What is The Value of Tutoring?

What is the value of tutoring? The Department of Education (DfE) notes that tutoring consistently raises pupil attainment – particularly for those from under-privileged backgrounds. The value of these findings is reflected in DfE’s rollout of the National Tutoring Programme in 2020 to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic upon students – to great success! The Sutton Trust, an educational charity and advocacy group, in 2023 and 2014 concluded that private tuition, and those who are able to access it, increased the likelihood of entry to the most selective universities and the highest-paying career paths. Sutton Trust also concluded that any increase in access to private tuition was only likely to reduce the gap in attainment and life outcome between the highest and lowest percentiles of students.

One of the most important factors motivating parents to opt for private education is the reduced class sizes that allow for a more personalised and nurturing learning environment. Class sizes in state schools average around 30, and yet private schools often promise no more than 14 in any class. Having previously worked at a private school, my classes averaged a mere handful of students – allowing for the teacher to focus on each individual, their strengths and weaknesses, and their ability to communicate effectively within assessments. The rise of private tuition allows for this opportunity to be expanded to far more students – so much so that the Telegraph in 2014 noted a developing trend of parents trading private education for private tuition.

Private tutoring can be particularly useful for neurodivergent and/or reserved students. These students can often slip below the radar, and many find that they are unable to access the additional help that they need due to their confidence issues and the teacher’s limited timeslot. Private tuition allows for students and tutors to build a rapport that can help build individual confidence in the subject, and support students to academic success.

Private tuition allows for adaptability to the student. Rather than being limited to the “formulaic” structures and approaches of class teaching, private tuition allows for a personalised, individual approach that suits the student. Having worked with A Level students, I regularly find many struggles to understand the content being delivered within schools as it does not speak to their “learning language”. Private tuition allows for students and tutors to develop a working relationship in which this language can be understood, and students can receive content and lessons that are targeted at their style of learning. Many a student has come to the agency struggling to hit their entry grades for university and left surpassing these requirements with a renewed sense of confidence – and even a place on a higher-ranking course. We here at Cardiff & Value Tutoring aim to deliver upon our excellent reputation and continue to deliver students to the highest-ranking academic institutions in the country.

This blog was written by Dr Daniel Chesse, our History A level, GCSE and  Tutor of University Undergraduates.

KEYWORDS: Pupil Attainment, Flexible, Verified, Empowering, Pupil Motivation and Private Tuition