers that they will be left to pick-up where the Government has failed and plug gaps in students’ knowledge and skills without additional support.

Kate Green MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said:

“We have seen failure, upon failure from this Conservative Government which has treated children as an afterthought throughout the pandemic and now has no plan to deliver a strong recovery.

“The woefully low reach of the National Tutoring Programme and continuing uncertainty around assessments for exam year pupils, shows the Government is failing to deliver on its promises to children and families.

“Labour wants children to be at the heart of our national recovery. Our Bright Future taskforce will deliver a national recovery plan which is ambitious for every child’s learning and wellbeing.”