We asked the Department when we would see the disadvantage gap start to close. The Department insisted that closing the gap in attainment had been the relentless focus of its education recovery work, and that almost every element of the recovery programme, including the National Tutoring Programme and the recovery premium, had been tilted towards disadvantaged pupils. It also said that while another important part of the recovery programme, investment in teacher education and training, benefited every pupil, good-quality teaching benefited disadvantaged pupils the most.15