Quality over quantity: the latest NTP scandal shows why we should value experienced tutors
The problem with the National Tutoring Program
In November 2020 the government began its rollout of subsidised tuition, using private tuition providers under the umbrella of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP). This partnership between state money and private providers has been a highly ambitious rollout of schooling support.
The outsourcing of normal school lessons to private tuition companies has been largely successful, with many of the tutoring companies included in the NTP offering quality learning to students and young people across the UK.
However, in the race to provide tutoring to as many students as possible, profit and money-saving tactics have got in the way of quality education.
The most recent and contentious example of this was uncovered just days ago. It was reported that Third Space Learning (TSL), one of the tuition sites that had been awarded funding, outsourced under-aged Sri Lankan tutors for as little as £1.57 for NTP use.
The Tutors Association are currently investigating and challenging the NTP on how they researched and chose tuition agencies for it's program considering the NTP’s precept behind the scheme:
“The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) makes high-quality tutoring available to schools to help disadvantaged pupils whose education has been affected by school closures.”
It seems ironic that by outsourcing tuition for the UK’s disadvantaged children the NTP has, inadvertently or not, supported the exploitation of Sri Lanka’s 17-teen-year-olds.
The Tutors’ Association, which claims to represent more than 40,000 tutors in the UK, said the national programme’s managers “strongly favoured organisations with which they had worked before ahead of professional tutoring organisations” and in some cases selected providers with no track record of delivering tuition to schoolchildren or those relying on inexperienced volunteers.
According to John Nichols, President of the Tutors’ Association, the NTP preferred to recruit providers of organisations they had worked with before rather than using established companies within the current tuition industry.
It appears that the NTP chose to fund tuition sites that offered the cheapest tutor rates. The average cost of private tuition in the UK is £30/hr however Nichols suggested that the NTP had turned down sites offering high-quality tuition at £20 per lesson. Instead, sites like TSL were selected and outsourcing took place.
Why Quality Costs More
Established tutors cost more because there’s a huge amount of experience included in the cost of their teaching. Top tutors will be degree-educated, have paid for a DBS check to ensure safety and will often have a PGCE or other certificate to prove their teaching experience.
Tutoring companies who represent these tutors are experienced in providing ongoing support to struggling students and ensuring the quality of the education they’re receiving from tutors. At Tutor House, tutors are required to hold a current DBS check, are interviewed and trained by educational professionals, asked to supply two references and are supplied with a detailed handbook and support during their time with the company.
When we talk about helping the most disadvantaged children in the UK, offering them cut-rate tuition is not going to benefit them and help them catch up with their schoolwork. Without proper regulation, companies like TSL can offer up tutoring from 17-year-olds who live thousands of miles away and probably don’t fully understand the UK curriculum.
