Surge in state schools hiring tutors for pupils

♦ State schools are hiring summer tutors to give students the edge on the competition.

Tutoring agencies have reported a surge in enrolments at the start of the holidays, with one firm saying that requests were up by 120 per cent.

As many as one in four families is now reported to hire a tutor to coach pupils ahead of tests such as the 11plus, which is taken in the autumn.

But this summer’s rise is said to be partly a result of school head teachers hiring private tutors over the holidays to give pupils an edge in exams and interviews.

Academies are said to be paying thousands of pounds to tutors as they take advantage of measures that are increasingly used by so-called “pushy parents”. The classes are partly aimed at pupils whose families cannot afford private tutors in a bid to raise attainment.