Class teacher privately tutoring pupils in their class

[Eastie77Returns]

DS’s teacher tutors a couple of kids in his class each week. I thought this kind of thing was not permitted (teachers engaging in transactional engagements with parents). Anyone else think this is a bit odd?

I agree. It just doesn't sit well with me.

They're leaving themselves open to complaint as other parents might feel that the teachers were favouring their tutees.

I don't think most teachers do tutor the children they teach all day?

JoyousPinkPeer · Today 18:47

Honestly, if she's such a great teacher they woukd not need a private tutor. I'd be surprised if a school permitted this.

Total nonsense. Some students lack ability in some subjects (however good the teacher is) and will need significant extra help in order to pass odlr gain a good grade.

I’m also confused as to how the HT is fine with this (she is aware of it) but I’ve come to realise there are a few things about her and the school that seem quite unusual.

For example, are four teaches in the school who are her immediate family relatives including her mother and sister. Her daughter and nephew won the school talent shows several years running, to the point where kids openly said there was no point in anyone else trying to win.

Altogether an odd set up and so I suppose I’m not surprised that she has permitted another situation that can cause a conflict of interest.

All the state and independent schools I have taught in during my career have not allowed teachers to tutor any pupil in the school, whether they are in a teacher's own class or not.

There are plenty of excellent reasons for this.

It is a huge conflict of interest on several fronts, as well as a safeguarding risk.

Not to mention - we are already paid to teach our students to the best of our ability, and to provide them with whatever additional support they need to achieve. It would be completely unethical to charge for something that should be an inherent part of our existing paid employment and professional relationship with that student.

Any school that allows teachers to tutor their students as part of a private arrangement with parents is opening themselves up to potentially serious breaches of safeguarding protocol and I can't imagine why any Head worth their salt would permit it as a consequence.

There is a potential conflict of interest if a teacher accepts money to teach their own students outside the classroom but it's allowed if the school permits it.

I'm in Melbourne, so different rules, and it was not allowed. Come to that, all paid work outside the classroom had to be declared too so teachers couldn't be scanting their school work to run a business on the side.

I have no problem with this. Loads of teachers tutor in their spare time. Most have as some point or another. That’s who tutors are - teachers. It would make sense for them to tutor kids from their own school. They’d know the syllabus, exam board, core texts, etc.

when my kids were in school we lived in a small village it would be near impossible to not have a cousin/aunt or in-law actually teaching you.
forget about a neighbor or family friend.
socially though helping kids excelling benefits everyone.

This. If it's a state school, they'd be required to have permission from headteacher for any other work, paid or otherwise, or be in breach of contract.

Is it a small school in a small community.

The current HT at our school is the aunt of my DDs bully, luckily she started the term after her niece left. She has a nephew in the school. The chair of governors had 2 grandsons in the school until this year, both school and teacher favourites. One teacher ( on maternity leave) has a son in reception. Another teacher has a son hopefully starting next September. The best school TA I’ve ever met has been with the school for 20 years, her mother worked at the school, her sister worked at the school, her children went to the school, her grandchildren don’t because their mum wanted them elsewhere. The mum also happens to be a hairdresser and has been doing my hair since my oldest was in reception. She dose half the towns hair, went to school with half the parents in the school. Several of the teachers also went to this school as children.

It would be nigh on impossible to not have crossover given the close and fairly small community.

I think the only issue I’d have is if the other children are not getting the level of education they need in class and the tutored children were regularly being rewarded in school for the extra tuition they receive out of school.

We have a tutor for 2 of our children, I’d absolutely hate to use their current teachers as tutors because their tutor brings a completely different outlook and energy to their studies, it gives them a refreshing change from the teachers they see day in and day out.

I don't see how that's wrong.

It's naive to think that a pupil wouldn't have a greater chance of a higher grade when being taught as an individual instead of a class of 30. Of course they're more likely to achieve a better grade. It's one of the attractions of private school.

Your second point is definitely incorrect. I'm a music teacher and my colleague gives pupils individual instrumental lessons in his home. Obviously schools are at liberty to make their own rules.

I'm not sure you understand the level of scrutiny that goes on in schools.

What if they hold back in the classroom so that that they have gaps to fill later?
How do the school not know this could be going on? Lessons in school should be sufficient, if the teacher can tutor the students and understand what they are missing then why are they not addressing that in lesson.
I think it is very cloudy, ethically.

It is completely unethical, and I’m shocked that some people fail to recognise this. There are numerous reasons, as previously mentioned, but one key issue is that the teacher will have a closer understanding of the child being tutored compared to the other students. Naturally, the teacher is likely to be more invested in the success of the tutored child, which can lead to prejudice and unconscious bias.

Can you think of any reasons why people might see this as wrong?

💯 this! Why can’t people see this?

I agree that there is an issue around the teacher naturally being more invested in her tutees and developing a closer rapport with them than with other students.

Not to mention the odd dynamic that will arise between the teacher and the parent who is paying her every week.

This.

My husband is a teacher (not primary school). Not allowed to tutor his students.
I think it's the right approach.

So you are zero understanding of pay within the teaching industry .

Did you do an advance search of me or something just to come and moan at me on another thread? Are you ok? 😂 and no I don’t actually, not everybody is a teacher. It’s ok to ask questions when you don’t understand something. HTH

Where are teachers finding time to set up a tutoring business? Wouldn't their time be better spent on lesson prep and more focused marking? In reality this is a side hustle and one that is quite opaque ethically and professionally. It's a form of private education through the back door or at least two tier teaching.

In the NH S waiting lists in some areas are partially down to the amount of lucrative private work some consultants do. I don't think we want to replicate this philosophy in schools do we? I guess it will be your more entrepreneurial teachers looking at doing this and it would be better for teacher pay to be increased overall rather than allowing teachers to be refocused by having to set up tutoring groups for extra income.

Given teachers have little time to mark my children's work or give significant feedback I am surprised there is time for tutoring which takes up considerable time . Are pupils suffering because the tutor does not have the energy or time to devote for their own job?

My sister does online tutoring, she dropped to part time hours at school and earns far more (along with greater flexibility) during the time she's tutoring so has the energy- scared to drop classroom teaching fully though in case things dry up. She had to sign something to say she couldn't tutor children from her class and if from the wider school the enquiring parent needed to give permission for her to ask permission from the head. Not sure if that's normal but makes sense to me that as you say it's frowned upon for coi reasons.

Their own tutoring business- they are paid for their time

Doing even more work on top of the already demanding workload of which plenty is unpaid - they are not paid for their time

Honestly can't blame any of them for wanting to be paid for their work, I absolutely would not work tonnes of hours for free.

Isn't there an egalitarian principle at stake that children at least in the state sector expect a general equality of education. I don't think teachers get paid enough so I see the temptation to make extra money but I still think you are in danger of introducing a two tier style of teaching where those with the ability to pay get extra. We should be doing more to improve teaching in general rather than having some parents and teachers getting a bit extra with money.

The two tier system can exist whether the tutors are the school teachers or not though. Are you suggesting that state school pupils shouldn't be allowed to have tutoring at all?