Ministers have appointed tutoring troubleshooters to ensure the flagship catch-up scheme stays on track. The Department for Education has set up a 鈥渟trategic tutoring advisory group鈥 to make sure the (NTP) succeeds and embeds tutoring into the sector. It comes after faltering take-up last year and criticism that the programme is too complicated. The contractor Randstad was axed and all 拢349 million goes directly to schools this academic year. The recently formed group will be chaired by Nick Brook, the deputy general secretary of the school leaders鈥 union NAHT, who has advised the DfE on tutoring in the past. Lee Elliot Major, social mobility professor at the University of Exeter, and Carole Willis, the chief executive of the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER), also confirmed their membership. Other members include Geoff Barton, the general secretary at school leaders鈥 union ASCL, James Turner, the former chief executive of the Sutton Trust, and Dame Christine Gilbert, a former Ofsted boss and visiting professor at University College London. Natalie Perera, the chief executive of the Education Policy Institute, Dr Kulvarn Atwal, headteacher of Highlands Primary School in Ilford, Essex, and Leora Cruddas, who leads the Confederation of School Trusts, are also on the group (see full list below). Tutoring ambition ‘sound’ but implementation ‘poor’ Brook told Schools Week that while the NTP鈥檚 ambition was 鈥渟ound鈥, the implementation had been 鈥減roblematic鈥 and at times 鈥渄ownright poor鈥. 鈥淭utoring is no silver bullet but, done right, it could help significantly more disadvantaged young people to succeed. 鈥淭he potential for good is simply too great for us to stand by the side and watch the NTP struggle or fail. That is why the advisory group has been formed, and that is why I have agreed to chair it.鈥 Nick Brook At its first meeting last week, Brook said the ambition was to 鈥渉elp steer tutoring policy and practice in the right direction for the remaining two years of the programme and that we shape the longer-term vision for what could be achieved in the years beyond that鈥. Elliot Major said a key aim was 鈥渢o identify and signpost鈥 tutoring evidence for schools on different subjects and phases. Willis said she would feed in the NFER鈥檚 evidence on tutoring to the group鈥檚 work. Its researchers found that the early NTP 鈥渇ailed鈥 to achieve its 鈥渋ntended focus鈥 to help disadvantaged pupils catch up. Schools Week revealed how ministers face having to hand back more than 拢100 million of unspent tutoring funding to the Treasury after schools struggled to access the flagship scheme last year. A DfE spokesperson said the group would 鈥渆nsure that the programme continues to provide value to schools and pupils鈥. The strategic tutoring advice group membership: Nick Brook (chair) 鈥 deputy general secretary of the school leaders鈥 union the National Association of Head Teachers聽Dr Kulvarn Atwal – CEO and author of ‘The Thinking School’ and headteacher of Highlands Primary School in IlfordGeoff Barton – general secretary of Association of School and College LeadersLeora Cruddas – chief executive of the Confederation of School TrustsLee Elliot-Major 鈥 professor of social mobility, University of ExeterBecky Francis 鈥 chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation聽Dame Christine Gilbert 鈥 former HMCI and independent chair of Camden Learning and the charity Future FirstRichard Gill 鈥 CEO, The Arthur Terry Learning PartnershipNatalie Perera 鈥 chief executive of the Education Policy InstituteJonathan Simons 鈥 partner at Public First and head of the Education PracticeJames Turner – CEO of Hg Foundation and former chief executive of the Sutton TrustCarole Willis 鈥 chief executive of the National Foundation for Educational Research聽