The Pandemic in Schools - Demand for Private Tutors

The pandemic could turn schools into hot spots — demand for private tutors is skyrocketing as a result. 

Since the first pandemic lockdown started in March 2020, most children have spent more time out of school than in it. Although some online teaching has been provided, this has been patchy, resulting in most children falling behind in their education. Needless to say, this is a matter of extreme concern for any responsible parent. The result has been a massive rise in the demand for private tutors.

Schools as Covid-19 Hotspots

 Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, the most significant advice has been to avoid crowded places, especially indoors, where the virus can be easily transmitted. It was obvious, of course, that this is a perfect description of a school, resulting in schools being closed to all but the most vulnerable children and those whose parents are keyworkers.

In spite of attempts to restart school in the Autumn, closures became more widespread as the term went on, and since Christmas we've been back to the original situation. Today the government has promised to start reopening schools 8th March, but the stepped easing of measures is subject to the four conditions on vaccines, infection rates and the new coronavirus variants are met at each stage. Secondary school pupils will be required to wear face coverings in classrooms and shared spaces like corridors.

There has been debate about how much of a risk Covid-19 is to children. Initially, they seemed largely unaffected, but this assumption now seems unfounded, especially with the new, more infectious variants. The particular concern is that, even if the children themselves don't get ill, they could pass the virus on to teachers and take it home to their families.

The Lockdown and Children's Education

 A year is a long time for a child's education to be disrupted. Concerns have been raised that we risk producing a whole generation who won't have had the education they deserve. Officially, two options have been available: remote teaching and home-schooling. The remote schooling available has been patchy, though. It's generally been offered most consistently for university or college students, where it's filled in a vital gap. However, holding large classes online, as opposed to one-to-one teaching, is really the worst of both worlds, making it even more difficult for teachers to address the needs of individual students. Home-schooling, of course, depends on the commitment, knowledge and availability of parents. While many have thrown themselves into providing lessons, those parents who've continued to work, even from home, have found it hard to juggle their commitments. In addition, a minority of parents fully understand the subjects they're trying to teach, especially at higher levels.

Boom in Demand for Private Tutors

 Most parents are concerned at their children missing out on education, and this has resulted in a boom in demand for private tutors. Here at TutorExtra, we've seen huge rises in parents registering and searching for tutors for core subjects. Private tutors aren't just for the rich. In this education emergency, even parents with a moderate income are investing some of it in their children's future prospects. Subjects like English, Maths and Science are popular, of course, but children whose art or music, for instance, is important to them need to keep these up. Are your children falling behind in their education while they're away from school? Even if you're doing your best at home-schooling, a professional tutor will obviously be able to give lessons at a higher level. Register at TutorExtra to find out which private tutors are available to prevent your children from falling behind.