A question that a headteacher at a top independent school could not answer.

I went to visit a top independent school. I won’t say which one. We were escorted into the beautiful school hall and we all sat down to listen to the head teacher’s talk. There were hundreds and hundreds of us. She was so beautifully well dressed and she looked perfect. Nails perfectly done and hair immaculate. Everyone listened with interest and fascination to her every word.

She spoke about her school and she was clearly passionate about her job and about her school. Then she displayed the school’s exit results (this school goes up to year 6 only). She said their results were ‘out of this world’ and that her teachers are very skilled at preparing children for their 11+ Assessments.

 One parent raised his hand and asked ‘Should I tutor my child if I would like them to go to St. Paul’s?’ and she said this…

 ‘Absolutely not. Tutoring is unnecessary if you send your child to this school. We will prepare them.’

 I raised my hand.

 ‘What do you have against tutoring?’

 She went on talking about the school’s values and how hard they work to prepare their students for their assessments but she did not answer my question.

 Because what is her problem with tutoring?

 The highest quality tutoring can be the deciding factor in whether or not a student passes an assessment or not. I don’t say that as a thought, I say it as a fact.