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Many families are opting for private tutoring for their children, leading to a significant growth in the private tuition sector. According to The Sutton Trust , over 30% of 11-16-year-olds received tutoring in the last academic year, with this number increasing even more rapidly following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, only 11% of students reported having received tutoring.  The reasons behind the rise in private tutoring are compelling.  A failing education system The private tutoring landscape has changed. It has become an important part of propping up a failing state education system where students are increasingly experiencing qualified teacher shortages and families are looking for ways to bolster their child’s experience.  Schools are also recognising the benefits of small group tutoring within school time, using them to support small groups to make more rapid progress, and trying to mitigate the impact of non-specialist teachers in important core subjects. This was supported by the temporary tutor funding from the government following the disruption caused by Covid. But schools face the double challenge of recruiting qualified tutors and then paying for them from impossibly tight budgets now that funding stream has ended.  Rising number of home educating families  More and more families are turning towards electively home educating. One significant reason for this is a decline in juvenile mental health. The number of families citing mental health concerns as a reason for opting for home education rose by 64% between 2022 and 2023 according to BBC reporting  with some 92000 students identified as home educating across England in Autumn 2023.  So is it worth it?  The short answer is, Yes. Evidence clearly shows the benefit of tutoring but an experienced, qualified teacher, with a proven track record in supporting students to exam success comes at a premium for 1-1 tutoring. Specialist teachers can reasonably expect to earn in excess of £50 an hour and this prices a lot of families out of the market. Ironically evidence from the Education endowment fund suggests students from low income families benefit the most from tutoring. But they are often priced out of the market.  There are more affordable options. Although a lot of families believe 1-1 tutoring is most effective, small group tutoring has been proven to achieve the same gain in progress (+2 months for students from average income families and +3 months for students from low income families). So finding a small group tutoring option can be the best of both worlds. A lower cost to families and higher quality, more experienced tutors.  If you are looking for an experienced, qualified, expert tutor in English, Maths or Science, contact us to find out what availability we have at affordable, inclusive costs.  Info@thephoenixproject.org.uk

What is EBSA? Emotional based school avoidance or EBSA is a term applied to young people who experience significant challenges in attending school.  Often related to anxiety and negative emotions. It is not a medical term, it is not diagnosed, but the term may describe young people who are subject to medical conditions such as depression, anxiety, Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or specific phobias for example, or show symptoms of these and other conditions.  Young people demonstrating EBSA will typically have low attendance to school and demonstrate refusal behaviours that go beyond a dislike or disdain for school and education.  Managing EBSA Managing EBSA can be really traumatic for families as they try to meet the expectations of schools and local authorities and reach out for appropriate support and care for their child's needs. Schools can find responding to EBSA needs a significant challenge too. Schools have an obligation to achieve high attendance from all their students but phased returns, part time timetables and access to specialists such as educational psychologists are all difficult to implement due to costs, staffing and limitations placed on them by outside agencies.  One way to support young people with EBSA is to consider alternative methods of education that the young person can access in a way that meets their needs. If a young person has a medical condition that is causing EBSA they may be entitled to ESMA  (education support for medical absence) home based learning and the local authority can broker this with their school.  Enrolling on alternative provisions such as small face to face settings and online settings is another form of education that may allow a young person to access education without the negative feelings and barriers associated with attending a mainstream setting. Schools may be able to establish this for the student, or families may choose to do this themselves as a home education programme.  Support for EBSA All young people presenting with EBSA need specialist support, but that support will vary depending on the needs, symptoms and triggers for that young person. If you feel your child is presenting with EBSA here are some initial steps you can take: Book a GP appointment to discuss symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression or general poor mental health that may be contributing to EBSA Meet with your child's school and discuss the barriers and challenges your child is facing. They will be able to make referrals to appropriate support agencies. Research your local alternative provision providers, you may find a provider  like T he phoenix project that can support your child as they work through their EBSA so they don’t lose learning.  Find family community groups that can support you through their shared experiences and understanding of the challenges you are facing.  Contact your local authority for help and guidance. A lot of LAs have useful guidance and documents to help better understand EBSA, like this document from Hertfordshire local authority Young people can overcome EBSA and experience positive and fulfilling school lives, this may take time and a range of intervention and support but if you are open to accepting help and feedback you will be able to work to improve your child’s wellbeing and future experiences.

