Education over Energy: Parents are now willing to go into debt to secure an A for their child

In what has been a year filled with funding shortages amid a recession, schools across the UK have become stripped of resources, ultimately affecting students’ academic progression. New data by The National Association of Head Teachers reveals nine out of ten schools in England are expecting to run out of money by the next school year, meaning teacher’s hours are now being cut down, student amenities are dwindling, and general uncertainty over student’s futures have cast a light on the importance of learning resources outside of school, including private tutoring. In a new nationally representative study, MyTutor, the UK’s largest online tutoring platform, has unveiled that parents are now willing to go into debt, paying more than they would for energy to provide their children with learning resources that would secure them an A. Private tutoring – once seen as a premium resource – is now a necessary tool to supplement children’s education, and more importantly, doesn’t need pose a strain on parents wallets.

Now, in one of the most disruptive periods in academic history, MyTutor has commissioned a nationally representative study evaluating parent’s attitudes toward spending money on their child’s education. The report unveiled that 62% of parents are facing cutbacks due to the cost-of-living crisis but their child’s education will not be one of them, further finding that parents across the UK are willing to spend an average of £1223 per term to secure their child an A. This is even more poignant when considering the average UK household energy bill is much less – falling at around £182 per month. Already feeling the pinch of the looming recession, 70% of families are willing to go into debt for their child’s education according to WalletHub’s 2022 Back to School Report. The data shows that parents are actively seeking resources for their children’s education outside of the confines of the national curriculum – however, MyTutor emphasises that online tutoring should be available to families of all income brackets, launching their free online group tutorials so students can get the most out of their education.

Key stats*:
48% used to think tutoring was unnecessary, but now they feel it’s really valuable
UK parents are willing to spend an average of £1223 per term to secure their child an A in school
62% of parents are facing cutbacks due to the cost-of-living crisis, but their child’s education will not be one of them
48% are now more likely to share and discuss their child’s experience of private tutoring with others
30% agree that 2 years ago they would never publicly discuss using private tutoring as they worried it might make their child appear less intelligent, but post-pandemic they no longer feel this is the case
44% will continue to invest in online tutoring for their children