PRIVATE TUTOR TEST
At £35 an hour, they don’t come cheap – but here’s how to get top marks from your child’s coach
GOVERNMENT plans to boost the number of grammar schools in the UK are likely to spark a boom in private tutoring as parents seek help in preparing children for the 11-plus exam.
Reports show the number of tutored children is already rising sharply, with education charity The Sutton Trust estimating that 25 per cent of secondary-aged children now receive private tuition compared with fewer than one in five a decade ago.
The charity has described the rise in tutoring as part of an ‘educational arms race’ that may leave untutored children at a disadvantage – not least because tutors cost up to £35 an hour.
Here’s how to get extra help without breaking the bank:
TIME SESSIONS RIGHT
PARENTS who fork out £30 an hour for year-round tuition during term times will easily pay in excess of £1,000 a year.
But professional tutoring organisations say the key to improving a child’s chances lies not in throwing money at the issue but instead booking the right number of hours – at the right time.
Anita Moss, director at website First Tutors, says the average tuition relationship lasts for just 16-and-a-half hours – with most students receiving one hour a week.
More than that and fatigue may set in.
She says: ‘There’s no point grinding through 11-plus papers week after week with a child years in advance of the exam.’
Instead, she recommends targeting tuition at problem areas of a subject and at key times.
According to another online provider, TutorFair, the most popular subjects for extra tuition are maths, English, chemistry, physics, biology, Spanish and French, followed by specialist tuition in passing 11-plus admissions tests.
CHEAPER OPTIONS
CONSIDER less experienced tutors to keep down costs.
Edd Stockwell, co-founder of TutorFair, says that while his website’s average price for tutoring is £24 an hour, some well-qualified graduates who are starting out in the tutoring business charge as little as £10 to £15 an hour.
At the other end of the spectrum, internationally renowned university professors charge more than £100 an hour – but you are unlikely to need that level of expertise for GCSE maths.
VIDEO CUTS COSTS
TUTOR sessions via online services such as Skype are convenient – and help keep a lid on bills. Adam Muckle, president of the Tutors’ Association, says many of its members offer a discount if they can teach via such programmes.
He says: ‘This can bring the cost down because the tutor doesn’t have to factor in travel time and costs.’
There is no substitute for sitting alongside a pupil but interactive whiteboard software means tutors can see what their pupils are doing, even if they are not with them.
He says: ‘It can work well to have online sessions after one or two faceto-face meetings.’ Online tuition is also useful for students who are living abroad, or those who are in remote rural locations.
SPLIT THE BILL
USING a group tutor brings the cost down as parents pay a smaller hourly fee.
Tuition centres such as The Learning Factor, and Explore Learning offer group tuition for core subjects such as maths and English. The Learning Factor offers this option for as little as £9.50 an hour, but only if students attend twice a week.
Explore Learning’s standard membership fees are £15 an hour, but customers can pay with Childcare Vouchers, which brings the cost down further. These vouchers are bought through your employer and are free of income tax and National Insurance up to a value of £55 a week. While group tuition means your child receives less personal attention, Explore claims the ratio of tutor to children, at 1:6, can foster greater independence.
Katie Williams, Explore’s curriculum manager, says: ‘Group tuition supports independent and dependent learners – one-to-one teaching could feel more pressured as all the spotlight is on your child.’
TUTOR TIPS
THE right tutor is not necessarily the most expensive – but it can be hard to find someone through recommendation as many families are either too embarrassed to talk about their children being tutored or per- haps feel competitive about sharing a good find.
Some websites, such as First Tutors, provide feedback scores for each teacher, while those who are members of the Tutors’ Association must abide by a code of conduct, and there is a complaints procedure if they do not follow it.
Moss, from First Tutors, says: ‘The best sign of a good tutor is a happy child who looks forward to the next lesson. Chat with your child after each lesson to see how they felt it went. A tutor should be keen to communicate with you; if they don’t want to keep you in the loop, look elsewhere.’
ACCESS STATE HELP
YOUR child may be eligible for the Pupil Premium – extra money given to schools to spend on children from families claiming certain benefits, or to children who have been in local authority care. The Premium is often used for small group tuition
Children whose parents are service personnel also have access to extra money, called the Service Premium.
DO-IT-YOURSELF
PARENTS with time and patience can invest in coaching books designed around the curriculum such as Bond Books, or by using online resources. Bond books are available on Amazon for around £5.99 per subject per year, while Carol Vorderman’s branded curriculum books sell for a similar price.
Websites such as The School Run, at £60 a year, provide downloadable worksheets and interactive tutorials, while maths specialist sites include Maths Factor, Mathletics and Komodo Maths. Most offer discounted or free trials.
Woodlands Junior School in Kent has a particularly good page of free resources on its website.