WIREDGOV

Recently published research from The Sutton Trust has revealed that more than a quarter of secondary school pupils in England and Wales have received private tuition.

Parents and learners seeking out extra support isn’t a new concept, however, the research does serve to highlight the access gap faced by low income families.

With an increasingly competitive job market and uncertainty about what destinations will be available for children after they leave school, parents are feeling the pressure as much as their children to get good results. The unfortunate by-product of this pressure is felt across all parents but many of which are without the financial means to do something about it and access private tuition.

Lessons can cost over £25 per session and for many families, this is completely prohibitive cost and with evidence pointing to private tuition having a positive effect on learners, this could place those young people at a disadvantage to their better off peers.

There currently isn’t financial support available to low income families for them to access support, therefore, to level the playing field, NCFE has looked at other ways in which we are able to support young people to access tuition.

Peer Tutor

Peer Tutor is an app which provides a secure online platform for pupils to access instant one to one support with homework and revision when they need it most. Learners can request a live one to one lesson within 15 minutes, request feedback on their work and take a photo of specific questions and receive a step by step guide and model showing how to tackle this type of question going forward.

Peer Tutor CEO and Founder Wayne Harrison explains: “Whilst teachers work incredibly hard to close the gaps in academic attainment between rich and poor students during the school day, the support that more affluent parents are able to provide their children through private tuition cannot be underestimated. Peer Tutor has been developed precisely to bridge this divide, by providing accessible and affordable tutoring for all.”

NCFE’s charitable objectives are central to what we do which is why we strongly believe that a person’s background or financial circumstances shouldn’t act as a barrier to them achieving their full potential and companies, initiatives and technology like Peer Tutor can help to open the doors of opportunity for all.

If you want to find out more about Peer Tutor, or you’re interested in becoming a tutor yourself, you can visit www.peertutor.com or email info@peertutor.com.