Action Tutoring Year 6 Mathematics Programme Quasi-Experimental Impact Evaluation
16 April 2026
Action Tutoring commissioned NFER to evaluate the effectiveness of their volunteer-led tutoring aimed at disadvantaged pupils in primary schools. Participating schools select up to 20 pupils (65% of whom have to be Pupil Premium (PP), with the remaining places prioritised for pupils who would not otherwise be able to pay for private tutoring). Typically, a pupil will have access to weekly tuition for between 15-20 weeks. Tuition takes place on school premises in groups of 2 and 3 pupils.
A quasi-experimental study focusing on year 6 pupils in England who qualified for free school meals was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the tutoring. There were 61 schools in the intervention group matched with 305 schools who did not participate in the National Tutoring Programme during the 2023/24 academic year. The outcome measure was pupil performance in Key Stage 2 (KS2) maths tests.
Key Findings
- FSM pupils in the intervention schools on average scored one point higher in KS2 maths than those in the control group (equivalent to two months progress). This effect did not reach the accepted threshold for statistical significance due to the relatively small number of intervention schools.
- Among FSM pupils who actually received tutoring we estimated the effect to be on average 2.3 points higher in KS2 maths (equivalent to 4 months progress).
- Among the 50% of schools with the highest uptake of offered tutoring sessions FSM students scored on average 1.5 points higher than FSM students in comparison schools and this effect was statistically significant (equivalent to 2 months progress).
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