If a child is not faring well in his or her regular class, most parents start considering private tutoring. The question is, why should it however be a privilege of the rich, only because of the obvious financial implications? The good news is that there is a revolutionary scheme aims to ensure private tutoring isn’t just for the privileged.
Fundamentally, Wilbury Primary is a front runner in the fight for social equality. The school is by no means for the rich, judging by the more than 900 pupils who speak over 60 different dialects. It is therefore a pleasant surprise to observe 14 of the school’s brightest pupils being coached by four private tutors at the Sage Club during lunchtime meetings.
The Tutorfair Foundation is responsible for this considerate program that aims to avail private tutoring to children from all walks of life. The way this model works also brings together children from all walks of life to provide an equal platform. A portion of the fee paid by every parent is set aside for another child who cannot afford the services of a private tutor.
Another organization is the Education Endowment Foundation, which has provided a fund worth £263,000 to go towards evaluation of the impact of free tuition provided by the Tutor Trust based in Manchester. The children are coached by university students and fresh graduates who have been trained by the foundation. Other companies allocate volunteers to state schools, while some schools have opted to facilitate private tuition to children from low income homes using their pupil premium.
There has been a good response from parents who are required by Tutorfair to donate 5% of the private tuition cost to go towards providing the same for another child. Some of them even disclose that their decision to pay tuition for their child through Tutorfair was because in doing so they would help another child. The parents understand that in a class of around 30 students it can be difficult for your child to get the attention they may need. Many a times the pupils do not have the confidence to voice their concerns when they do not understand something.
So far, Tutorfair has developed partnerships with 5 other schools that assist children from poor backgrounds in London to access free private tuition. The children are coached by tutors who have been trained by an initiative called Teach First, on how to teach in the poor neighbourhoods of England and Wales. In South London, the principal of Pimlico Academy is very happy about its partnership with Tutorfair as the students have really benefited. They are able to explain to their tutors what specific problems they have in a particular subject, and at the end of the day it no longer poses as a challenge.
The success of this initiative can already be seen when children from both sides of life are successfully brought together to demonstrate their abilities in a level playing field. The results from the entrance tests have over time revealed that the tutorials work. We all want the best for our children, but if this kind of service is not provided in your area and you haven’t had any recommendations and are carrying out internet searches for local tutors such as: ‘personal tutor, Bromley’ they should display their accreditations on their website as well as testimonials and possibly information regarding references.
About the author
Michael Drayton is a private tutor, Bromley, tutoring children aged from 4 to 16. Drayton has a keen interest in tutoring pupils who may have fallen behind their peers in mainstream education in addition to tutoring more able students whose aim is to maximise their performance.
