Labour criticises the government’s National Tutoring Programme

@NAHTnews – 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.”