Almost 1,700 Medway youngsters who are at risk of falling behind in English and maths will get one-to-one tuition this school year.

It is a government measure to help young people make the most of their potential.

The move has been welcomed by South East regional minister and Chatham MP Jonathan Shaw (pictured).

This autumn, 42,191 school pupils across the South East will receive one-to-one tuition, including 1,681 in Medway.

Mr Shaw said: "This will help them back on track in the basics. There is already clear evidence that children who have temporarily lost focus at school, perhaps due to a recent move or problems at home, quickly regain their confidence and motivation when this kind of personal support is available."

The seven- to 16-year-olds will have sessions of 10 hours one-to-one tuition. Tutors, who include newly qualified, existing, retired and part-time teachers, will be paid an hourly rate of between £25 to £29 at evenings and weekends and schools can take on full-time tutors for normal classroom hours.