Does private tutoring actually work?
Yes, with one of the larger effect sizes in education research — but the figure usually quoted comes from structured, trained, one-to-one intervention, and much of what is sold as tutoring bears little resemblance to what was studied.
What the evidence shows. One-to-one and small-group tuition consistently produces meaningful additional progress in controlled studies — commonly reported as several months of additional gain over a term or two. The effect is largest for pupils who are behind, which is the opposite of how the private market distributes it.
What actually predicts whether tutoring works:
It is linked to what is happening in class. Tuition aligned with the school's curriculum and current topics is substantially more effective than parallel, unconnected teaching. This is the single strongest finding, and it requires communication with the school that private arrangements rarely have.
Regular and sustained — commonly cited as three sessions a week over a couple of months, rather than an hour weekly indefinitely. Intensity matters more than duration, and the open-ended weekly hour is the commonest and weakest format.
Small group size, with one-to-one best and up to three still effective.
A trained tutor, since effects for trained tutors substantially exceed those for untrained volunteers.
Targeted at a specific, diagnosed gap rather than general support.
What to actually look for:
Subject and level experience, including familiarity with the specific exam board and its mark schemes, which matters enormously at exam level.
A DBS check, and references — tutoring is unregulated, with no required qualification or registration, which is the fact parents most need to know.
A diagnostic first session, rather than starting immediately.
A defined goal and review point, rather than an indefinite arrangement.
Willingness to talk to the school, or at least to work from the school's scheme of work.
The equity issue. Private tutoring is used substantially more by higher-income families, and it is a recognised contributor to attainment gaps — which is why publicly funded tutoring programmes exist and why their design mirrors the evidence above rather than the market.
When it is not the answer: where the problem is attendance, wellbeing, an unidentified learning difficulty, or an unmet special educational need — tutoring on top of an undiagnosed difficulty tends not to help.