Private tutors for state schools

26 July 2011 Last updated at 13:26 GMT By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent Private tutors will operate from five secondary schools in East Anglia A private tutor company is going to set up learning centres within five state secondary schools in England, selling extra lessons to schools and parents.

The schools will pay the TLC Education Group ?22 per 80-minute additional lesson for their own pupils.

Parents of pupils from other schools will pay ?27 to attend lessons.

Andrew Hutchinson, head of the Parkside Federation, where tutors will be based, said it would provide one-to-one lessons for a wider range of pupils.

But the ATL teachers' union attacked the scheme as an "unethical use of public money".

'Pragmatic decision'

Head teacher Mr Hutchinson said the tutoring service was a flexible way of supporting pupils, such as those arriving from primary school who needed catch-up lessons or pupils preparing for GCSEs.

Private tutors were already being used by families who could afford it, he said.

"It's a pragmatic decision - trying to broaden the opportunity," said Mr Hutchinson, who runs two Cambridge secondary schools as part of a federation.

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For a state-funded school to allow a private firm to use its premises to make money... seems both unfair to those parents who can't afford the extra lessons and an unethical use of public money”

End Quote Martin Freedman ATL And he says that schools should not be "hung up on dogma", but should be finding ways to "provide a more bespoke package for individuals".

A head teachers' union said that "buying in" extra tuition in this way could "make sense".

"Clearly schools will target resources to best meet students' needs and there is good evidence of the benefits of one-on-one tutoring, especially for students who are starting to slip behind," said Sarah Gadzik, spokeswoman for the Association of School and College Leaders.

"Having a tutoring company based in schools is not something we have come across before but, assuming that robust quality assurance measures are in place, it could be a cost-effective way for schools to target support at individual students."

But Martin Freedman of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers criticised the arrangement.

"ATL knows that individual families can make a decision to buy private tuition for their children - but for a state-funded school to allow a private firm to use its premises to make money, and for the school to buy in cheap tuition from that firm instead of employing teachers, seems both unfair to those parents who can't afford the extra lessons and an unethical use of public money."

The private tutors will run "learning centres" in five schools in East Anglia, offering customised lessons in English and maths.

Unfair advantage?

Lessons will be taught in groups of up to five pupils, either in breaks during the day, after school, weekends or in school holidays.

In exchange for providing premises, the school receives a reduced rate for lessons bought by the school for its pupils.

But the tutors based in these schools will also teach pupils from other local schools, at the higher cost of ?27 per session.

And parents in the five schools who want extra lessons outside those offered through the school, can also pay private rates for private lessons.

The schools are Samuel Ward Academy and Wymondham High School in Norfolk, two schools in the Parkside Federation in Cambridge - Coleridge Community College and Parkside Community College - and the Open Academy in Norwich.

There have been longstanding questions about the impact of private tuition on exam results - and about the advantages gained by pupils whose parents can afford extra lessons.

Much of this extra tuition has been at home - or in after-school catch-up classes - so the extent of this additional coaching has remained uncertain.

A survey carried out for the Sutton Trust education charity two years ago found that about one in five secondary pupils in England was receiving lessons from private tutors.

But this was particularly concentrated in some areas - with the survey claiming that 43% of pupils in London were receiving extra lessons.

Another survey of parents of grammar-school pupils carried out three years ago suggested that almost half had paid for tuition for their children when they were preparing for the 11-plus test.

Simon Barnes, director of TLC Education, said: "Our partnerships mean that we can help improve examination grades and build confidence in students of all ages and abilities."

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Private college undercuts on fees

6 July 2011 Last updated at 00:27 GMT By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent City competition: The view from the ifs School of Finance in London Competition on tuition fees has sharpened with a private provider set to charge ?5,750 to ?6,000 per year.

The ifs School of Finance, one of only five private colleges with its own degree-awarding powers, is to offer degree courses costing a third less than most of its rivals.

The London-based college is planning to expand to other cities.

The government's higher education White Paper last week called for more competition from the private sector.

The ifs School of Finance, which specialises in degrees related to the financial services industry, is now showing how this could happen.

'Efficient'

A majority of universities have set fees at ?9,000 per year - but this not-for-profit private provider is offering fees at ?3,000 or more below this level.

It is also proposing a degree taught in two years, which would further reduce the debt compared with three-year courses.

Under changes announced by the government, students at this private college will be able to borrow the full amount in a student loan.

