35% OF PARENTS ARE NOT USING A TUTOR BECAUSE IT’S TOO EXPENSIVE

A recent study carried out by YouGov (Oct 2015) on behalf of EdPlace has shown that many parents would like to give their child extra support but aren’t able to afford it, thus exacerbating the gap between ‘those who can’, and ‘those who cannot’.
On top of this, 34% of the parents who are using tuition say it’s to get their child through the exams.
Meaning that if you can’t afford a tutor, it will be harder to compete during exam time and therefore get the grades you need to progress.
The research suggests that there’s clearly a need for more cost effective alternatives to tuition, however most parents are not aware of them.
Over the past few years, there has been significant investment in the ‘edtech’ sector. However, this study suggests it isn’t directly translating into a change in behaviour from parents, with 51% still defaulting to an at-home, and relatively expensive, private tutor.
Patrick Cooke, Partner & CMO of EdPlace says:
“The cost of tuition is prohibitive for most parents. The recent investment attention in EdTech has diversified options for parents; advanced technological innovation and some great businesses have arrived at the table meaning there are lots more options to give your child the support and stimulation they deserve.
I’m excited to see how this recent influx of investment
in the area translates into truly valuable products for the majority of parents, not just those who can afford to spend £22+ per hour on face to face tuition in their home.”
At EdPlace we see the future value in providing qualified curriculumbased content, integrated with truly innovative and intuitive technology. There have been some crunchy deals made; we now need a company that’s prepared to disrupt the sector, like Lovefilm did to the film industry, Spotify to music and uber to the personal transportation market.”
About the research:
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 6,233 adults, of whom 1,203 were parents of children aged 5 to 18. Fieldwork was undertaken between 14th – 16th October 2015. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
• 15% of parents claimed to have used tuition in the last 12months
• On average, people spent 2.2 hours a week on private tuition
• 51% parents used a traditional “at-home” private tutor
• 37% of parents used Tuition centres
• 9% used an online tutor
• The typical household spent £2.3k a year on private tuition
About EdPlace:
EdPlace is an adaptive learning resource designed to empower parents in their child’s education. Covering English, maths and science it provides the best, qualified coverage of the Curriculum outside of the classroom.
In September 2012, the Company launched EdPlace.com. A year later the Company became the exclusive education provider for The Times and
Sunday Times and launched TimesTutorials.co.uk.
By the end of 2014 the Company had grown its subscribers and sales by over
200% and its underlying customer lifetime by over 25%.
The Company is backed by a leading VC and experienced angels. EdPlace’s leading content product puts it in a unique position to become the leading parent education brand and largest online tutor company in the UK.
The team consists of Will Paterson (founder & MD), Pat Cooke (Partner & CMO), Will Lord (head of tech), William Frewen (chairman) and Mike Marchant (education advisor). Their full biographies are available on request.
Later this month, EdPlace will be running a crowdcube campaign to invest in;
• Online, affordable group tuition delivered by qualified teachers
• Personalised learning methodology
• Increasing it’s qualified content base
• Specific revision content
• Continuing to support parents in their child’s education

For more information contact: 2
Patrick Cooke, Partner and CMO | patrick@edplace.com | 07971895824