Academic mentors programme grant: conditions of funding

The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) is to help support disadvantaged pupils to catch-up on missed learning. One pillar of NTP is the academic mentor programme

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This grant is towards the salary costs for the mentors on the Academic Mentors programme. The assistance is provided by the Secretary of State for Education under section 14 of the Education Act 2002. By accepting this funding, you are agreeing to these conditions of funding.

Background

In summer 2020, the government announced the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) to help support disadvantaged pupils to catch-up on missed learning. One pillar of NTP is the academic mentor programme.

Academic mentors will support one-to-one and small-group, subject-specific tuition. They may also support revision lessons and provide additional support for pupils shielding or not in school. Academic mentors will be a part of their school’s staff team and will be supported and managed by the school to deliver tutoring that is appropriate, timely, and linked to their curriculum.

The programme is being managed by our delivery partner, TeachFirst and they will have placed academic mentors in schools.

Academic mentors must be paid at least a salary of £19,000 per year, pro rata, depending on their start date and end date. Academic mentors will be a part of the school’s staff team, supporting and managing them to deliver mentoring that is linked to the curriculum.

The Department for Education (DfE) will fund the core salary of the academic mentor from the start of their training until 31 July 2021, adjusting for any withdrawals. The payments will be based on data supplied by TeachFirst about the academic mentors and will be calculated on a daily basis for the period the academic mentor is on the programme.

The payments from DfE to schools, in arrears, will be as follows in 2021:

Conditions of funding

1. The school must have a current agreement with TeachFirst for their participation in this programme and meet its obligations set out in the terms and conditions.

2. Academic mentors must be paid at least a salary of £19,000 pro rata. Schools are able to use the coronavirus (COVID-19) catch-up premium funding to increase the salary and pay on costs.

3. Academic mentors must be paid during school holidays and for Bank Holidays.

4. Schools will pay on-costs, for example, pension contributions and National Insurance.

5. The school must promptly inform TeachFirst if their academic mentor’s employment is terminated for whatever reason.

6. The school will supply DfE and TeachFirst with any information requested to evidence the mentorship and the salary paid.

7. Any unused funding, or funding unsupported by evidence, must be returned to the DfE.

Certification

Each local authority will be required to certify to ESFA that they have complied with these terms and conditions for their maintained schools.

ESFA will set out the arrangements for certification in April 2021 and April 2022.

Variation

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

Overpayments

Any overpayment of the coronavirus (COVID-19) catch-up premium by ESFA to a local authority shall be repaid by the local authority upon on such terms and conditions as ESFA or the Secretary of State for Education shall determine.

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 grant-aided activities.

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

Published 31 March 2021 Contents Print this page