Words from our CEO, Jen

Hello and welcome to your summer policy update. 

It has been an exciting and dynamic summer term for us all at Action Tutoring. Looking ahead, we’re delighted to be launching a new advocacy strategy that will provide us with clear goals and aspirations following the cessation of the National Tutoring Programme. As the conversation around education and disadvantaged young people evolves, we’re committed to being a strong, evidence-based voice within the sector. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our policy update and for continuing to support our mission. We hope you find this to be interesting and insightful. 

Shaping the future: Our new advocacy goals for a post-National Tutoring Programme world

Advocacy has been central to Action Tutoring’s strategy since 2022, when it was established as one of our four strategic priorities. In line with our values, we set ourselves an ambitious and aspirational goal: to advocate for the continuation of government-funded tuition through the National Tutoring Programme. While the programme was not extended in its previous form, our campaign made a significant impact. 

The strength of our past advocacy work significantly boosted the organisation's credibility and visibility with several Number 10 visits and an explicit Action Tutoring reference during an MP debate, which drew media attention. We have raised national awareness of the issues faced by the young people we support; strengthened our voice within the sector and laid the groundwork for future influence in educational policy. 

The focus of our new strategy is to amplify two key messages:

• Tutoring is a proven solution to close the attainment gap.
• Action Tutoring is a trusted national voice on tutoring.

Over time you’ll see these messages conveyed through our communications, political engagement activities and wider sector collaborations. We look forward to gathering support and advocates to help us create a future where state-funded tutoring returns to support young people facing disadvantage. 

Labour's child poverty strategy delay

The publication of Labour’s flagship child poverty strategy, initially due this spring, has been pushed back to autumn amid growing Treasury concerns which include, but are not limited to, the implications of ending the two-child limit on universal credit. 

The Conservative government introduced the current two-child limit as a means to inhibit households to claim means-tested benefits for any third or additional child born after April 2017. As a result, one in ten UK children now live in families affected by the two-child limit - 1.5 million children in total - with projections estimating a continued rise. Within European countries, this is a highly unusual policy with only three countries (Spain, Romania, and Cyprus) taking on similar measures, but in each instance, these limitations were set for three or four children, not two. The belief behind the policy was centred around incentivising families to increase their employment income should they wish to have a third or subsequent child, but, a study in 2022 suggested the two-child limit had only reduced the number of births by an estimated 5,600 a year. Subsequently, around 400,000 families with three or more children were significantly worse off as a result. 

While the delay in the publication provides the Government adequate time to consult experts and align the strategy with their upcoming budgets, the Child Poverty Action Group tells us that there are 4.5 million children in poverty already and a further 109 are pulled into poverty every day by the two-child limit alone. 

This governmental inaction has a significant impact on the educational outcomes of children in poverty as, through no fault of their own, they will likely continue to fall behind academically. This leaves schools to bear the burden with teachers reporting widespread hunger, fatigue and an inability to concentrate, disproportionately affecting the most deprived schools.
 

Overhauling the special educational needs and disabilities system

Despite following up on the majority of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school reforms pledges in the Labour manifesto, government officials are considering an overhaul of the SEND system. The details of the long-awaited reforms are yet to be announced but confirmation has been given to a forthcoming publication in the autumn. It has been speculated that we will likely see a shift in funding towards mainstream, early intervention support and away from some education, health and care plans (EHCP). 

The reasoning behind this shift is that the system has been viewed by some as unsustainable and inequitable. With just under 483,000 children and young people in English schools having an education, health and care plan, an 11% rise in one year, there has been a substantial £12bn demand on local authorities and many councils have found themselves being pushed towards financial unsustainability. Without the support such plans are meant to guarantee, more pupils would either exit mainstream education into specialist provision that is shockingly expensive or leave formal education entirely. As such, the Government’s strategic adviser on SEND, Dame Christine Lenehan, DBE, has stated the EHCP system is ‘not fit for purpose’. 

The vision put forth by the education secretary is about prioritising the inclusion of SEND children and young people in mainstream schools and “making sure that all teachers are teachers of special educational needs [sic]”. A total of £740m of capital funding is projected to be spent on making classrooms more accessible for all and creating specialist facilities to produce more inclusive educational spaces. These are positive moves for the educational landscape but teaching unions have stated without a commensurate increase in school expenditure, this is likely to place far greater pressure on teachers already under extreme stress. 

Jen's final thoughts

Our new advocacy strategy is clear; to showcase tutoring as a solution to closing the attainment gap and being a trusted national voice on tutoring within the education sector. The previous campaign for the National Tutoring Programme has served as an important lesson to continue being ambitious and aspirational on our journey to embed tutoring into the education system and championing children and young people facing disadvantages. 

A huge thank you from me to our policy working group for their help putting this policy update together and for you all by taking the time to read this. 

Jen