Social Mobility and Private Tuition

The gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider and wider. Particularly in education, we see cuts to the state sector with fewer teachers, decrepit buildings and a lack of resources. On the other hand, demand for private education continues to rise with entrance exams becoming more and more competitive. Couple this with a recession meaning a lack of jobs and a lack of university places and you have a recipe for disaster. For those pupils who are "average" i.e. they are not bright enough to be classed as gifted yet not flagged up as requiring additional support for learning needs. These children are most at risk of suffering from the lack of social mobility in this country.

Thirty years ago, it was not unusual for pupils to be the first in their family to go to university. Now, it is. Of course, this is partly due to the increase in students in the past thirty years but it also shows that there are children who are not given encouragement to aim for university despite the fact they are able to go there.

Careers education in this country is a bit like a Postcode Lottery. Some schools have an excellent programme of events, demonstrating the options available to young people. Unfortunately, these tend to be limited to private schools or state schools which have a high number of pupils going into Higher Education already. For those pupils in schools where the majority of pupils leave after they have completed their GCSE's, there seems to be a general lack of information and advice about going to university. In my experience, many pupils who are very able and would make ideal students are turned off from university because they believe they are not clever enough or it is not for "people like me". We are failing these pupils.

So how do we get the message out to those pupils who are clearly able to study at university but who lack the role models and confidence to fill in a UCAS form? I believe tutoring is an option. I would like to see the government invest in a programme targeted specifically at pupils who need a helping hand. The one-to-one dedication a tutor can provide really can make a difference. That's not to say that hard-working teachers do not make a significant contribution already but with an increased workload and more and more pressure being placed on teachers, can we really expect them to spend their lunchtimes and late afternoons giving one-to-one sessions? Tutors have the advantage of only dealing in one-to-one and small group environments. Many tutors who are not teachers are undergraduates or have recently graduated so have recent experience of university to share.

Investing in the most able pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds now will pay dividends in the future. So here is my challenge to the Coalition government - tuition is not just for the elite in our society, let's make tuition open to all who would benefit from it. Tuition is a powerful tool in our fight against stagnant social mobility.

For more information about this subject, Mary Riddell's article in the Telegraph on Monday raises some interesting points. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/7948973/The-new-A-level-results-will-prove-that-Britain-is-pulling-itself-apart.html