New NTP evaluation reports show a largely positive impact of tutoring on pupil outcomes and in schools

Since the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) was rolled out in November 2020, as a catch-up and recovery programme for the lost learning time following several months of school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic, one major question that has been asked is about the evidence of its impact on academic performance and pupil outcomes nationally.

The NTP was introduced in the 2020-21 academic year to support schools and teachers in providing a sustained response to pupils who fell behind in their studies during lockdowns, especially disadvantaged children in receipt of Pupil Premium. Many in the education sector also believed it could contribute to closing the attainment gap in the long term. The tutoring support in the first year was run via two strands – the Tuition Partners and the Academic Mentoring pillars.

A new independent evaluation conducted by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) and commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has provided some insights into the impact of both the Tuition Partners and Academic Mentoring pillars of the NTP on pupil outcomes for the first year (2020-21). The study sample focused on 167 primary schools for English, 127 primary schools for maths and 1,464 secondary schools for both subjects in the analyses.

As a key Tuition Partner that has extensively advocated for more data-driven and evidence-based insights about the NTP’s reach, progress and outcomes, Action Tutoring welcomes this evaluation report. We believe research into the impact of tutoring is essential in helping us reflect and focus on the core aim of narrowing the attainment gap and giving disadvantaged pupils the requisite support to improve and thrive academically.

Higher sessions impactful

In line with Covid-19 restrictions in 2020, no centralised examinations were held and teacher-assessed grades (TAGs) replaced Year 11 GCSEs. Using that as an outcome measure, the NFER evaluation showed a correlation between sessions attended and overall progress, indicating that pupils who attended a higher number of tutoring sessions were associated with better scores in English in primary schools, and better grades for Year 11s in maths and English. The data showed that there was little progress recorded in primary maths.

In 2021-22, our analysis showed that primary school pupils supported by Action Tutoring achieved expected standards in reading – nine percentage points more than the national average for disadvantaged pupils. Maths results were equally strong, with pupils achieving expected standards ten percentage points more than the national average for pupils facing disadvantage.

Our GCSE results analysis for the year under review also showed marked progress for pupils we tutored in both subjects.

Pupil Premium

It is saddening to know that less than half of the pupils supported under the NTP in Year 1 were from disadvantaged backgrounds when a principal objective of the NTP is to support this specific group and ensure the pandemic did not widen the attainment gap. In the NFER evaluation, only 46% of pupils on the programme were identified as PP, compared to Action Tutoring’s measure of 72% of PP pupils supported in the same year.

Targeting tutoring support to disadvantaged pupils should remain a priority to ensure an overwhelming majority are actually those who need the help and cannot afford to pay for it. Together with other education charities, we sent a collective action letter to the Secretary of Education in September expressing concern about the likely mistargeting of the NTP and the urgent actions that must be taken to ensure the core, original focus of the NTP is not lost. These actions include reinstating Pupil Premium targets, committing to additional funding, and reversing plans for subsidy reductions next year.

Independent review of tutoring in schools

The DfE has just published Phase 1 findings of an independent review of tutoring, conducted by Ofsted. This report assessed the progress and effectiveness of the NTP from September 2021 to July 2022, with His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) visiting 63 schools to observe and analyse tutoring sessions. 

The findings show that in the majority of schools visited, tutoring was well planned and implemented, with content directly supporting the curriculum covered in the classroom. It also revealed that tutoring was perceived as positive by an overwhelming number of school leaders and staff and the NTP was well received by schools. With pupil attendance being the prime concern of the findings, Ofsted advised that the benefits of tutoring must be touted to parents and pupils to increase uptake and participation.

Tutoring works

Although 2020-21 was an exceptionally challenging year in education for schools, teachers and pupils as the disruption of the pandemic, both evaluations point to the evidence that tutoring works in improving pupil performance. We are deeply invested in the success of the NTP because it has the potential to reach millions more pupils facing disadvantage, who simply can’t afford to miss out on the support.

We support the recommendations made by the NFER and Ofsted for further improvements to be made to the programme going forward. It’s essential we ensure more pupils facing disadvantage are able to access tuition support, there is further investment in evaluation of impact and Tuition Partners and tutors work in partnership with schools to ensure tutoring reaches those in most need and is aligned to classroom learning.

Alongside many other organisations, we are advocating for the NTP to extend beyond 2024 and become a lasting feature of the education system, so that it can have a meaningful impact on closing the attainment gap – which is at its widest in the last 10 years, at the primary and secondary level. Now is the time to elevate the reach and impact of the NTP, based on lessons, experiences and recommendations made by education charities and researchers, to ensure the programme delivers on its intended objectives, all in the best interest of disadvantaged young people.

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How volunteer tutoring is helping ARUP to connect to its purpose as an engineering design firm

In human-centred design, establishing deep empathy to understand the needs and interests of people is critical.

Engineers, designers, architects, and other professionals who work in the design space today have a greater advantage when they put the people for which they design solutions or projects, at the heart of the process. This design approach makes people resonate deeply with the product or project.

For Global sustainable development consultancy, Arup, building the empathy and humanitarian value of its workforce is supported through its Community Engagement Programme, where their technical and strategic capabilities are employed to support the most disadvantaged people. One of the ways Arup tries to shape a better world is by focusing on delivering social value and providing skills, time and expertise to help communities and organisations, through volunteer tutoring. 

