Tell me about good GCSEs without use of tutors

[AtomHeartMotherOfGod]

Both children are at a private school but neither me nor DH know much about them. I was grammar, he just worked bloody hard and had clever DPs.

Year 10 parents have been asking for tutor recommendations for GCSEs and I'm wondering how naive I'm being about their use for these exams. DCs do pretty well, but if the reality of private school results is that actually they are heavily backed by tutors then I don't want them to be disadvantaged.

Please tell me what your reality has been, and anything that you did for your children (yourself, or via tutors) that really helped them. Many thanks!

No tutors here (unless you count 'a chat with Auntie Karen about simultaneous equations' one holiday, and state schools throughout. They seemed to do just fine.

It has to be said, though, that my definition of 'fine' might look a bit shabby against the private school definition. They weren't all 9 (or A*) though they were all 7 or above.

What results do you see as realistic for yours and where do they hope to go next?

@AtomHeartMotherOfGod my DH and I both got high grades (mostly 9's) at school without much effort, and our two boys have been the same. GCSEs are a breeze for bright, motivated kids with good teachers. Ours knew they could always ask us for help if needed, but they rarely did at GCSE (one of them asked us for a bit more help in the first year of his A levels, for a subject we both did a degree in).

If their grades are lower than expected, or they tell you they are struggling, and they really can't find guidance for free online, then perhaps think about it again. Otherwise, think of it as other parents spending money on tutors to compensate for not having what your children have naturally.

I never spent a penny on tutors.

Another state school in a disadvantaged area. Grades mainly 9s & 8s. Undiagnosed ALNs. Graduated with a degree in PPE from Oxford, now studying for a Masters. Never tutored, but taken to many museums, performances of Macbeth & An Inspector Calls, listened to R4 from birth and had a bedroom full of books.

I don't see the logic of feeling you must pay for a tutor as well as for private education. Surely that's why you go private in the first place. I'd be speaking to the school if you believe your DC are under achieving and not being pushed.

My brother (who did really well at school and went on to Cambridge and then Harvard) never had any tutoring beyond discussing physics with my grandfather in his very final year. I also only had my grandfather to help with any science questions I might have had in year 13, but otherwise no tutoring whatsoever and I did well at school and went on to do Law at UCL. If your kid understands the subject and revises what was taught, there's no need for outside tutoring (which quite often is a waste of money).

I think tutors can be useful to plug areas of weakness or for help on exam technique/practice.

If you are paying for a private education and think that tutors are just necessary because the standard of school education isn't good enough, then I'd frankly be questionning why you are spending your money on the school.

For what it's worth, I think the key to good grades at GCSE is self motivation and organisation. You will typically have end of topic tests, end of year 10 exams, at least one set of mocks. Basically your child will revised everything at least twice before they actually get to real GCSE (which will be the third or more time of revising). The key is to make good notes and revise thoroughly the first time, then you can note areas of weakness and refine your knowledge/technique every subsequent time.

Having asked around close friends whose children are now Y12/13 for tutor recommendations for my Y11 DD...

Private school - none used tutors at all (selective well known privates)
State school - all used tutors in one or more subjects, a few tutored in all subjects from start of Y10.

All the children came out with 7-9 grades and some with all grade 9s.

Some were tutoring to ensure best grades possible, some tutoring to get that string of 9s secured. A couple were genuinely concerned their child might not pass some subjects and turned it round with tutoring.

So I think it depends on the child and where they realistically are, and what grades they are targeting.

For us, we are tutoring due to DD's SEN and have very specific things that need 1:1 focus. She is also useless at organising effective revision on her own (ADHD) and an hour with a tutor is more effective than her spending 10 hours "revising" and the financial cost is less than my sanity.

It’s mad that people who are already spending a fortune on schooling should feel they have to pay for tutors too. Surely the school should be good enough to get them through the exams without additional help?

Thanks so much for all the replies. Expectations are kind of mainly 7 and above but not for all 9s or anything. Just want them to do justice to themselves without being disadvantaged by people who've been tutored.

Our life sounds similar to many of you; we go to theatres and museums, play board games and are interested generally in things.

@RedSkyDelights @InWithThePlums I completely agree! That's why I panicked at these messages about tutors and wondered if it was another thing I was ignorant of. But perhaps the children have specific needs; I'm not sure.

I’d be pretty hacked off if my kid was at private school and I had to also stump up for tutors!

Blimey-private school AND tutors? This is GCSE we're talking about!

