Addressing the missed learning resulting from Covid-19 - a national approach to tutoring

The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) was launched by the UK government in 2020 as part of the Covid-19 recovery plan and to tackle the growing attainment gap exacerbated by the pandemic.

Etio (formerly Tribal Education Services) was appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) as a delivery partner in 2022 to quality assure all NTP Tuition Partners and ensure the highest standard of tutoring provision.  

As part of this appointment, Etio developed a rigorous Quality Assurance Framework to assess all new Tuition Partners prior to acceptance onto the programme and inclusion in the DfE’s Find a Tuition Partner service, an online catalogue allowing schools to search for a suitable provider. All Tuition Partners are quality assured annually to ensure consistent quality of tutoring, along with bolster safeguarding and learning outcomes for pupils.  

Etio's approach to Quality Assurance is one of collaboration, working closely with the tutoring sector to help embed a culture of continuous improvement and excellence through the sharing of best practice.

Quality Assurance infrastructure

Soon after being appointed Quality Assurance delivery partner for the National Tutoring Programme, Etio quickly mobilised the project team and set up the required infrastructure, which included the following:

e-Accreditation
A purpose-built e-Accreditation portal, allowing tutoring organisations to securely and conveniently apply to become an approved Tuition Partner (TP), and complete their annual reviews.

Quality Assurance Framework
Etio designed a rigorous Quality Assurance Framework in collaboration with Tuition Partners and key industry stakeholders to ensure a consistent level of quality amongst Tuition Partners, and to provide assurance that the services offered by the Tuition Partners to schools are of a high standard.

The Quality Assurance Framework also seeks to engage Tuition Partners to develop a thorough understanding of quality and continuous improvement.

Theory of Change
Etio developed a high-level Theory of Change articulating how the Quality Assurance Framework could lead to transformational change in the tuition sector, and used this Theory of Change to identify and prioritise mechanisms that lead to improved quality across the TP sector. Eight months into contract delivery, Etio fine-tuned the high-level Theory of Change to unpack the possible change pathways that could be targeted by a series of learning and engagement activities, and outlined a draft monitoring and learning framework that enabled Etio to identify which activities are going in the right direction and where pivoting might be needed.

Engagement and Learning
Etio implemented an Engagement and Learning Strategy to model and enable a growth mindset approach to Quality Assurance. This strategy is comprised of a suite of activities to encourage a collaborative culture of continuous improvement towards the highest quality. This included expert webinars, peer learning sessions, pulse surveys, and a website with thought leadership and resources.

A growth-oriented approach to Quality Assurance

Etio’s growth-oriented approach to Quality Assurance has contributed to ‘raising the quality bar’ within the sector, improving the consistency, safety and educational outcomes for pupils. The Tuition Partner route is considered by school senior leaders, teachers and SENCos to be impactful in addressing the missed learning resulting from Covid-19, as well as contributing to improved social, emotional and academic outcomes, as evidenced in the Year 3 Implementation and Process Evaluation of the National Tutoring Programme

What others think...

“Almost all senior leaders, teachers and tutors interviewed in primary and secondary schools perceived that pupils participating across any of the three NTP routes had experienced positive impact, for example in attainment as well as in confidence and self-esteem.”

Tuition Partners have highlighted the value of opportunities for reflection and improvement on practices and standards as part of the Quality Assurance review process and engagement and learning opportunities, as exemplified by the following feedback: 

“[The] clarity of the Quality Assurance framework was extremely helpful in supporting us to provide robust evidence […] it enabled us to use the framework as an effective self-evaluation process in our business, to provide a narrative which highlighted what we do well and also to identify the areas that we can still do better with […] we see the intrinsic value and impact of collaborative QA and this is very much appreciated in terms of how it is contributing to our organisation moving forwards. The humanity of the process was very welcome.”

“[The Quality Assurance process and professional development resources have] given us the opportunities to get out of the day to day running and reflect on our practice, what is going very well and what can be improved. In turn this has helped develop our offering to schools - identify new metrics to provide them with feedback on to help demonstrate impact and helped us present meaningful longer-term solutions and ways we can partner with schools.

“[The Quality Assurance process] has encouraged more reflection and documentation - something that as a very small organisation we don't otherwise have much time for. Encouraged the management and development of [the NTP QA Framework] Element 1 and 2 to become something we all play a part in rather than just CEO and Designated Safeguarding Lead.”

Etio built a regulatory framework through collaboration, developing a national network of tutoring organisations and fostering a culture of learning to improve educational outcomes in schools across England. There are valuable lessons that can be applied to other unregulated education sectors, as exemplified by the Tuition Partner comment:

“Separate from the National Tutoring Programme, there is an enormous amount of unregulated and unregistered alternative provision taking place in the UK at present that should cause great concern for the profession. It is our most vulnerable and at-risk students who are placed in these settings. We have a huge safeguarding risk in UK education at present. The QA procedures that [Etio]provides for NTP partners, although perhaps tailored for smaller settings, should be mandatory for unregulated and unregistered provisions. It would help keep children safe. There are huge risks at present, councils and schools need support to be able to find partners who are, if not Ofsted registered, at least Quality Assured to some degree. The government could utilise the good practice already established by Tribal to help keep children safe in education.”

The impact of tutoring

The National Tutoring Programme has been pivotal in democratising access to high quality tuition for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). A growing evidence base for tutoring is evidencing its key benefits, including:

Impact on student learning and attainment
The Education Endowment Foundation highlights that targeted, frequent and consistent small-group tuition sessions can help struggling pupils to make around 4 months’ additional progress over the course of an academic year. Research by the British Dyslexia Association Research has also identified the benefits of NTP tutoring for pupils with SEND.

Spillover benefits
This includes engagement and motivation in school, subject enjoyment, metacognition skills, greater perseverance, improved confidence, reduced anxiety, improved attendance, better relationships with teachers.

Economic impact
Pupils who achieved better grades through post-Covid tutoring, such as the National Tutoring Programme, are estimated to boost the UK’s economy by £4.34 billion through their increased lifetime earning potential.

Etio National Tutoring Programme high-level facts

• Tenure: 2 years.
• Team: 11 staff.
• Etio Associates: 10.
• Approved Tuition Partners: 66.
• One of 3 delivery partners appointed by DfE.