In the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, it partnered with Action Tutoring, an education charity that optimises the power of trained volunteers to deliver tutoring to disadvantaged children who need academic help. The charity trained interested employees from Arup and equipped them with workbooks to teach pupils who were struggling with maths and English in Bristol and London.

Emily Walport has worked with Arup as a Materials Engineer for close to seven years, after joining as a graduate engineer. Alongside her engineering role, she supports the management of Arup’s Community Engagement Programme (CEP), of which volunteer tutoring is a key component in the UK. A primary focus for their CEP in the UK region is to inspire children about sustainable development in the built environment. 

“It’s really valuable to have insights from the communities we are designing for and volunteer tutoring gives us that advantage. Understanding the people and communities we build for has to be an integral part of our projects if we are to deliver socially useful, high-quality projects, at the core of Arup’s mission to shape a better world.”

Through tutoring young children, Arup’s employees are not only imparting knowledge and learning teaching skills but also using the opportunity to encourage more young people to consider pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). For Arup engineer Beth Lockhart, she has started seeing the positive outcomes of this effort. “Already, two of my pupils have expressed interest in engineering after our constant interaction and their appreciation of mathematics over time. Being able to get them to think about STEM careers excites me because engineering can be quite classist and usually not a domain for people from disadvantaged backgrounds so I think it’s great to change that.”

Beth believes by helping young people to see a STEM career as something they can pursue in the future, serves as a push to help them be more academically focused and ignites their interest in these careers.

Sense of satisfaction

For professionals, there is a lot to gain from volunteer tutoring. Research has shown that volunteering is beneficial as it helps people live happier, more fulfilled lives and also gain ‘people skills’ from interacting with different individuals in communities. “Volunteering to teach maths has helped me develop an ongoing mentoring relationship with my pupils. I’m currently tutoring two Year 6 pupils in maths and I gain a sense of satisfaction from their academic progress over the period while I build a relationship with them,” Emily said.

“Sometimes it’s easy to forget how difficult some people may find things we take for granted as being able to do. Tutoring has been a great reminder of the importance of being able to explain concepts clearly and how to reframe ideas to help young people understand. I have developed invaluable skills in communication.”

Beyond teaching experience, volunteer tutors report that the razor-sharp questions and pure, unfiltered sincerity in responses of pupils require them to be on their toes and develop the virtues of tolerance, patience, and other social abilities which they transfer into their line of work.

Attracting and retaining talent

Volunteering is great for attracting and retaining great talent at Arup, as many people join the firm because they want to do socially-useful work, either in their day-to-day role or their community engagement programme. Emily said one recurring piece of feedback they receive from members is that the company-wide support for volunteering by encouraging all to participate in social impact work is their driving motivation for joining and being at Arup.

“We have members with an enormous range of skills and talent that can benefit young people socially, academically, and professionally. Tutoring and mentorship serve as the vehicles to impart that knowledge and help connect them to a higher purpose.”

Multiple studies, including a Stanford Business School survey, have shown that young people increasingly want to work at socially responsible companies. There is a strong case for employee volunteering opportunities that build a company’s reputation for corporate social responsibility and ethics.

Level the playing field

Action Tutoring is striving to level the playing field in education. On average, disadvantaged pupils are 18 months behind their peers by the end of secondary school, according to the Education Policy Institute report.  Pupils who do not achieve GCSEs are more likely to become NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) around age 16 and currently, there are 692,000 young people who are NEET – that’s nearly 1 in 10.

Advantaged children may have access to tutors their families can pay for, unlike their disadvantaged peers.  Action Tutoring fights for an equal playing field, by giving disadvantaged children the tutoring needed to thrive academically and pairing them with people who can inspire them to learn and raise their career aspirations. Volunteers from diverse backgrounds dedicate an hour of tutoring, both virtually or in-person, to a pair of pupils each week during an academic term to improve their performance in English or mathematics.

Action Tutoring’s Fundraising Manager, Hannah O’Neill, said that companies gain enormous advantages and privileges when their employees volunteer through tutoring, beyond reducing the academic attainment gap and tackling education inequalities.

“Interacting with young people from the local community helps employees and businesses to understand the culture, economy, strengths, and challenges of their environment currently and into the future. These insights enable companies to build emotional connections and gain fresh, diverse perspectives to help them to deliver effective services that resonate with their community’s needs.”

Striving for a fairer society

Emily affirmed that volunteer tutoring reminds her of the need to strive for a fairer and equal world for all children, including those left behind by inadequate schooling and the inability to access tutoring. The tutoring sessions inspire these children to increase their career aspirations and expose them to a brighter future.

“As someone in an engineering career who has benefited from opportunities that helped me get here, I am passionate about supporting initiatives that strive to support all children to achieve their potential. If children don’t have the opportunities or the awareness that engineering is a career path they can pursue, that could limit their future outcomes,” Emily said.

Hannah believes companies can have a greater impact by partnering with charities like Action Tutoring to optimise the value of their employee talent and engender social change.

More individuals from professional backgrounds or companies can come in and equip children from disadvantaged backgrounds with the academic skills and guidance to excel academically and professionally. Through these engagements, we can build a better and equal world for younger generations to come.