The end of one year...the start of the next...

The publication of the A-Levels results this week heralds the beginning of another year for tutors across the UK. With one set of pupils heading out into the big wide world of university, employment, training and hopefully not becoming NEET's, another set of pupils is ready to step into their shoes. I am in no doubt that the introduction of the A* grade will make entrance criteria for the top universities increasingly more competitive and that will push the demand for tutors up. Many parents may feel that to make the jump from an A to an A*, what is on offer at school is not enough and that pupils will benefit from home tuition. This may be true but there is a consequence of this that we should not fail to recognise - the effect tuition has on exam results.

There is a general lack of research about tuition and the effect it has on a pupil's overall result will depend on the pupil, the pupil's education he or she is receiving at school and the tutor. Much is made in the press of the fact that tuition inflates exam results to the benefit of some schools and the expense of others but there is a real lack of research on this subject to back up those claims. It has already been reported this week that a significant proportion of A* grades were awarded to private school pupils and this is a statistic that is measurable. Whether it is right or wrong that the A* system benefits the private system is a different debate but at least we have statistics on it.

The lack of research into private tuition means that many assumptions are made. One of the most prevalent of these is that private tuition is the reserve of the rich. This is not true. I have seen family after family scrimp and save, scrap the family holiday and other luxuries because having a tutor is seen as more important. Education remains of great value in our society, especially in a recession and so we should not be so quick as to say that it only benefits one small group.

Hopefully, more research will help us assess the long-term effect of the A* grade and the advantages tuition bring to pupils. Parents simply want the best for their children and the brightest children are entitled to have doors open to them whatever their family background. Many parents are in the fortunate position of being able to provide tuition for their children and there is no doubt that their children benefit from it. The government must be constantly ensuring that the children of those parents who cannot afford to pay for tuition themselves still have the same opportunities. If they do not, Britain could be losing some of its brightest talent.

In this new academic year, I hope further research is carried out into tuition and university entrance requirements. The media reporting of this week will almost certainly have created more demand for tutors too as we are told gaining a place at university is becoming more and more difficult and finding a job is almost an impossibility. Let us not discourage 18 year-olds in the UK today. This is the start of a new period in their lives. There are doors out there to be opened, it is just the case of finding the right door for you. Good luck!