Children from wealthier families more likely to get private lessons

THREE IN 10 youngsters say they have been given extra, private lessons, outside of the classroom, research suggests.

Children from wealthier families are twice as likely to have received additional help, compared to their poorer classmates, while those from minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to have had a tutor compared to white pupils.

The Sutton Trust, which commissioned the report, said private tuition is the “hidden secret” of British education in an “educational arms race” that reinforces the advantages of youngsters from richer homes. A poll of more than 2,600 secondary school children, conducted as part of the study, found that 30 per cent of youngsters said they have received private or home tuition at some stage.

This is up from 25 per cent of the 2,500 youngsters who said the same last year, and nearly double the 18 per cent who said they had received extra help in 2005 (out of 2,700 children).

More than a third (35 per cent) of those from more advantaged households said they have received private tuition, this year’s survey found, compared to less than a fifth (18 per cent) of those from less-well off families.

In addition over half (56 per cent) of Asian pupils and 42 per cent of black students said they had had a tutor, compared to 25 per cent of white children.

Report author Dr John Jerrim said: “These figures show that in the UK children from poorer homes receive significantly less help with their studies outside of school than in many of the other countries surveyed. As a result, children of high ability from lowincome families are not receiving the kinds of educational opportunities they should.”