Places will also be available through the UCAS application system.

Vice-principal Martin Day says the school is making students a "compelling offer".

Mr Day says the college will be run on a more efficient model, focusing on a specific subject area and without the running costs of some universities with large campuses.

But he says the quality remains as high as any other university - and that courses have to meet the standards set by the Quality Assurance Agency watchdog.

As the college is a not-for-profit charity, he says there is no pressure to maximise returns from fees.

Joining the mainstream

The school, which evolved from the 19th-Century Institute of Bankers, gained degree-awarding powers last year.

It is going to charge ?5,750 for its degree in Banking Practice and Management and ?6,000 for degrees in Accounting and Finance for Financial Services and Financial Analysis and Risk.

Students at the college will be paying a third less than many universities

Mr Day says that pricing is an "incidental benefit" to students - and the bigger picture is about such specialist private providers becoming part of the mainstream university system.

"It's about joining the higher education scene, not about snatching market share or beating other providers. It's about becoming part of the landscape.

"We want to be the pre-eminent provider for this section of the market," said Mr Day.

The school also wants to expand. There will be an initial intake of 50 undergraduate students on these degree courses - with plans to open two more bases in other UK cities.

London calling

Competition for students is likely to be particularly intense in London - and the London Metropolitan University has already announced that it is going to cut two thirds of its courses.

The government's White Paper on higher education has promised to open up the university system to private providers and competition on price.

It has promised 20,000 places for providers charging less than an average of ?7,500 in fees.

Mr Day says there is still a need for more "clarity" about access to these places.

There have been other signals of an expanding role for the private sector.

The publisher Pearson revealed this week that it is going to enter the degree market, in a partnership with Royal Holloway, University of London.

BPP University College, another of the small group of private providers with degree-awarding powers, has said it is in talks with three public universities about partnerships.

The government also wants it to make it easier for colleges and university colleges to gain university status.

A number of university colleges are expected to apply to become full universities, once the White Paper proposals are enacted.

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Two universities could go private

1 July 2011 Last updated at 12:22 GMT By Angela Harrison Education correspondent, BBC News There will be more competition for students in the changing system Two English universities are actively considering becoming private institutions, research suggests.

This would mean they would no longer get direct funding for research or teaching from the government.

The government has said it wants to open up the system to private providers of higher education.

The two universities, which have not been named, took part in a survey of vice chancellors by management consultants PA Consulting Group.

The authors of the survey say the institutions are not part of the Russell Group, which represents some of the UK's leading universities.

They contacted the vice chancellors of 165 universities and received responses from 65.

The authors say a "substantial minority" of institutions (just over 20 of those which responded) want to minimise their dependence on government-controlled activities.

'Top of the agenda'

Co-author Mike Boxall said there were probably more than two institutions which were actively looking at whether to go private.

"It's probably on the top of the agenda for a number of universities," he said.

"It's in the public domain that the LSE has actively considered it. There are probably more than [the two universities] for whom it will be an active thing.

"It's more about universities looking at widening their base and thinking about where to build their business.

"The publicly-regulated area is not offering a lot of growth for universities."

The Universities Minister David Willetts has talked of wanting to "open up the system" and the higher education White Paper, published earlier this week, sets out ways the government aims to do that.

Private institutions are being encouraged to compete with publicly-funded institutions to offer places.

In total, a quarter of all undergraduate university places will be up for grabs - unlike the present system where individual institutions are given funding for a set allocation of places.

New legislation will allow students to borrow the maximum annual undergraduate tuition fee of ?9,000 as long as the institution (publicly-funded or private) agrees to abide by regulations on fair access, quality and student complaints.

Fears of going bust

Changes to university funding mean teaching grants are being largely cut. Funding is expected to come more directly from students and their increased tuition fees.

Critics say this will mean departments - and even universities - closing, and ministers have said that they accept some institutions might fail.

Two universities which took part in the survey said they feared they might not exist in ten years' time.

The researchers at the PA Consulting Group said some universities were "still distinctly nervous", with 11 out of the 65 which took part in the survey saying they were concerned about shortages of investment funds and staff.

And about 20 of the universities said they expected the increase in tuition fees to lead to a "significant reduction in student demand".

Overall, Mr Boxall said that after a period of anger and upheaval over the changes in higher education, many universities were now "feeling quite bullish".

"After a lot of change in the cost structure, a number are feeling that they have come out the other side. A lot of institutions have a lot of cash and a big chunk of the sector is in good shape."

