The 16-19 Tuition Fund
New College Swindon 16 – 19 Tuition Fund Statement
This statement outlines the support New College Swindon will provide to students using the 16 to 19 tuition fund in order to help them catch up on learning which may have been missed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
What is the 16-19 Tuition Fund?
The 16-19 tuition fund is an additional amount of funding provided by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to support students with additional catch up activities who may have had their educational progress impaired by the pandemic. The fund is being provided to support learners to catch up and close any gaps in their learning that may have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdown. The fund will be used for small group and 1:1 tuition in English, Maths, vocational and academic learning for 16 to 19-year-old learners (or up to 24 if they have an Education, Health and Care Plan). These tuition sessions will be in addition to the planned study programme hours.
Who will be eligible for support?
Students will be eligible for support if they are 16 -19 (or up to 24 if they have an Education Health and Care Plan), are studying a Study Programme and:
- have not yet achieved a grade 4 above in English and/or maths
- have a grade 4 or above in English and/or maths, are from an economically disadvantaged background and would need catch-up support. These are defined as students from the 27% most economically deprived areas of the country based on the index of multiple deprivation.
Particular consideration will also be given to students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and students with and Education, Health, Care Plan (EHCP) particularly where disruption to their education has been worsened by their individual needs.
When there is a need to prioritise who will access the Tuition Fund support priority will be give to students who do not yet have a 4 or above in English and/or maths.
What support will be offered?
Small group support sessions will be provided to no more than five students per group, focusing on areas where the students, identified as needing the support, have been disadvantaged due to the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns. These sessions will be scheduled in addition to the planned hours of their programme that have already been timetabled for the 2021/22 academic year. The type of support offered will be based on an individual needs assessment of the student.
Examples of support provided include:
- Academic skills support and development
- Additional workshop sessions where workshop access was missed during lockdown
- Maths and English skills sessions
- GCSE revision workshops and functional skills assessment preparation support
- Sessions focussed on gaining technical knowledge which may have been missed during lockdown
- Study skills sessions
New College Swindon Commitment
New College Swindon is committed to providing support for students using the 16-19 tuition fund to remove potential attainment gaps created due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. This will be done in accordance with 16-19 education funding guidance alongside the 16-19 tuition fund guidance. To demonstrate its commitment and intent, New College Swindon will:
- make this statement to indicate how it plans to use the tuition fund
- publish this statement on the College website
- record the use of the funding, including reference to the individual students that receive the support, the needs of those students, the number of hours of tuition delivered, and retain the necessary evidence of the tuition provided
- deliver the extra tuition and spend the associated funding by the end of the 2021/22 academic year
- notify ESFA of any unspent funding from this fund for it to be reclaimed