How popular (and how fair) is tutoring in the UK?

The number of secondary school students who have had a tutor in the past year is currently at 27%. These numbers are even higher in London (41%).

The Sutton Trust has been measuring and reporting on the number of students recieving private tuition since 2005 (when 18% of students were receiving tuition).

The Sutton Trust is an educational charity in the United Kingdom which aims to improve social mobility and address educational disadvantage. 

They have measured the prevalence of tutoring for students from differing socio-economic backgrounds.

They found that:

• 34% of young people from more advantaged households have had tutoring this year, in contrast to 20% of students from less well-off households.

They also found that

• Young people from minority ethnic backgrounds have a much higher rate of private tuition, with 56% of Asian pupils and 42% of Black pupils compared to 25% of White pupils.
• Those from two parent families are also more likely than those from single parent households (31% compared to 24%)

The Sutton Trust have called for means-tested vouchers to enable one-to-one tuition for less advantaged students of all attainment levels.

Qualified Tutor aim to support this strategy, by offering NPQT scholarships to socially-active tutors who are willing to donate 10 tutoring hours to students eligible for pupil premium. It’s a pay-it-forward grassroots initiative.