1st April 2016 1:00
By Blue Tutors
The government has recently announced plans to extend the school day in many areas for arts and sports, a scheme which has been met with exasperation from schools, teachers and students. In principle any extra education funding should be a positive outcome from the budget, although the fact that it is only being offered to 25% of schools seems strange and unfair. From the perspective of a private tutor, it’s an interesting dilemma; on the one hand our business is to offer increased educational hours, but on the other, teaching one to one really shows how difficult it is for many students to cope already. So what’s the best solution?
One of the issues that tutors have to watch out for is that their students are taking on too much. They already do full school days, and many already stay late after school for extra-curricular activities. Add an hour or more of private tuition a week, and you need to be careful that students don’t burn out. One to one tutors can be aware of any issues arising, and focussing on just one student allows them to tailor their approach and ensure that students aren’t taking on too much. The problem with insisting that all students stay later, is that there are many students who will not benefit from it, and the choice is taken away from them.
Further, there’s the question of whether this is the best way to spend extra education funding. Private tutors know that there are many families out there who can’t afford their services, and many tutors tutor for charities and offer reduced rates. In the meantime, class sizes are too large for many students to benefit, and teachers are overworked without being made to put in extra hours. It’s also the case that many schools already offer after schools activities, and parents have the choice whether their children should participate in extra sports, and/or whether to hire private tutors to help their children with academic subjects in which they are struggling. From a private tutor’s perspective, the pupils they tutor would benefit most from smaller class sizes, specialist teachers, and choice as to how they spend out of school hours.