5th March 2014 9:00
By Blue Tutors
One of the things that parents worry about when deciding to hire a private tutor for their child, is what their child’s school will make of it. Although tutoring is now extremely popular, there is still no accepted etiquette as to how to address this issue with schools, and the attitudes of schools towards the private tutoring phenomenon vary widely. Some schools actually help parents arrange private tuition, and have arrangements with local agencies. Others are more guarded, whilst some actively advise against the use of private tutors.
Schools have a number of different concerns which may influence their attitudes towards the use of private tutors. Independent schools which charge hefty fees may view parents hiring a tutor as an indictment of the school, suggesting that they are not doing well enough. Parents are particularly keen not to damage their relationship with their child’s school, and may often keep the tutoring a secret. Other private schools work private tutoring into their routine, and offer the additional services of their teachers for one-one tuition. Although private schools offer reduced class sizes, they cannot offer one-one help in the regular school day.
Other times, schools may feel that private tuition would in fact be detrimental to children’s development. Several head teachers have recently spoken out against excessive tutoring, and warned that parents risk hot-housing their children. They have noted that private tuition is starting younger, with children as young as three receiving private tuition. Selective schools have also expressed concerns on the grounds that if students are coached for entrance exams, it makes it harder for the schools to assess students’ true abilities. When making a decision, parents should consider guidelines from schools carefully before continuing.