When young people are struggling with full time education in mainstream schools, it can be difficult for families to find out what their options are. Elective home education is one of the options, alternative provision is another. What are the options for alternative education? Alternative education is the term used to describe types of education provision that are not “mainstream.” It covers a huge range of providers and the industry is currently unregulated. Alternative provision can include outdoors and even farm based provision for outside learning and therapy, extended work experience, home based online learning, private providers that offer full time provision either onsite or online and anything in between. An alternative education provider must be OFSTED registered if they offer a full time provision or provide for the substantial part of a child’s education but a large number offer part time or short courses that don’t require OFSTED registration. This doesn’t mean they don’t provide a quality service, many do, but they are unregulated so it can be difficult to know.  What alternative provision is available to you varies greatly depending on where you live, which local authority is responsible for your child, if your child has EHCP funding and what their school policies are on accessing alternative provision.  Elective home education Some families choose to home educate. That means they remove their child from the school roll, and take full responsibility for their child’s education. It's a huge responsibility and not to be taken on without careful consideration. Here are some of the key facts about home educating:  The family takes full responsibility for the child’s learning, that means every subject, what level of education and how each subject is learnt.  If the child is to take exams such as GCSE or A level qualifications, the family is responsible for finding a private exam centre and paying the exam fees for each subject.  The family takes full financial responsibility for any private tutoring, learning resources or learning experiences.  Learning can take place anywhere and at any time, there are no set expectations.  Most families who home educate will want to consider getting expert help for some if not all of the specialist teaching and this can be expensive. Paying for private tutoring and online programmes are a good way of sourcing well qualified teachers but it comes at a premium.  Despite all the challenges, there are benefits to home educating, not least the freedom to study any subject, to whichever level a child wishes or is capable, in any way that suits them. If funds allow, an immersive education full of real life experience, captivating visits to amazing places and following a particular area of interest are all hugely rewarding and beyond what a mainstream school can offer. Families looking for increased flexibility can also benefit from home educating. Learning can fit around sporting and training commitments or travel for example.  Before you commit to home education, there are some alternatives you may like to consider.  Flexi-learning is a commitment entered into by the school and family where an agreement is made by both parties that the family will take responsibility for part of their education and the school for another. For example, a student may attend school for Science and PE teaching because the family cannot provide specialist education in those subjects, but their other subjects will be studied at home. Schools are not under any obligation to agree to this, but families are able to approach their school to discuss this if they feel their child would benefit.  Requesting alternative provision is another alternative to home education. If you have an alternative provision you would like your child to be part of, you can request the school or local authority to consider using it for your child. Again the school and local authority are under no obligation to agree but will usually want to work with you to find the best solution for your child. If your child attends the provision whilst enrolled in school, you will not foot the bill for the provision.  Looking at alternatives to mainstream school can be daunting. Families are often looking during a time of significant stress and pressure. Wanting to do what is right by your child whilst balancing that with financial constraints and your wider responsibilities of work and family commitments can feel overwhelming. The difficulty in getting straight answers and clear facts around what actions you can take can be huge hurdles as well as finding the right person to speak to.  The Phoenix project provides an alternative option in the form of online learning. We are committed to responding to your inquiries in a direct and informative manner. If you are thinking about home schooling by choice and wish to learn more about the assistance we offer and your obligations and entitlements, please feel free to get in touch with us for a discussion.

We are recruiting core subject tutors. The Phoenix project is a new and growing alternative provision at the start of its journey to provide a world class, compassionate, ambitious and inclusive provision for young people.  Would you like to be part of something really special, right at the start of the adventure? A provision that makes a real difference to young people’s lives and prioritises staff wellbeing and work life balance in equal measure. We are different!  The Phoenix project is looking for qualified Maths and English tutors, to work on an hourly contract basis, to deliver online, live tutoring sessions, supporting students at various points in their learning and providing written feedback for submitted work.  This role would suit a qualified teacher looking to pick up additional hours or begin online private tutoring. The role would also suit a part time teacher looking to increase earnings with a work from home opportunity. This role has the potential to increase hours and take on additional responsibility as the provision grows and diversifies.  If you are interested in applying for this role and would like the job description and personal specification, or would like an informal chat about the roles, please send an email  to jnicholls@thephoenixproject.org.uk .