Private tuition harms social mobility

When hamstrung teachers have little time to give their pupils individual attention, those few more fortunate students can gain a huge advantage over their peers. The most obvious route to this advantage is through private tuition. A ‘sideline job’ that barely existed in 2000, private tuition is now worth almost £2 billion: 25% of students may have ‘some tuition’ at ‘some point’. If the most affluent and well-situated 5% of the population are receiving most of the tuition, it puts them at an enormous advantage.