Guidance

National Tutoring Programme (NTP) grant funding: conditions of grant for 2023 to 2024 academic year

Updated 1 February 2024

Applies to England

1. Aim

The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) provides eligible state-funded schools with funding to spend on targeted academic support, delivered by trained and experienced tutors and mentors. Local authorities also receive funding for looked after children (LACs) and children they have placed in independent special schools (ISSs). This is in accordance with section 14 of the Education Act 2002.

In academic year 2023 to 2024, schools will receive the NTP grant funding for all 3 routes of tuition: tuition partners, academic mentors and school-led tutoring via this grant.

1.1 Eligible use of funding

This NTP grant funding is only for expenditure on tutoring.

It should entail staff costs of delivering tuition only and cannot be used to cover costs such as:

• diagnostic tools
• room hire
• equipment
• laptops
• transport
• stationery
• record keeping

You can read more about how to use the grant in the National Tutoring Programme: guidance for schools 2023 to 2024.

This funding cannot be used for tutoring outside of the NTP, as set out in the guidance, for example paying for tuition via external tutoring organisations that are not approved Tuition Partners.

1.2 Duplicate funding

Schools that are delivering tutoring via their current staff should ensure that the provision of tuition is treated as additional to any staff member’s core roles and responsibilities. Schools must ensure NTP funding is used only for tutoring activity. Only additional eligible costs incurred and not covered by other funding may be met using this grant.

1.3 School eligibility for funding

All state-funded primary, middle and secondary schools, and academies in England with pupils in years 1 to 11 who are eligible for the pupil premium grant (PPG) will receive an NTP grant. This includes:

• primary, secondary and all through local authority-maintained schools, academies and free schools
• local authority-maintained special schools
• special academies and free schools
• non-maintained special schools
• ISSs, where the placement is funded by the local authority
• pupil referral units
• alternative provision academies and free schools
• local authority-maintained and academy hospital schools

1.4 Pupils eligible for support

The NTP grant is to provide targeted academic support. It is for schools to determine which pupils should receive tutoring. Schools should prioritise their PPG cohort to receive tutoring, in line with the NTP’s objective of supporting disadvantaged pupils. Schools should also focus on pupils who are below the expected standard or grade boundary in an applicable subject. Schools may also consider offering tuition to other pupils, where appropriate. The NTP guidance sets out in more detail the way in which schools should identify pupils for tutoring.

1.5 Funding allocation

For the 2023 to 2024 academic year, funding allocations are calculated based on the number of PPG eligible pupils each school has. Mainstream schools receive a minimum of £67.50 per PPG eligible pupil and non-mainstream schools receive a minimum of £176.25.

Schools eligible for the higher, non-mainstream funding rate:

• local authority-maintained special schools
• special academies and free schools
• non-maintained special schools
• ISSs, where the placement is funded by the local authority
• pupil referral units
• alternative provision academies and free schools
• local authority-maintained and academy hospital schools
• SEND units and resourced provision within mainstream schools
• virtual schools, where the LAC attends a specialist setting

2. School contribution to tutoring costs

2.1 Mainstream schools and non-mainstream schools

NTP funding can be used to pay for 50% of the total cost incurred by your school to deliver tutoring. This is subject to the maximum hourly per pupil rate that applies to all NTP tutoring you provide, to ensure the cost of tutoring is not excessive.

The maximum hourly per pupil rates are:

• mainstream schools: £18 of which the DfE subsidy will be £9 (50%)
• non-mainstream schools: £47 of which the DfE subsidy will be £23.50 (50%)

For schools that have not exceeded their funding allocation or delivered at greater than the maximum hourly per pupil rate for their type of school, this will be 50% of the total cost incurred. Where schools have exceeded either their allocation or the applicable maximum hourly per pupil rate, their contribution will be greater than 50% of the total cost they have incurred.

2.2 Independent special schools

Funding for PPG eligible pupils placed by local authorities in ISSs will be paid directly to the local authority. Where possible, we expect local authorities to pass on NTP funding to applicable ISSs to enable them to provide tutoring for eligible pupils. Local authorities may also, if they wish, retain this funding to organise tutoring for these pupils themselves. Funding should not be passed to non-maintained special schools, maintained special schools or special academies as these receive their own NTP allocations.

When transferring funding to ISSs, local authorities are expected to:

• identify PPG eligible pupils
• inform the ISS who the PPG eligible pupils are when passing on the funding and that this funding is ring-fenced for tutoring
• inform the ISS whether the NTP funding is for mainstream, SEND or both
• pass on the payment as promptly as possible, ideally in one instalment

Local authorities will need to include information about the tutoring delivered by ISSs in their year-end statement. This will include:

• the names of all ISSs they have transferred NTP funding to and the amount transferred to each ISS
• the total hours of tutoring delivered by ISSs they have transferred NTP funding to

Local authorities will also need to report on any NTP funding spent centrally in their year-end statement. This will include:

• the total amount spent on tutoring
• the total number of hours delivered
• the total number of pupils tutored

The ISS should decide how best to use the funding to provide tuition support for pupils, in line with the guidance provided. It will be the responsibility of the ISS to work with local authorities, where necessary, to decide which PPG eligible pupils will be supported and what constitutes a suitable tutoring offer for those pupils. ISSs will not need to complete a year-end statement, but should inform local authorities how many hours of tuition they have delivered using the grant.

