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£29-an-hour private tutors for struggling state pupils
Tim Ross, Education Correspondent16 Sep 2009
AN army of private tutors is being hired by the Government to stop middle-class parents "buying advantage" for their children while poorer pupils fall behind.
One-to-one classes will be given to 300,000 state school pupils who struggle with English and maths over the next 10 months.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls wants to hire 100,000 tutors from the ranks of retired teachers, newly qualified trainees and part-time staff by 2011. They will be paid up to £29 an hour to give the evening and weekend classes. The plan follows concerns that a boom in private tuition in London is widening the gap between rich and poor.
Mr Balls said children benefited from intensive bursts of tutoring, especially when moving from primary to secondary school.
"The time that one-to-one tuition was the sole preserve of the well-off, or for parents to struggle to afford fees, is over," he said. "All pupils will get the extra support if they need it. I think we've got the potential to create an army of highly qualified tutors."
More than 25,000 teachers have already registered with the school Training and Development Agency to join the scheme. They will be paid an hourly rate of £25 to £29 for taking classes after school. Some will be hired to work permanently in schools.
A range of candidates have signed up so far, including full-time teachers looking to expand their skills, staff returning from maternity leave and those who have retired or quit the profession.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, welcomed the initiative. She said: "All parents will have access to the help and support that has previously been the preserve of those with money seeking to buy advantage for their children."
The plan forms part of the Government's £468million programme to raise primary and secondary school standards in the basics of reading, writing and maths. Children aged between seven and 16 will receive intensive bursts of 10 hours of one-to-one tuition to get them back on track. Up to 150,000 pupils will attend catch-up classes in English, with the same number in maths.
Officials say a government pilot project involving 50,000 pupils saw one-to-one classes help pupils make "remarkable progress".
In June, a study by the Sutton Trust think tank found 22 per cent of secondary school pupils received private tuition. The figure was much higher in London, at 43 per cent.
Reader views (2)
This country should learn that when things are free, it will not be valued but abused like the NHS. Did the taxpayer approve such a scheme?
I was a peer tutor at school. Weak students were identified and offered the free peer tutored sessions. Cost the school and government/taxpayer nothing except to provide a venue. Both my students and I found the experience beneficial.
- Tohk, London, 16/09/2009 21:54
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Am I missing something, who's paying for this? With the number of children not attaining 'national standards' increasing surely this scheme will see a substantial percentage increase in school budgets. Just when Crash Gordon has admitted his bunch of merry men are looking to cut everything by 10%!
- Mark, London, 16/09/2009 17:51
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