National Tutoring Programme FAQs
Do schools need to apply for the National Tutoring Programme funding?
There is no requirement for schools to apply for this funding. The grant will be paid through ESFA as part of the DfE’s scheduled payments to schools.
When will schools receive payment?
Local authorities and academies will automatically receive their funding in three stages across the year; September 2022, December 2022 and April 2023.
Is this funding exclusively for pupils eligible for pupil premium?
No, although the funding has previously been calculated based on pupils eligible for Pupil Premium, this is just a way of allocating funding per school. Teachers are free to use their own discretion to decide which pupils need additional tuition.
Do schools have to spend their tuition funding?
Yes, any money unspent or not spent on tutoring or on academic mentors (another route of the NTP) will be recovered at the end of the academic year.
How is the National Tutoring Programme different this year?
From November 2020 to August 2022, tutoring from DfE-approved Tuition Partners was available with a 70-75% subsidy as part of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), with the school only invoiced for 25-30% and the government covering the rest of the costs.
From the start of the 2022-23 academic year, all NTP funding goes directly to schools. Tuition will still be available from DfE accredited Tuition Partners like Third Space Learning, but schools will be invoiced the standard price and be able to use their NTP funding to cover up to 60% of the cost, rather than receive a subsidised invoice. If schools wish to use their NTP funding on external providers, they must still choose accredited partners such as Third Space Learning.
In the 2023-24 academic year, schools will be able to use their NTP funding to cover up to 50% of the cost.
What funding is available to cover costs not covered by this funding?
Schools can use existing school budgets such as Pupil Premium to cover the remaining costs.
Can schools use more than one provider at the same time?
Yes, pupils are able to receive tuition from more than one NTP tuition partner at a time. This is particularly useful if you would like pupils to receive support in more than one subject. Similarly, there is no limit on the number of providers that a school can work with at once.
Will all approved providers charge the same price?
No, it’s up to the tutoring provider how much they charge. The DfE has assumed an average cost of £18 per hour (blended across one-to-one and small group tuition) and as such will fund 60% of the cost of tuition up to this price.
Schools are free to spend above or below this assumed average; where schools spend less than £18 per hour the DfE will still only cover 60% of the cost (50% in the 2023-24 academic year), where schools spend more they will need to cover more than 60% out of their own budgets (e.g. pupil premium).
Because Third Space Learning delivers online maths tuition via a global tutor community, we’ve been able to provide one to one tuition for the price many other providers charge for small group sessions.
Can schools use their tuition funding on tuition from Third Space Learning?
Yes! We recommend that to provide quality additional support to the greatest number of pupils you use Third Space Learning. Our online tuition enables you to make the best use of your tuition funding but of course other DfE approved Tuition Partners are also available. Talk to several and see what works best for your school environment.
How will Third Space Learning support data collection?
In our termly reports, you will be able to see the number of sessions that each pupil has received, as well as the topics covered. This should make it quick and easy to collect the necessary information for the mandatory data submissions and to report to school leaders.
How long has the NTP been running
The National Tutoring Programme was a catch-up fund set up to support pupils affected by school closures during the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown in 2020. Robust research from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Sutton Trust demonstrated that one to one and small group tutoring was the intervention to have the greatest impact on improving outcomes for young people.