He said institutions were looking at various growth strategies, particularly further expansion into the international market.

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Academics launch private college

5 June 2011 Last updated at 16:28 GMT The 14 professors behind the project include evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins A private college in England aiming to rival Oxford and Cambridge is being launched by leading academics.

The New College of the Humanities says it will teach "gifted" undergraduates and prepare them for degrees from the University of London.

The privately-owned London-based college will open in September 2012 and is planning to charge fees of ?18,000.

The 14 professors involved include biologist Richard Dawkins and historian Sir David Cannadine.

Professor Dawkins is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, as well as being the author of The God Delusion, and Sir David is a professor at Princeton University in the United States.

Based in Bloomsbury, central London, the new college says it will offer eight undergraduate courses in the humanities taught by some of the world's most prominent academics.

Degrees cover five subject areas - law, economics, history, English literature and philosophy.

Students will also take three "intellectual skills" modules in science literacy, logic and critical thinking and applied ethics.

The college will award its own Diploma and students will take University of London degrees, making a combined award of BA Hons (London) DNC.

'New model'

Professor AC Grayling, the philosopher who will be the college's first Master, secured millions of pounds of funding from investors to set up the institution.

He said: "Our priorities at the college will be excellent teaching quality, excellent ratios of teachers to students, and a strongly supportive and responsive learning environment.

"Our students will be challenged to develop as skilled, informed and reflective thinkers, and will receive an education to match that aspiration."

Prof Grayling is a professor of philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London, and a fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford.

The college claims to offer a "new model of higher education for the humanities in the UK".

Students can apply immediately and assisted places will be offered to 20% of the first year's intake.

Applicants need to meet the University of London minimum entrance requirements and be fully competent in English.

'Entrench inequality'

The college will not be part of the UCAS applications process, with each application considered "individually, personally and on its merits".

It also has scholarships and "exhibition schemes" to "ensure that finance should not be a barrier to any talented UK student".

But the University and College Union (UCU) said the launch of the new college - and state funding cuts for arts, humanities and social sciences - would result in the subjects becoming the preserve of a "select few".

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: "While many would love the opportunity to be taught by the likes of AC Grayling and Richard Dawkins, at ?18,000 a go it seems it won't be the very brightest but those with the deepest pockets who are afforded the chance.

"The launch of this college highlights the government's failure to protect art and humanities and is further proof that its university funding plans will entrench inequality within higher education," she said.

The government has set fees in England's public universities at a maximum of ?9,000 from September next year.

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Private school 'luxury' tax claim

22 May 2011 Last updated at 23:36 GMT By Hannah Richardson BBC News education reporter Independent schools are challenging the tighter rules about charitable status Independent schools are using a "tax payer subsidy" to provide luxuries like golf courses, beagling and shooting for their pupils, a court will hear.

Private schools in England and Wales have to show they provide a "public benefit" in exchange for their tax-free charitable status.

But the Independent Schools Council is mounting a legal challenge to how the public benefit rules are interpreted.

It argues there is too much emphasis on private schools providing bursaries.

Charity rules

Last week the Upper Tribunal, sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, began taking evidence into the rules surrounding the charitable status of independent schools.

The Independent Schools Council, representing more than 1,200 private schools, has argued that the Charity Commission is defining public benefit too narrowly.

It wants to clarify the charity rules - and is calling for schools to be able to put more emphasis on their partnerships with local state schools and the sharing of facilities and expertise.

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The public may be more surprised at what schools which claim to be charities provide - golf, shooting, horse riding, dressage. Some schools even offer beagling”

End Quote Professor Ron Glatter Education Reform Group But on Monday the court will receive evidence from a group of educationalists and lawyers, the Education Review Group, which argues that independent schools are being allowed unfair tax advantages through their charitable status.

The group claims that private schools enjoy tax breaks worth ?88m per year - with some of these schools providing a luxury "gold-plated" service at a cost that is prohibitive to most families.

'Beagle pack'

Professor Ron Glatter of the Education Reform Group said: "The law has just not kept pace. Fees of up to ?29,000 per year for just one pupil mean that such education is often the preserve of the super rich.

"But the public may be more surprised at what schools which claim to be charities provide - golf, shooting, horse riding, dressage. Some schools even offer beagling. Can we really say these should attract tax payers support?"

Paul Ridge, the group's solicitor, said: "We should end the pretence that such schools are charities. They are businesses for the children of elite parents."

