Over a quarter of secondary school pupils get private tuition

Emma Finamore
18 Jul 2018

One-on-one classes can boost learning by a massive five months.

Placeholder — In 2005, 18% of young people had had tuition, compared to 27% in 2018.

Over a quarter (27%) of secondary school pupils in England and Wales have had private tuition, a figure that rises to 41% for pupils in London. This is according to new polling published by the Sutton Trust.

These new figures, taken from a poll of 2,381 11-16-year-olds in state schools across England and Wales, highlight the growing prevalence of private tuition in the past thirteen years. In 2005, 18% of young people had had tuition, compared to 27% in 2018. In London, 34% of pupils received private or home tuition in 2005, compared to 41% this year.

Over one in 10 (11%) pupils of the pupils polled his year said they had had extra tuition this year (2018), while a similar proportion (10%) reported having had private tuition in 2017.

The pupils were asked why they had received private or home tuition. Almost half (47%) said the main reason was to help them with their work in general, while a third (33%) said they have had private or home tuition to help them do well in a specific GCSE exam. Just over one in four (27%) said their extra tuition was to help them do well in a school entrance exam, a rise from 18% in 2016.

According to the Sutton Trust / EEF Toolkit, one-on-one tuition can boost learning by five additional months. With the typical cost of private tutoring about £24 per hour excluding commission, £27 per hour in London, the Sutton Trust is concerned that the growing private tuition market is further widening educational inequality.

In 2005, 18% of young people had had tuition, compared to 27% in 2018. In London, 34% of pupils received private or home tuition in 2005, compared to 41% this year.

The Trust says that the government should introduce a means tested voucher system as part of the pupil premium through which lower income families could purchase additional educational support. Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation shows that good teaching skills are crucial in improving the attainment of disadvantaged students, so it is vital that the quality of provision is high.

The Trust also says that more private tuition agencies provide a certain proportion of their tuition to disadvantaged pupils for free, as well as increasing non-profit and state tuition programmes that connect tutors with disadvantaged schools.

Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust and of the Education Endowment Foundation, said: “Our polling shows that private tuition has become much more common in London over the past decade. The fact that it’s predominantly used to help children do well in a specific test or exam means that those who can afford it are able to give their children a significant advantage over those that cannot.

“If we are serious about social mobility, we need to make sure that the academic playing field is levelled outside of the school gate by the state providing funding for private tuition on a means-tested basis.”

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