Fifth of state pupils have private tutor at GCSE (and it’s not cheap)

25 comments

1. People are obsessed with GCSE grades.

   I’ve not had to tell anyone my school grades in over a decade because professional achievements are much more important.

   We are putting too much pressure on young people.

   Edit: for everyone saying how important GCSEs are, I’m saying they shouldn’t be viewed as so important. That requires a culture change which you are all capable of engaging in. Just saying “GCSEs are important and there’s nothing we can do about that” reinforces the stress and pressure we put on young people.

2. Some people see academia as a route to a better life so I understand. The reality is schools are failing and have no accountability of failure, just leave and get a new job.

   2 primary schools near me, about a mile apart with overlapping catchment areas in village settings, with similar demographics. The national average of reading/writing etc is around 60%, one school is at 90% the other and 50% attainment. Both are rated as good.

3. I just made my GCSEs up and secured my first few jobs easily. They never ask for proof

4. The article is locked by a paywall but would be interested to see what they’re counting as a private tutor, are these university-level students tutoring for extra cash? Charity-funded tutors? Self-employed tutors?

5. Still cheaper than putting them into the private sector.

6. About 9 months before his GCSE exams, when we were looking at colleges and 6th forms, the penny dropped with my son that to do the a levels that he wanted be needed to get a grade 4 in maths and English

   He had always been a slow developer academically and had had early years setbacks did to health and a move across the country that had seen him essentially skip forwards an academic year when he wasn’t ready

   In recent years he had discovered a passion for film and history

   Driving home from one college which has really sparked his interest he turned to me and said, dad I think I will get the grade 4 in maths but am worried about English

   We looked into it and found an company that offered additional online 1:1 tutoring from qualified teachers looking to make extra cash

   I talked to them about our requirements and we set up a 1 hour a week session for him

   That 1:1 attention focusing on his particular needs made all the difference to him and he a achieved a song 4 in English and a 5 in lot

   The skills he unlocked have paid further dividends in his writing for his current a levels and he’s on course for top grades in his history film and law exams this summer and to head off to university to study journalism

   I’m convinced that the additional tuition time we paid for has made the world of difference for him and am happy that we did it

7. I mean I did it, my son is super bright but he really struggled with maths after returning from Covid, I think a lot of students did. So I got him a tutor and he got a 6, so imo it was worth every penny. I also had the tutor go through the poetry book with him and he got an 8 in English lit. So I have absolutely no regrets. The rest of his grades were 7’s fyi.

8. Part of the issue is also that the system guarantees failure. They change the boundaries every year to ensure a certain percentage of 3s.

9. “And it’s not cheap”

   Speaking as a teacher and occasional tutor, comparatively speaking, tutors are a bargain.

   You’ll pay probably £20-30 for an hour of a trained professional’s time, one on one. At the absolute most for A-Level you might see someone charging £40-50 under certain circumstances.

   Tell me how much you’d pay for an hour with a private GP, or a driving school, or even a hairdresser.

   What’s more teacher tutoring is apparently inflation proof. That has been the going rate for at least 20 years now, while everything else has gone up, tutoring costs have stayed largely the same.

10. I had to have a tutor for maths. I was put in a low set, and when you’re in a low set literally all the classroom teacher is doing is behaviour control. There was no other option than a private tutor, because I simply could not learn maths at school. I wonder if it’s like that for a lot of other kids.

11. The crazy thing is a lot of the kids who have tutors aren’t paying attention or are dicking about in class and the parents think 1hr with a tutor will make up for 4 hrs at school wasted. Supporting the school and being engaged with reports etc would save them a lot of money and the inevitable disappointment when that investment turns out to be a waste and their kid tanks their grade anyway.

12. Not surprised; I never had any issues myself, but my brother who is a few years younger got lumped with some absolutely horrific teachers. He did not have a proper maths teacher for the whole of year 10!

    Fortunately I managed to coach him in Maths and he got the grades he wanted. My mother went to the school to complain and the head of maths (who was always a bit of a dick, I flunked a test to get out of his set) told my mum “he can always re-sit the exam when he is 17”.

13. “Had been tutored at some point”

    Not “have a private tutor at GCSE”.

    It’s not like the Times to misrepresent a finding for the sake of a headline and a misleading article.

14. Safer than keeping them in schools and dealing with the bullshit they have to put up with now. Plus a lot safer for the parents and actually being allowed to parent their child

15. Politicians would straight up try and sell this as increased growth in the education market while creating employment opportunities for unemployed doctors

16. I’m currently at night school for joinery, the tutors also teach the same class in the day time with students. Our tutors dislike teaching the kids because they’re so feral and wild. They pointed out that from most of these classes only a small minority will carry on to apprenticeship or another joinery course. Imagine the level of danger when you have kids misbehaving but with tools accessible in the process.

    I do point out though that in the evening class we have one lad that my tutor refuses to give up on, I believe he has a history of many ailments and the others in the group acknowledge and understand his background. We all support him in the group and we refuse to give up on him. His first exam he got 30% – months later after help and guidance he got 80% in that same exam. The smile and happiness on his face was great to see.

    I’d also point out that my tutors are in their 50’s and are in bad health; majorly to the point where one of them has had two heart attacks already in his life and had openly said he will not survive another one.

    Teaching is probably one of the hardest professions to take on these days. I wouldn’t do it, ever.

17. My kid hasn’t got a tutor… but she’s got a science teacher, an engineer. 2 heads of art, a maths teacher and a good teacher in her support network.

    She’ll still fail everything except art & food.

    She’s putting the work in but she’s not bright.

18. My mum is a private tutor. She charges £35 an hour and most kids see her once a week or once a fortnight for an hour. It’s not that expensive.

19. I did everything right. I went to school and got my GCSEs, A levels, and honours degree. I now work in construction not one bit of my further education is needed for my role construction not ones, I’m on reasonably decent money (in location I live), have decent job that I like and it’s not relatively stressful. I’m 36 now, and I look back and don’t have regrets as such, but I wish I did a trade. I tried to join the military a number of times but have a long-term illness, so I couldn’t get in on medical grounds.
    If I were speaking to a young person of today, I would urge them to do a trade or join the military. Education is a myth, and the university education system is a business, not an institution of further education, and most degrees aren’t worth the money.
    Trust me kids it’s not all doom and gloom you might have to relocate or change your idea of what you wanted to do in live to something else but trust me if your still in your 30s you can still make this change too.

20. Underfunding and poor teacher training has a part. A friend of mine, experienced teacher was headhunter to Teacher Training College. She tells me what they teach prospective teachers ie how to teach etc hasn’t changed in 30 years when she was in same institution. World has moved on but training hasn’t.

21. I’d be interested to know what the split is between immigrant parents and native. I know from my friends that those born outside the UK are far more likely to have their children in after school classes and hire tutors.

    My Chinese and Polish friends just seem to act like it’s an essential and just what you do to ensure your child has the best possible start

22. The worst part of all is the poorly educated when reaching voting age, will vote for parties like Reform. There’s a reason the Republicans do so well.. Poorly educated voters make for a worse democracy. It’s Turkeys voting for xmas. Labour should be doing everything it can to instil strong civic values and understanding into the youth, so we don’t end up with another generation of boomers voting in right wing economically illiterate politicians.

23. intense studying has reached uk shores

    blue club failed ideology has groomed brits to study more for wage stagnation and rental generations

24. State school is a crèche to put kids while both parents work to prop up the economy. Not a learning institution. Has been for decades now

25. I know mates who studied the night before and guessed what would be on the exams; getting straight A*s, while I know some who needed to work night and day for lesser results.

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