What proportion of children at your school get tutoring?

[Ladymuck]

We have a few good localish state schools which get very good results (over half the children attain Level 5 by Year 6).

The headteacher of one of the schools has told my friend (with a dd in Yr 3) that one third of all the pupils there (and at the other local schools) are tutored in at least one, if not more, subjects, from Year 3 onwards, with the numbers steadily increasing up the school. This information was given in response to a concern that her dds weren't progressing to the best of their ability and she couldn't see where they would "catch up".

I guess that I concluded that at least some children would be getting tutored in Years 5 & 6 (the neighbouring borough has 11+) but have to say that I'm shocked at the proportion (and the implication that if you wanted your child to do well then this is what you had to do). I was aware when looking round one of the other schools that again a third of the pupils were being tutored in Year 5 & 6 (again the head was upfront about this at the open day) but I hadn't realised how young this started - I had assumed that it was more about exam practice rather than actually teaching them fractions etc.

The schools are in a relatively middle class area so we're talking about parents who can afford it on the whole, but how normal is this? Or is it just one of the facets of a London education these days?

I fell into the trap of believing good Sats results came from good teaching. At our school at least half of the children from Yr1 are being "helped" outside of what the school does. If the parents are short of time or confidence they pay for tutoring, otherwise they do it themselves.
The school is well aware of this and after encountering many a downbeat Parent Consultation, where the emphasis is firmly put on what the parents need to do to fix support their child at home as there is no time at school - you can very much see where it comes from - the school is very good at heightening our anxieties and it happens right across abilities.

SofaQueen I am surprised at your 30%! Ds1 is at a pre-prep - I hope the school will prepare him for the exams.

I don't know if any are being tutored, I hope not.

none as far I'm aware! but no selective sec school here

Very few here but we live in an area with comprehensives not Grammar schools so there is no need

I know a few and suspect there are more, we aren't in an 11+ area but quite a few children do go to private secondaries.

The ones I know have tutors though are mainly children whose parents are worried they aren't keeping up with the bulk of the class in maths or literacy.

I can't imagine hiring a tutor for a primary child but then I regularly spend an hour with my 10 year old helping her with her maths homework, which she's struggling with, so I can't really blame the parents who don't feel confident doing that themselves.

MarshaBrady - it surprised me too, I also believe that part of what we are paying for is exam prep. I do believe that the school does prepare them adequately - just that some parents, particularly those with older siblings (it seems) are far less relaxed about the whole thing and try to make sure that their child covers all the bases, and then some.

I am also in an area where quite a few go on to private schools. I know of five out of the thirty in my dds class that have tutors.

My DS, Y10, knows a boy at his comprehensive school who is in the top set (out of about 6 sets) for maths but still has a maths tutor for an hour once a week . I can only guess that he, or his parents, can't bear the thought of him getting less than an A*.

at my DD's school only the children who are really struggling or have dyslexia (as in DD's case) seem to have tutors. If anything the teachers seem a bit uncomfortable about it; almost like it's a sign they are not doing their job properly! It's certainly not the norm round here (Midlands) but we don't have the grammar system.

What has astounded me on this thread is how many of you know the exact numbers for your DC's schools/classes. Is it something that people talk about a lot in the playground ? (baffled emoticon)

I would say about a third of the children in my DDs school year have had tuition at some point during year 5 or 6. For most, this is towards the 11+ as there are quite a few grammar schools in this area.

Makes me laugh as the school is always patting themselves on the back about their fantastic SATs results and how many of their pupils get into grammar school. OFSTED recently graded them as outstanding too.

thirtysomething - I know the exact number because DS1's teacher told me.

I suspect a few have them. Mine don't.

Also I do think there is an awful lot of assumption that kids who do well at state schools must have been tutored or effectively tutored by their parents, because obviously no state school could have done this. The kneejerk response to hearing someone from an ordinary comprehensive has got good A-levels is to assume tutoring.

I dunno MI, my kneejerk response to hearing that someone's got all As at A level is "don't they all?".

Tutoring does seem to be very normal these days, both here and where we used to live I have various friends, not people I'd think of as pushy, and not in grammar school areas, engaging tutors for their primary children. It's a bit like piano lessons, people just do it for a while to give their child a boost.

Not that I'm approving but as I said in my previous post I'll too aware that we can (and would) do the tutoring ourselves if necessary.

My friend lives in a grammar school area that almost all the children who go to a prep school gets tutored from year 5 to do 11 plus exams and kumoned as well.We dont live in a grammar school area and the tutoring is almost unheard where we live.

Oh my word. I can't think of a single child who has had any extracurric. formal tutoring for academic subjects (and I know a LOT of parents at many local primary schools, we are out in the sticks of Norfolk).

I know a few who attend Jolie French or have swimming lessons outside school hours, that's not really what OP means, though, right?

Local state High Schools GCSE pass rates are like 43% typically (so not selective entry!). Plenty of the kids are high achievers nevertheless (working 2-3+ yrs above target for age, etc.)

eek! just realised this is an ancient thread, . Has anyone answered Summersun70?

yes I did not as well that this is an ancient thread

dc in state school: majority
dc in private school: none that i know about

"My DS, Y10, knows a boy at his comprehensive school who is in the top set (out of about 6 sets) for maths but still has a maths tutor for an hour once a week . I can only guess that he, or his parents, can't bear the thought of him getting less than an A*."

That's a rather uncharitable interpretation, Doc. Maybe he is very good at Maths and finds the classroom boringly easy (even in top set) and enjoys being stretched beyond the standard curriculum in one-to-one sessions. I know of two pupils (in different schools) who were in danger of being totally turned off Maths by tick-box teaching: one got tutoring and ended up studying the subject at Oxbridge; the other didn't and still ended up at Oxbridge, but reading something totally different.

I don't know any here at dds current school or their old one (Cumbria)

Senua, you make a fair point, but that is not the case for the child in question.

very few... but that's because we don't have grammar schools and the 11+.

Plus, many of the children are very poor so they wouldn't be tutored.