Commenting on research from the Sutton Trust showing large
inequalities in the use of private tutoring, Geoff Barton,
General Secretary of the Association of School and College
Leaders, said: “Access to private tutoring is obviously linked to
income and this is one of many reasons why there is a
long-standing attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and
their peers.
“The best way to mitigate this inequity is through the excellent
education provided by schools and colleges, but government
underfunding threatens standards and provision. Real-terms pay
cuts have eroded the value of salaries, and systemic pressures
which drive workload have left staff having to do more work with
fewer resources. This has led to a situation where high numbers
are leaving the profession and not enough trainee teachers are
being recruited, leaving schools and colleges facing severe
teacher shortages. The government must improve investment in
schools, colleges and the education workforce or otherwise staff
shortages will only get worse.
“Tutoring in schools is a partially subsidised programme from
government Covid recovery funding but the subsidy is reducing
from 60% in the current academic year to 25% in 2023/24. This
means it will become far more difficult for schools to provide
tutoring as their budgets are already under enormous pressure.
“If the government intends to embed tutoring as part of the
education system – as it has previously stated – then it must
provide the funding to enable this to happen.”
