Call to strengthen tutor programme

WITH school and university places more competitive than ever, it's no surprise many families bring in some extra help for their children to make the grade.

- ROR PARSONS

Nearly one in three secondary school pupils have had private tuition, new research by the Sutton Trust suggested this week.

But with children from the "best-off" homes much more likely to use private tutoring than the poorest, is the system just reinforcing the advantages rich families already have? The social mobility charity said there are "stark regional disparities" in the use of tuition, with nearly 46% of pupils in London having had private tutoring, compared with 16% in the North East.

But, more encouragingly, areas such as the North East and Yorkshire which have the lowest levels of private tutoring have the highest rates of in-school tutoring, according to the report.