Out of the classroom: the ex-teachers meeting the need for private tutors

When primary school teacher Sian Goodspeed had her daughter in 2008, she attempted to go part-time but found it didn’t give her the flexibility she needed, so she turned to tutoring. She began tutoring at her home, advertising locally and gaining customers through word-of-mouth. Based in Buckinghamshire, a grammar school area, Goodspeed found tuition for the 11-plus (the grammar school entrance exam) was in demand.

A year later, Goodspeed tendered for, and won, a tutoring contract with the Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust. This involved running 11-plus classes for children who lived in houses it owned, which the trust would pay for. She set up the project, called Tuition Plus, which provides core maths and English skills tuition for 48 children, as well as help with the 11-plus.

***

And their services are in high demand; in September, a Sutton Trust report found that 42% of state-educated children in London and 25% elsewhere in England and Wales had received private tuition. In 2005, 18% of children in England and Wales had received private tuition.

***

Read the full article here.