Pearson chosen to deliver high-quality tutoring to disadvantaged pupils through National Tutoring Programme
Pearson is selected to be an approved Tuition Partner as part of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP).
Pearson, the world’s learning company, has been chosen to deliver tutoring to schools as an approved NTP Tuition Partner, it was announced today.
From Monday 2 November, primary and secondary schools in England will be able to access tutoring through Pearson to support their pupils whose learning has been most affected by school closures.
Pearson is one of 32 Tuition Partners, who will deliver 75% subsidised tutoring to schools across the country. As the UK’s leading provider of curriculum resources, qualifications and national assessments from 5-19, Pearson is in a unique position to provide high-quality tuition from a large network of qualified teachers nationwide, in-person and online, using standardised lesson materials, assessments and online services.
They have become an approved Tuition Partner after a competitive process administered by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), during which all applicants underwent a rigorous assessment and review process. All approved Tuition Partners have met and exceeded criteria, including their ability to work with schools delivering curriculum-relevant tutoring and scope to reach as many disadvantaged pupils as possible.
Through this initiative, schools will be able to buy blocks of tutoring in English, Maths and Science at GCSE and English and Maths at KS2, submitting their requirements and selecting their Pearson-screened and trained tutors online. Tutoring will be available predominantly for small groups, with research showing that this approach can boost students’ progress by several months1.
Commenting on the announcement, Sharon Hague, Senior Vice-President for UK Schools at Pearson, said: “After what has been one of the most challenging years in education, we remain fully committed to meeting the emerging needs of schools and learners across the country. We want all children to succeed and achieve their full potential, so we are delighted to join the national effort to widen access to high-quality tutoring for the pupils who have been most affected by school closures.
“With our nationwide network of fully qualified teachers and leading content, we are ready to deliver tutoring at scale to disadvantaged learners, building on the incredible work already taking place in classrooms up and down the country. We cannot wait to get started and make a real difference to those children who need it most.”
Robbie Coleman, Director of the secretariat of the National Tutoring Programme, said: “The National Tutoring Programme has one simple aim - to support teachers and schools to support their pupils who have missed out the most as a result of school closures. We’re pleased to welcome our new Tuition Partners who will make tutoring accessible to disadvantaged pupils who need it most.
“The National Tutoring Programme is a tool for teachers. We hope that by providing high-quality, cost effective tutoring to disadvantaged pupils the NTP will make a difference to those who need it most across the country.”
Pearson will manage the delivery of the programme including in-depth training with tutors, ensuring they have access to their range of market-leading resources and support materials. Regular progress reports will be completed as part of the programme of fifteen hour-long tutoring sessions.
Pearson has extensive experience working with schools to support accelerated learning amongst pupils and will underpin tutorials with specialist lesson materials and standardised assessments to ensure high-quality delivery across the country.
Pearson will deliver its online tutoring sessions using a live online tutoring platform provided by Bramble, a highly experienced partner that has itself delivered over 600,000 hours of online tutoring to date.
Media contact
For any media enquiries related to this, please contact Jessica Bull at jbull@consiliumcommunications.co.uk / 07496 727202 or Laura Smith at lsmith@consiliumcommunications.co.uk / 07467 945848.
About The National Tutoring Programme
- The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) aims to support schools in providing a sustained response to the coronavirus pandemic and to provide a longer-term contribution to closing the attainment gap.
- The NTP has been designed and developed by a collaboration of five charities – the EEF, Sutton Trust, Impetus, Nesta and Teach First – working in partnership with the Department for Education.
- The programme for five- to 16-year-olds has two parts: NTP Tuition Partners, which aims to give schools access to subsidised high-quality tuition from approved providers; and NTP Academic Mentors, which recruits graduates and qualified teachers to work full-time in schools in the most disadvantaged areas.
- The EEF will be leading the delivery of NTP Tuition Partners and has been provided with £76 million from the Department for Education to fund activity in 2020-2021.
- Teach First will support the recruitment, training and placement of the first cohort of Academic Mentors and has been provided with £6.4 million to fund this work. The salaries of Academic Mentors will be funded by the Government.
- Both pillars are funded as part of Government’s £350m allocation to tutoring, through the £1bn coronavirus catch-up package.
- Separate tutoring initiatives are in place to support early years and post-16 education.
About Pearson
We are the world’s learning company with more than 24,000 employees operating in 70 countries. We combine world-class educational content and assessment, powered by services and technology, to enable more effective teaching and personalised learning at scale. We believe that wherever learning flourishes so do people.