2.3 Virtual school heads

We expect local authorities to pass the NTP funding for LACs to their virtual school head (VSH). The VSH should decide how best to use the funding to provide tuition support for the pupils they are responsible for, working with relevant schools as necessary.

It is the responsibility of the VSH to:

• decide which LACs to support, how many hours tuition they will receive, and in which subjects - we expect that this will be decided in close co-operation with appropriate schools, as necessary
• comply with the data collection requirements by completing the mandatory year-end statement
• pay for tuition costs that are not covered by the 50% NTP subsidy

We understand that, in some cases, VSHs will want the flexibility to pass on funding directly to the relevant schools, which will be able to arrange tuition provision locally. Schools may also choose to provide NTP tuition for LACs, using the funding provided. However, in such cases, it is important to remember that the VSH will still need to fulfil the responsibilities outlined.

All local authorities, via their VSHs, will be required to complete and return their year-end statement to ESFA; detailing how much tuition has been delivered to their pupils using the NTP funding provided to them.

2.4 Funding arrangements in future years

Academic year 2023 to 2024 is the final year of the programme and NTP funding will not be awarded beyond this academic year. Schools will be encouraged to continue to prioritise tuition for those students who need it the most through existing budgets.

2.5 Payment schedule

This grant will be paid through ESFA as part of our scheduled payments to schools. There is no requirement for schools to apply for this funding.

DfE will recover any unspent grant funding. Any grant recovery will be offset against future funding, where appropriate.

This grant will be paid in 3 payments to schools during academic year 2023 to 2024 on the following schedule.

For maintained schools, payments will be sent to local authorities on the last working day of each month in:

• September 2023
• December 2023
• April 2024

For academies and non-maintained special schools payments will be made in:

• October 2023
• January 2024
• May 2024

2.6 Return of data

For all tutoring delivered in the 2023 to 2024 academic year, you must record the total cost you incur, and the number of tutoring hours delivered, which you will be required to share with DfE via your year-end statement in September 2024. The NTP calculator tool can be downloaded to help you keep track of this information.

If your hourly rate (total cost incurred divided by number of hours delivered) is £18 or less (£47 or less for non-mainstream schools), we will cover 50% of the cost you have incurred.

If your hourly rate is greater than £18 (or greater than £47 for non-mainstream schools), we will cap your return at the relevant maximum rate.

These hourly per-pupil rates apply to all tutoring you deliver, whether this is through:

• your existing staff
• new staff you bring in specifically to provide tuition
• academic mentors
• tutors engaged via a tuition partner

We will not provide any subsidy beyond your funding allocation, although you may provide and fund more tutoring in your school if you wish though other budget sources such as pupil premium funding. You cannot use the recovery premium grant to fund NTP tutoring.

2.7 Overpayments

Any funding that has not been spent at the end of the academic year will be recovered by DfE, in line with the conditions set out in this condition of grant and related documents.

Schools cannot carry forward funding into future academic years.

We’ll use data from the year-end statement to reconcile this grant. We’ll calculate any overpayment and, if required, recover this funding from academy trusts or local authorities on an annual basis.

This will also be the case where a school has chosen not to use the NTP grant funding. If a school does not submit the data above, we’ll recover the full allocation.

2.8 Specific conditions for local authorities

Local authorities must comply with the following with respect to this grant:

The local authority is required to distribute the fund to all eligible schools for which it is responsible.

Local authorities must comply with condition 1 above, irrespective of any deficit relating to the expenditure of the school’s budget share.

This grant is not part of schools’ budget shares and is not part of an individual school’s budget. It is not to be counted for the purpose of calculating the minimum funding guarantee for schools or the special school’s protection (also referred to as the minimum funding guarantee).

Local authorities will be required to certify that they have passed on the correct amount of funding to schools and that it has been spent in line with these conditions of funding.

2.9 Variation

The basis for allocation of this grant may be varied by the Secretary of State for Education from those set out above.

3. Record keeping

Schools and academy trusts are required to keep records of all payments related to the NTP grant. These must be kept available for inspection, either as part of a spot check on the grant expenditure or as part of an audit.

3.1 Further information

Books and other documents and records relating to the recipient’s accounts shall be open to inspection by the Secretary of State for Education and by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

The Comptroller and Auditor General may, under section 6 of the National Audit Act 1983, carry out examinations into the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the recipient has used its resources in discharging its funded activities.

Schools and local authorities shall provide information as may be required by the Secretary of State to determine whether they have complied with these conditions.

Failure to provide this information may result in the Secretary of State recovering funding.