Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role academic mentors will play in will play in closing the covid-19 educational attainment gap.

The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) will support some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils to catch up on missed education. The Academic Mentors strand, delivered by Teach First, will support schools in the most disadvantaged areas to recruit high quality Academic Mentors and train and place them as members of school staff.

Academic Mentors will work closely with school staff to provide intensive small group and one to one tuition to those disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils that are most at risk of falling behind. Mentors will bring additional capacity to schools to support pupils to catch up, whilst allowing teachers to continue overall classroom teaching. Schools will be able to tailor the support their mentor offers, for example, they might provide revision lessons or additional support to pupils that are shielding.

Academic Mentors can be graduates with some experience in education or working with pupils, qualified teachers, or they may be working towards an initial teacher training qualification or otherwise considering a career in education. Teach First will provide a package of training for successful applicants, before and during their placement. This includes one week of initial training for those who are already qualified as teachers and two weeks for those that hold a degree but are not qualified as teachers. This will include elements such as assessment, planning and safeguarding. In addition, schools as the employers will see Academic Mentors as part of their staff team, supporting and managing them to deliver tuition support that is appropriate, timely, and linked to their curriculum.