@RedSkyDelights I will pass on that advice to DS. He's at the start of that journey now; I've said it's important to try hard with all assessments but not put that across in a very explicit way, so thank you for doing that for me 😁

My DC were/are at Private and no way would I get tutors for them. The school actually discourages it and asks that we speak to them instead if we feel its necessary

Both my kids got all 7s, 8s and 9s with no tutors at a normal state comp. What I did to support was help them to make a proper revision timetable with all the subjects broken down into topics and time factored into the week for activities. We also bought revision books (CGP) and I spent a lot of time quizzing them with flash cards. As a PP said, I'd be pretty annoyed if I was paying for a private school and had to pay for tutors on top of that!

My DC were at private.

I got an English tutor for one of them but he has significant additional needs and was at risk of failing. His other GCSEs were grade 9. He didn't do a language.

He's now a music graduate and a drummer and applying for masters.

Gawd, DD got all 7-9 and we didn't tutor. Her non-selective state school offered a lot of interventions for the whole year group though so we didn't need to.
I would have got her one if she was at risk of failing maths and English but other than that it was left to her.

I don't think you will find that others being tutored will be a disadvantage to yours. That only happens if there is a serious issue with teaching (ie no teachers for a subject) and half the class are doing the work with tutors while the other half are waiting for someone to teach them the course.

In the main, those I know with tutors were for specific things and with SEN in the mix (bar the ones with tutors in everything the whole time and then there was quite a strong cultural element).

School are very aware of DD's tutor and it's very much a partnership with the teacher (who is also excellent) to try and work out why she gets top grades in class and completely falls apart in exam conditions and fix it. The tutor is very experienced with her specific SEN issues and we have already seen a 2 grade increase in a month.

If your child is scoring in line with their ability and expectations then I would relax.

My DD was in a school where most had tutoring. Her response was to tutor herself - she actually said that to me one day when I suggested she might want to take a break. She got all 9s. She was and is a very hard worker.

DC are at private school and we haven't used tutors. However DC have become aware of the number of friends at various schools, private and state, particularly in London, who use tutors discreetly: for Oxbridge preparation, for 11+ prep into selective schools, for those struggling with a subject, for those wanting to gain top grades, for those wanting better predicted grades at A level... So many reasons and so many pupils.
The general rule I have heard from London parents is that with a bit of tutoring at A level a pupil will increase one extra grade. So if a DC is predicted A or B at A level, with a bit of extra support with a tutor they will likely get A or A*. What I have gleaned is that tutoring is worthwhile for a particular target - the tutors focus solely on exam technique - knowing the exact words/phrases/techniques that an exam board or Uni test will expect.
Schools will teach a class the syllabus and overall techniques but in a large class it is easy for a pupil to miss some of the nuanced techniques expected. If a child has missed lessons due to illness then it is easy to need support.
I suppose parents should be realistic - as long as you realise that there is a lot of tutoring going on and results will reflect tutoring.
Whether it is wrong/right/fair/unfair is not relevant - Look at what is going on in practice.

Lots of teacher friends & family & many do tutoring on the side. Plenty for PS students too.

DC were comp educated and never had need for tutors. They found GCSEs stupidly easy. We didn't know any other students who had tutors (most parents couldn't afford it).

There is a narrative on here that state pupils pay for tutors all the time. Not in my experience. I'm surprised you'd need to top up when you're already paying tbh. And actually, OP, it sounds like you are sceptical that yours need it. Perhaps the parents you're encountering are just the types to throw money at everything. And you need to ignore them and do what you feel is right.

I’d be pretty hacked off if my kid was at private school and I had to also stump up for tutors!

It's really that unusual but depends on the school.

not that unusual

i'm in London and I know some who put their dc down at age 6/7 on waiting lists for 11+ prep.

I'm not too cynical about tutoring as my (state educated) daughter tops up her student loan by tutoring younger kids. She and they seem to enjoy it and I expect it's at least mildly helpful.

My dc is at comprehensive state school heading into 11 GCSEs with target grades 8 & 9. English language, fine art, and physics are weak spots (may “slip” to 7) so we might have a top up tutor but twice, when I’ve got as far as doing the research to find someone to support, dc has suddenly “cracked it” and got grades back on track.

However vast majority of the ambitious parents at the school have been tutoring, some since primary - maths and English in particular. The large Hong Kong population in my area seems very academically driven and this is rubbing off on the other kids to some extent. Even at a young age they are talking about barmy ambitious careers (being a barrister or a surgeon or a neuroscientist- although they have barely any comprehension what those careers entail!). I don’t want my dc to become one of those kids who lives their parents’ career ambitions for them. But if my dc asks for a tutor, I’ll get one.

I would under no circumstances pay for a tutor if I’m paying for private school - pick up the phone and ask the school to help your dc improve! Small classes, paid-for education - you can get the effect of tutoring for free! You’re not struggling with having a physics teacher in their dotage who tells rambling anecdotes and barely teaches anything. Or an English department with 3 teachers on long term leave, struggling to find cover.

You can demand the service you paid for - I’d do that.