One-to-one tuition 'breaks link between poverty and bad results'

Individual coaching brings a marked improvement to struggling children's results, a new study has revealed.

Commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the research found that seven-year-olds make almost 14 months of progress after just 20 hours of one-to-one tuition.

Analysis of the Every Child Counts pilot scheme revealed that although none of the children surveyed were expected to reach target levels for maths, nearly three-quarters were up to speed by the end of the study.

Commenting on the figures, schools minister Vernon Coaker said: "These are stunning results which show that inspiring and innovative teaching can stop the lowest achievers going into a downward spiral for the rest of their school careers and into adulthood."

Earlier this year saw the government announce that standards for seven-year-olds remained "steady", with 89 per cent reaching expected levels in maths.

Written by Theo Foulds

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