IN FOCUS TUTORING
✒ schools, greatly increasing the
competition at 13+. There is an equal crush at
university entrance level. Competition for university places is fueled by the trickle down effect of the increasingly competitive, globalised graduate recruitment market. This in turn impacts on the pressure for exam grades all the way down the education ladder. At one end, there is the widespread
belief that a place at the universities of Oxford or Cambridge will set you up for life, at the other a perceived need for tertiary education for even the academically challenged, which means demand for university places has never been greater. In 2009, University of Oxford
applications rose by 12.5 per cent, while applications to the University of Cambridge grew by 8.2 per cent. In addition to this, the high number of pupils gaining A grades at A2-level (nearly 27 per cent in 2009), led to the Government introducing the A* grade for 2010. This raises the bar for students yet higher. Competition has never been more intensive, which is why parents already paying for an independent school are looking towards tutors to give their children an edge. But does tuition help? When I
first started tutoring, I realised that even when you pay £10,000 a term for your child’s school, and they are in a class of 15 or 10 or even five, they still do not always get the individual attention they need. Until recently, teachers regarded having a child tutored as criticism of their methods or impugning their professional abilities, but Mylène Curtis of Fleet Tutors, Britain’s largest tutoring group, says that schools now recognise that one-on-one tuition is important. “Our research shows that,
after an average of 12 hours (one term’s private tuition), students’ results increase by more than one grade in 80 per cent of cases,” claims Curtis.
46 FIRST ELEVEN SUMMER 2010
“We are increasingly working in conjunction with a significant number of independent boarding and day schools,” she explains. “We believe in tutoring in conjunction with the school so as to reinforce and build on what the classroom teacher is doing, rather than undermine it. It should be a three-way partnership between school, tutor and child.” The goal is that a good tutor
“After an average of 12 hours
should complement not compete with good classroom teaching. “Schools do worry about younger children having additional tuition,” admits Curtis. However she goes on to say that, “while some preparatory school heads do not like private tuition at this stage,” [they may worry about the extra pressure it puts the children under] “we find that the hurdles the children have to leap over to secure these places at 11+ can be greater than the competition once the child is at the school. “Even though
(one term’s private tuition), students’ results increase by more than one grade in
80 per cent of cases”
MYLÈNE CURTIS,
Fleet Tutors
London prep schools do an excellent job in preparing children for these exams, one-to-one tuition gives them the confidence to
perform as they have
the tutor to themselves,” she adds. “There is no fear in asking questions and going back over material they do not understand.” The Government has not expressed
any unhappiness with children having private tuition. A spokesman for the Department of Children, Schools and Families said, “Parents have the right to provide their children with any additional support they see fit. In addition to this, however, the Department also recognises that some children, especially those from vulnerable groups, do not make the progress they need in small group or classroom settings, and would benefit from one-to-one tuition.” The Government is now also providing private tuition for 300,000 (soon 600,000) pupils not on course to make sufficient improvements at Key Stages 2, 3 and 4. In my experience as a classics
tutor, children are as likely to ask for help as their parents are to foist it upon them. This can be taken as a positive sign that children are self- aware and, in most cases, this seems to be the case. “I asked my parents to look into finding me a tutor when I realised that I needed help to regain confidence after falling behind at school,” says Philippa, one of my students. “I thought I would benefit
WWW.FIRSTELEVENMAGAZINE.CO.UK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84