Tutoring companies ‘exploit parents’ fear’

TUTORING companies have been accused of “preying on parents’ fears” to drum up business for summer holiday learning.

Educational experts say advertisements which warn of children falling behind over the school holidays are exaggerated and not based on current scientific data.

They include claims that “two-thirds of children fall behind in their studies over the summer” and “up to 50 per cent of a child’s learning can be lost during the holiday period”.

The use of private tutors has soared in recent years. More than a quarter of secondary schoolchildren have had some form of private or home tuition, rising to more than 40 per cent in London.

But teachers and education consultants say more can be gained from play, reading and even just socialising with parents and peers.

Vicky Bingham, the head teacher at South Hampstead High, an independent school in London, said: “They are preying on parents’ fears and selling tutoring as a proxy for parenting.”

Explore Learning’s claim that two-thirds of children fall behind in summer originates from a 1996 US study.

The company said its own survey produced the same result. But it is unclear how or why parents believed their child had fallen behind.

Grace Moody-Stuart, the director of The Good Schools Guide, said: “Everyone’s in the same boat so how can two-thirds fall behind? It’s contagious, anxiety spreads and parents get worried.”

Mrs Bingham said that “summer learning loss” might occur after a long holiday but all children were in the same boat and got back up to speed very quickly.

Simply Learning Tuition removed the learning loss claim from its website after being asked about its scientific origin by the Telegraph.

Explore Learning insisted that it had a “good understanding” of the summer slide.