Fiona Miller, speaking for the group, said: "Fee paying schools should be required to meet more, rather than less, stringent criteria, specifically linked to disadvantage and social mobility."

Independent schools have argued that they are already working in partnership with local state schools - and that the value of bursaries and financial support for poorer pupils is greater than the amount they gain in tax benefits.

The Charity Commission, whose guidelines to the 2006 Charities Act are being challenged, has argued that it already allows independent schools flexibility in how they show they are offering public benefit.

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Private schools fight charity law

17 May 2011 Last updated at 16:52 GMT Independent schools say the law is difficult for trustees to assess what they can and cannot do The independent schools sector has accused the Charity Commission of introducing "vague, uncertain, legally flawed" new rules on charitable status.

The commission brought in a new public benefit guidance test to assess whether schools are sufficiently charitable and adequately help the less well-off.

The 2006 Charities Act means they no longer have automatic charitable status and must prove their benefit.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is challenging the law at a tribunal.

Charitable status brings tax benefits to independent schools believed to be worth more than ?100m a year.

But independent schools say that they are offering means-tested bursaries worth over ?200m a year.

'Vague and uncertain'

The ISC was successful in its bid for a judicial review last year and the Charities Tribunal hearing - taking place at the Upper Tribunal at London's High Court - is expected to last more than a week.

The organisation, representing 1,260 schools, says the guidance is too narrow, and does not take into account all the charitable work that schools are involved in.

Nigel Giffin QC, appearing for the ISC on Tuesday, said: "We say the test of whether you have done what is reasonable or appropriate in the circumstances is so vague and so uncertain that it leaves [school] trustees wholly unable to say with a reasonable degree of certainty what they must or must not do in order to avoid any breach of trust."

As a consequence, he said, the commission "gets pulled in to second-guessing and micro-managing trustees' decisions about how to carry out their duties and run the charity".

Mr Giffin continued: "The ISC has not brought these proceedings because it thinks that widening access to independent charitable schools is a bad thing or an unimportant thing.

"It is the position of my clients that widening access is an important and valuable thing.

"The [ISC] evidence sets out in some detail the very considerable lengths the sector, taken as a whole, already goes to to widen access and engage in partnership activities.

"The practical problem that concerns many of its members is that, because of the commission's approach to what is a strict legal requirement, it has become very difficult - impossible even - for the trustees to know what they can or cannot do."

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Private schools charity law fight

17 May 2011 Last updated at 02:01 GMT By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent Independent schools warn that providing bursaries could mean pushing up fees for other parents Independent schools in England and Wales are to mount a legal challenge against tighter regulations over charitable status.

The Independent Schools Council claims the requirements to show how schools offer "public benefit" are unfair.

It says the cost of offering bursaries to poorer pupils could mean higher fees and pricing out hard-pressed families.

The Charity Commission says it looks at a wider range of public benefits when assessing cases - not just bursaries.

The Charity Tribunal will be asked to clarify the disputed rules under which independent schools can retain charitable status at a hearing which begins on Tuesday.

Flexible support

The 2006 Charities Act meant that independent schools could no longer automatically claim charitable status - instead they had to demonstrate that they offered benefits to a wider public, beyond their own fee-paying pupils.

But the Independent Schools Council, representing more than 1,200 schools, has argued that the Charity Commission guidelines interpret this in too narrow a way - with too much emphasis on bursaries.

The ISC says that its key concern is about whether private schools should be obliged to provide bursaries for poorer students as a condition of keeping charitable status.

The council says that many schools already offer bursaries - but it wants schools to be allowed flexibility over how they benefit the wider community, such as sharing facilities and developing partnerships with local state schools.

It warns that requiring schools to provide bursaries could mean pushing up fees, which it says will hurt those middle-income families who are already financially-stretched.

But the Charity Commission says that it takes a wider range of factors into account when assessing public benefit - including educational work with local communities and state schools, as well as bursaries.

The Charity Commission also says that it allows up to five years for charities to meet requirements.

Last year the ISC was successful in its bid for a judicial review - and the Charities Tribunal hearing is expected to last more than a week.

The proceedings will take place alongside questions from the Attorney General about charity law and public benefit, relating to fee-charging charities.

Charitable status brings tax benefits to independent schools believed to be worth more than ?100m a year.

But independent schools say that they are offering means-tested bursaries worth over ?200m a year.

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