Recent research has shown that over one in four secondary school pupils are being thought by private tutors. This shows that young pupils from rich families are more likely to get additional help than their counterparts from poorer homes, according to the Sutton Trust report.
The poll conducted by the Sutton Trust which included over 2,800 children with their age within 11 – 16 in Wales found out that over 27% of the children have received private tuition, a figure that has risen given that in 2005 it was only 18%.
The breakdown from this research shows that about 34% of the children from wealthier homes have received private tuition or are receiving private tuition as compared to the 20% from poor homes.
This research also shows that most of the children from London occupied the larger share of those that have received private tutorial. 41% of students from London have enjoyed private tutorials and this is an increase to the 34% that was obtainable in 2005.
Students from Asian, black and minority ethnic back grounds are also likely to be tutored compared to their white counterparts. This is because 42% of those from the black, Asian ethnic background say they have received private tuition while only 22% of white children admit that they have received tuition.
As a result of this research from Sutton Trust, it was recommended that the government should introduce a system known as means-tested voucher scheme to allow children from poor backgrounds to also have access to private tutorial.
To get private tutor cost at least £25 per session, this is an amount that most parents can’t afford. Schools should also look into the effects of teachers who take students on partner tutorial will have if they are taking these lessons within the curriculum. Over 24% of these teachers admitted that they have taken on private tuition in recent years according to the Sutton Trust’s report.
Most of these teachers were contacted by parents of pupils who are from rich homes to ask if they can take their children in private tuition aside their normal school, teaching hours. The increase in the number of pupils being enrolled for private tuition is due to the increasing worries of parents that government might not be able to create the school standards they want for their children. As a result of this, they look for alternatives to ensure that their children can be up to scratch academically through extracurricular lessons.
A spokeswoman from the Department for Education said they have invested over £2.4 in a year through the Pupil Premium and schools are at liberty to use this funding in the best way possible to ensure that pupils who are considered to be educationally disadvantaged can be provided with one on one or group tuition to support them s that they can get the required help.
However, it must be stated here that while government believe that parents of rich pupils should not be paying for private tuition, they also recognize the fact that parents providing private tuition for their children is a way to give them an edge and they have the freedom to do so.
To cut the need for parent to start seeking private tuition for their children, it is important that schools ensure that they find a way to bring the best learning format, and also get the best teachers to teach these children. Doing this will help to boost the confidence of parents in the education system and they will not always look for ways to talk to teachers to take their wards in private tuition.
This will not only save them money; it will also allow these children to compete on the same level without one having an added advantage over the other. This will mean that both the pupils from a rich and poor home have access to the same level and type of teaching.
Private tuition is not a crime but with the right educational system and sound teachers there will be no need for parents to hire private tutors to teach their children. Hence, if the schools can get passionate, sound, and dedicated teachers then what these students get during normal lesson hours should be more than enough and there will be no need for private tuition.