Support from Barclays’ COVID-19 Community Aid Package* is enabling us to reach out and offer high-quality tuition to even more schools across the North of England.

Research has shown that the attainment gap between young people living in the most disadvantaged communities and those in the most affluent, is growing. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, a wide range of research has highlighted the detrimental impact of COVID-related disruption on education outcomes for disadvantaged students, and there are some signs that the ‘real’ disadvantage gaps in attainment may have increased materially[i]. Poverty levels have also risen due to the pandemic and more disadvantaged young people need extra academic support to catch up.

Barclays’ generous donation means we can partner with schools who were previously unable to stretch their budget to tuition support, even with subsidies from the National Tutoring Programme, to help close this attainment gap.

Tutor Trust Co-Founders Nick Bent, Chief Executive, and Abigail Shapiro, Executive Director, said the funding is already opening up opportunities for schools in some of the most disadvantaged communities in the Greater Manchester, Leeds-Bradford and Merseyside city regions.

“We are delighted to partner with Barclays as they absolutely understand what we’re trying to achieve. They are supporting communities, and the individuals in them, to achieve their potential and flourish, which is very much our aim too.  We’re really grateful for their support.

“Barclays’ funding will be transformational for many young people that we’ve not been able to reach before. It means that we can now offer the support of great tutors at heavily discounted costs to schools in the most vulnerable communities, reaching pupils most in need of additional help following the pandemic.”

With the funds, Tutor Trust is aiming to support more Year 6 and Year 11 pupils to reach their potential in their key exams.

Nick and Abigail added: “We’re currently working in 185 schools across our three city regions and have seen almost 5,700 pupils start tuition with us since September. This funding will enable us to grow those numbers even further over the next 12 months.”

*Through Barclays COVID-19 Community Aid Package, Barclays have given £100m to support more than 370 charity partners around the world deliver vital relief to vulnerable communities impacted by the pandemic.

Since April 2020, Barclays also matched £8.1m raised and donated by colleagues for COVID relief efforts – which has meant a total of more than £16.2m for 2,000 charities around the world.

Find out more here.

[i] Emily Hunt, Sam Tuckett, David Robinson, Jo Hutchinson and Claire Coleman, ‘COVID-19 and Disadvantage Gaps in England 2020’ (Education Policy Institute and Nuffield Foundation, February 2022). https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/EPI-Disadvantage_Gaps_in_England_2022.pdf.