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Reading Fluency Peer Tutoring

North East Combined Authority

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

12 Aug 2026 at 11:54

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

North East Combined Authority commissioned an education and training service to extend its Fast Forward to reading Fluency project across 20 schools in the North East. The delivery partner will provide a peer-mediated reading-aloud intervention, with 20-minute in-school sessions twice weekly. The service includes sequenced anthologies covering reading fluency, vocabulary and background knowledge across history, geography, science, the arts and other curriculum-rich areas. It also includes support for schools to review attainment data, diagnostic assessment, structured reading improvement, trained Year 10 or Year 12 peer tutors, an impact study, an introductory session and later network events. Each school will identify 20 pupils for intervention and control groups. The buyer is North East Combined Authority, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, with delivery across its North East footprint.

The procurement is complete and used a direct award below the threshold without competition. One lot was awarded to North East Learning Trust for £85,000 including VAT. The award is recorded as pending, with the contract scheduled to run from 1 September 2026 to 30 July 2027 and signature due on 1 September 2026. Evaluation was therefore based on the buyer’s direct-award route rather than a competitive tender. The selected supplier is expected to deliver across up to 20 schools, provide twice-weekly sessions, support pupil assessment and randomised intervention arrangements, and produce an impact study. The requirement is classified as education and training services. The contract is intended to extend an existing programme into the 2026/27 academic year, with a narrower focus on schools expected to benefit most.

This outcome indicates demand from North East Combined Authority for a specialist partner able to design and deliver evidence-led reading-fluency interventions in schools. A credible future competitor would need experience of peer-mediated reading aloud, structured literacy improvement and working with secondary pupils who act as trained tutors. It would also need the capacity to coordinate delivery across as many as 20 schools, work with school attainment data, conduct diagnostic assessment and manage intervention and control groups. Relevant capability includes producing sequenced, curriculum-rich reading materials, evaluating programme impact and running in-person launch and networking events. Providers with established education partnerships, practical school-delivery infrastructure and the ability to support consistent implementation across the North East would be well placed for similar demand from this buyer.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Reading Fluency Peer Tutoring

Notice Description

We propose to extend the North East MSA's current Fast Forward to reading Fluency project into the next Academic Year (2026/27), building upon the success of the current cohort, but narrowing the focus to 20 of our schools that will benefit the most from this approach. Over the past year, work has demonstrated that targeted investment in reading fluency can deliver measurable gains for pupils across the North East. Hundreds of pupils have become more confident, fluent readers, with consistent improvements across standardised assessments. These outcomes matter, not only for attainment, but for pupils' ability to access the full curriculum and improve their life chances. The delivery partner will be expected to design and deliver a peer mediated reading aloud intervention providing: * 20 minute in-school sessions, twice weekly * Carefully sequenced anthologies designed to develop reading fluency, vocabulary and background knowledge * Texts spanning a wide range of curriculum rich domains, including history, geography, science and the arts, supporting both literacy and wider knowledge building * A structured approach to improving reading * Delivery through trained peer tutors, typically Year 10 or Year 12 pupils Schools should be supported to review existing attainment data, and the delivery partner should undertake diagnostic assessment to identify pupils most in need. Each participating school will identify 20 pupils, randomly assigned to: * Intervention group, n equals 10, who receive FFA immediately * Control group, n equals 10, who receive FFA following the trial period The Delivery Partner should have capacity to deliver to up to 20 schools across the North East MSA footprint, and: * Provide an impact study to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme. * Provide an in person introductory session to bring together representatives of participating schools to launch the initiative, and subsequent additional network events.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e26e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076674-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£85,000 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
12 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 30 Jul 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
North East Combined Authority
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
Postcode
NE4 5BZ
Postcode Area
Newcastle upon Tyne
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC43 Tyneside
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Newcastle upon Tyne
Electoral Ward
Arthur's Hill
Westminster Constituency
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

NORTH EAST LEARNING TRUST

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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