Tutoring article in the Guardian newspaper

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Villagedad
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Tutoring article in the Guardian newspaper

Post by Villagedad »

Interesting yet scary article on tutoring from the Guardian yesterday on the link below:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/200 ... vate-tutor

Would be interested on peoples thoughts on the article, tutoring in general, when is the most optimum time to start tutoring, plus for how long should pupils be tutored each week to pass...

Many thanks
Villagedad
mad?
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Post by mad? »

I thought this article was incredibly sad for the children and somewhat alarmist. I simply cannot believe that most sane parents would behave in this way and feel they must have been picking on extreme examples to illustrate their point. Heaven help us if there are many parents or tutors out there who think that 2 hours tutoring at 5am is a good idea.

With regards to your questions I think there is no definitive answer, it depends on the child and the school. My view would be that a child who needs to start in year 4 is probably a child who is not, in effect, 'grammar school material', and a child who is being tutored at 5am is not being allowed to be a child.
mad?
Bexley Mum 2
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Post by Bexley Mum 2 »

I read this article in yesterday's Observer and just felt that the author had taken the most extreme examples possible, then exaggerated them, and then exaggerated them a bit more. I can't believe anyone would take their child to be tutored at 5am - and for 2 hours?!! The article also mentioned children being tutored for up to 6 hours a day during the summer holidays. How could that be possible? Where do parents/tutors get all the material from?

It worries me, because while I do think tutoring (professional and parental) is on the increase, articles like this add fuel to the arguments of those people who want to abolish selective education.

Personally, I'm not particularly in favour of super-selectives which I think make the whole excessive tutoring scenario even worse.
testbuster
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Post by testbuster »

£100 a session at 5am? Come off it! Surely this is just Guardian scaremongering!
Chelmsford mum
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Post by Chelmsford mum »

I hope so , in a way.
I have unwittingly started the same debate elsewhere on this section. oops sorry :oops:
Milla
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Post by Milla »

plus there's quite an interesting tutoring thread going on in Birmingham!
Sassie'sDad
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Post by Sassie'sDad »

I also find it terribly sad that some parents (I am sure they genuinely care about their children's educational futures) are clearly being exploited by unscrupulous tutors! Equally, I am disappointed that political expediency denies those (large numbers) parents who desire selective education for their children.
Ed's mum
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Post by Ed's mum »

It's desperation isn't it? We've all felt that... :(
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