Brunel study shows high street tuition centres substitute secretive home tuition for kids

For many years, private academic tuition was shrouded in secrecy, but the rise of high street learning centres has made it visible, accessible, and attainable.

Private academic tuition is additional learning that is privately financed by parents and carers outside of school hours.

It is now commonly referred to as shadow education, as it mirrors and mimics the mainstream school system but operates in its shadow.

Historically, a private tutor might be brought into the home to support a child with a specific subject or subjects, to enhance their attainment, and to achieve exam success.

However, the growth of high street tuition centres is changing the face of private tuition, bringing it out of the shadows and onto the high street.

New research from Brunel University London has explored the role of commercial tuition centres in London, for primary-aged children.

Dr Emma Wainwright, an education expert at Brunel, said: “Tuition centres in key urban, suburban, and consumerist locations have a very visible presence and are distinct in offering group and one-to-one academic tuition on accessible community or commercial premises on a privately funded basis.

“Such centres are not a new phenomenon, but their expansion, assertive commercialisation, and place within the private tuition market have noticeably developed in recent years.

“Private tuition for older children and teenagers is more common, and tuition centres are now seeking to expand and focus on tuition in early and primary years.”

The research, published in the journal Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, involved questionnaires and interviews with parents and children who used tuition centres in London, along with interviews with centre managers and tutors.

The researchers explored how tuition centres are able to engage with parents and carers, tapping into insecurities they might have around their children’s education.

They identified what they called ‘the three As’ of high street tuition’, which are accessibility, attainment, and assistance.

Tuition is now accessible

Shadow education has been criticised for perpetuating and increasing social inequalities as higher income households are more easily able to afford it.

However, the research from Brunel found that tuition centres are having a key role in making private tuition accessible to more families.

By offering a cheaper alternative to more traditional forms of tuition, many more families are able to access private tuition, because of the reduced cost.

“Centres are offering alternative routes for payment, allowing parents to make use of working tax credits and childcare vouchers. This explicit support for low income families is a strategic customer-based development strategy and promotes a more inclusive approach to private tuition,” said Dr Wainwright.

In some parts of the world, notably parts of Asia, extra academic work or tuition is a regular part of childhood, but it is still a taboo subject in the UK.

Families often choose not to discuss their weekly visits from a tutor due to feelings of shame or embarrassment, and tuition centres are keen to change these negative mindsets.

“The high visibility of tuition centres helps to dispel the perception that private tuition should not be discussed or that it should be hidden,” said Dr Wainwright.

“Centre staff are keen for tuition to be seen as a regular part of childhood, and their tuition centres are no longer in hidden multi-purpose locations such as church halls.

“The centres are being clearly and vibrantly branded with permanent premises in popular settings, near schools, on the high street, and within supermarkets.”

Tuition to raise attainment

The research found that the increasing emphasis and role of tests and exams in primary schools has created a more pressured classroom environment, which often propels families to engage with tuition centres.

“Private tuition can simultaneously encourage and alleviate parental anxieties around educational attainment,” said Dr Wainwright.

“Our research found that tuition centre staff drew upon discussions around attainment in various ways, in terms of ‘falling behind’, ‘getting ahead’, and tests and exams.

“Some centres stated that parents engaged with them if they believed that their children were not being academically ‘stretched’ through their formal schooling and were therefore not reaching their potential.

“One manager noted how parents’ evenings acted as ‘trigger points’ and prompted a ‘big spate’ of inquiries when teachers indicated that children were behind with work.”

Tuition as a great assist beyond academia

The research found that the support that tuition centres offered to families went beyond academic attainment.

The tuition is aimed at fostering confidence and discipline in children, helping them to self-regulate and work independently.

“Private tuition can be used to assist families as children develop their communication skills and self-efficacy, in addition to their subject knowledge,” said Dr Wainwright.

“The growth of tuition centres marks a departure from the traditional one-to-one tuition operation and is reshaping the landscape of private tuition in the UK.

“The significant increase in high street tuition centres has brought private tutoring firmly out of the shadows, making it accessible to an increasing number of families.”