The government has quietly abandoned hope of reaching its target of six million course starts under the flagship National Tutoring Programme.
Ministers repeatedly pledged to deliver the target by 2024. But with the latest official figures showing just 3.4 million starts as of January, and ministers only expecting to fund one million next year, the benchmark is now unlikely to be met.
The Department for Education announced this week that schools will only have to contribute 50 per cent of the costs towards tutoring under the catch-up scheme next year. Its subsidy had been due to fall from 60 per cent to 25 per cent.
However, there is no extra cash. The government is seemingly forecasting less demand next year than anticipated, meaning its contribution will go further.
