The National Tutoring Programme

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the National Tutoring Programme?

The National Tutoring Programme is a government funded, sector-led initiative to support schools to address the impact of Covid-19 school closures on pupils’ learning.

There is a substantial attainment gap between pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers– and the EEF's analysis suggests this is likely to be growing significantly while schools are closed to most pupils. There is extensive evidence showing the impact of tutoring to support pupils who have fallen behind.

The National Tutoring Programme aims to support schools to provide high quality tuition to all pupils, especially those who need it the most. It consists of two pillars:   

Academic mentors will be delivered by Teach First, harnessing our infrastructure and experience in attracting and training individuals to work in the schools in the areas of greatest need. They will be trained by us, managed by schools and deployed by teachers to provide intensive catch-up support to help their pupils get on track. Their salaries will be fully funded by the Government.

National Tutoring Programme Partners: schools will be able to access heavily subsided tutoring from an approved list of tuition partners. These tutors will not be a full time member of staff. This project is led by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). Find out more here.

Why are Teach First involved in delivering the Academic Mentoring Programme?

Evidence suggests that 10 years of progress in narrowing the attainment gap could be wiped as a result of COVID-19 and we know it’s the schools we support that have been hardest hit.

Teachers will be best placed to assess where their pupils are at with learning, but they may need extra help to meet the challenges they face. Academic mentors could provide that extra capacity for teachers.

We have a strong track record of recruiting, training and placing trainee teachers in the schools that need us most, we are well positioned to deliver this programme at speed. This aspect of the National Tutoring Programme is targeted specifically at schools serving the most disadvantaged communities.   

Will the Academic Mentoring Programme be extended / run next year?

Part of the National Tutoring Programme, the Academic Mentoring Programme was set up in response to the COVID-19 pandemic initially as a one-year initiative.

In January 2021, the government announced that schools would receive further funding to support catch-up learning. We’re really pleased with this decision given the high demand from schools for additional support for those pupils hit hardest by the pandemic.

We are working closely with the Department for Education and school communities to understand how Teach First can be involved with this work. We will post more information about the future of the programme when it is available.

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For more information on the Academic Mentoring Programme, return to the directory.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact academicmentoring@teachfirst.org.uk.