19th March 2012 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Private tuition could be widening the gap between the rich and the poor, and hindering social mobility. That’s the message in a recent article on the Guardian’s website which says that many more university students are tutoring A Level and GCSE students because the hourly pay is so much better than most other part-time jobs available to 18-21 year olds.
The article mentions the data from the Sutton Trust’s survey, which showed that the number of teenagers receiving private tutoring has gone from 18% to 23% in six years, and that in London the figure is now more like 38%. However, it’s claimed that in ‘rich’ homes 25% of teenagers receive tuition, while in ‘poor’ homes this is only 15%. It’s not clear how rich and poor is defined though.
Dr. Lee Elliot Major from the Sutton Trust said that he is concerned how the tuition industry is affecting social mobility, and that a child getting ahead is no longer just about how much he/she does at school, but also about how much a parent is prepared to spend on private tutors. Through the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), the Sutton Trust is helping to fund a scheme in Manchester where university students are asked to tutor in local schools for £10-15 an hour, a fraction of what one can expect to receive from a private tuition agency. The article suggests that students now have the option of tutoring for a small amount, or for more and compromising their social ideals.