Realizing the potential of children through tertiary education services.

1. R
ecord figures for exam results
suggest that today’s youth are
smarter, more conscientious
and focused than their predecessors.
Yet, a decade into the new millennium
disparity still remains at the heart of
educational attainment amongst
school children. This further stresses
the need for educational systems to
evolve in their delivery of effective
teaching practices and programmes
within schools. The recent DSCF white
paper on building a 21st Century
school system goes a long way in
highlighting the steps required to bring
about this change, emphasising above
all the need for a holistic approach.
Meeting the societal requirements
and bridging the gap between high
and low achievers will be a gradual
and continual process. However,
sustaining that change effectively
and efficiently poses its own chal-
lenges and dilemmas.
The onus lies upon key players in
education at all levels, public and
private, to provide pupils with the
support they need in order to set
the wheels of change in motion.
The new Pupil Guarantee in the
government’s white paper has
proposed that each child should
have a personal tutor, recognising
the value of personalised support.
The government’s plans to provide
extra tuition for struggling students
are welcomed even though this is to
be piloted only in Maths and English.
Once pupils are directed on the right
path they are more likely to follow it
and most need just an extra push in
the right direction that will hopefully
rub off onto other areas.
However, teachers in schools are
faced with students of mixed abilities,
making it difficult to teach the class at
the level that everyone can benefit
from. For the personalisation of
learning to be effective, it needs to
be accompanied by smaller numbers
or groups of similar ability. Lower
parental aspirations have also been
seen to correlate with lower achieve-
ment. Although teachers can play a
role in tackling these low aspirations,
with an already burdening workload it
is questionable whether teachers will
have the time to also provide advice
within a mentorship capacity.
Socioeconomic factors and low
parental aspirations also affect the
distribution of tuition services.
However, private personal tuition plays
an important, if unseen, role in helping
some students to achieve exam
success and has the potential to play
a much greater role. In many respects,
it is better to supply pupils with a well-
equipped, fresh and motivated tutor
rather than an exhausted teacher who
has already worked a full day. This is
particularly important when the aim of
the tuition is to get students back on
track and on par with their peers.
A model consistently used by
ourselves is the incorporation of
study skills, aptitude and mentoring
within our academic tuition sessions.
During a typical session the tutor
provides the academic help required
to boost performance whilst incorpo-
rating a different study technique
every lesson to build on the student’s
repertoire of skills. They also provide
mentorship, guidance, motivation,
and career advice within the lesson.
The tutoring business is a fairly
unregulated profession. Concerns are
also raised amongst many about the
competency of tutors and there is no
doubt that they must be carefully
selected. We are working on an
Association of Tutors as an umbrella
organisation to address the issues
with qualifications and competency,
and also to provide tutors with further
training opportunities to deliver the
different elements desired of a 21st
Century tutor.
Life’s successes hinge on good
academic qualifications, strong
social abilities and a set of key and
transferable skills. These factors build
confidence for an independent life
after school through instilling lifelong
learning strategies and the strong
discipline necessary for self-sufficient
study. The logistics of how tuition
services on the ground could play a
greater role in achieving these aspira-
tions may entail local collaborations
between schools and tutorial agencies
or a more centralised association of
tutors that is held accountable for
its success or failures. Budgets for
schools and their technological
enhancements must also improve
and as many teachers as possible
must be lured back to teaching with
a real increase in pay incentives and
support. The transformation of schools
to meet the white paper’s challenges
and to realise the potential of all chil-
dren to succeed through achievement
and discipline remains critical.
Hamid Hashemi
Managing Director
Mayfair Tutors
23 Berkeley Square
London W1J 6HE
Tel: +44 (0)20 7665 6606
Fax: +44 (0)20 7665 6650
www.mayfairtutors.com
PROFILE
Steps to success
Realising the potential of all children…
1 Public Service Review: Central Government 19