Archive for March, 2010

The Tutor Pages Launches Survey of the Independent Safeguarding Authority

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Survey of Tutors about the ISA

Today The Tutor Pages has launched a new survey of private tutors’ reactions to the government’s new vetting and barring scheme.

Later this year the UK government will introduce measures intended to protect children and vulnerable adults and reduce the risk of abuse from paedophiles and other unsuitable people. Many of those who work with children will have to register with the government’s Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) under a new vetting and barring scheme.

If you are a tutor or coach, please take part in our survey to voice your opinion on this vitally important issue, and for a chance to win a year’s membership to The Tutor Pages.

If you know any private teachers, we kindly request that you let them know the link below so that they can take part in the survey.

Here is the link to the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ISAtutorsurvey

Answering the survey takes about 5 minutes.

If you are a tutor, here are three important reasons for taking part in this survey:

  • this scheme will have a profound effect on tutoring in the UK, and our survey will inform you of how you will be affected.
  • gathering a large number of responses means that we can voice the opinions of tutors in general, and promote your best interests.
  • you will have the chance to win one of 50 free memberships to The Tutor Pages (or a free renewal if you’re a current member).

Thank you for your time, and we sincerely hope you will wish to take part.

Sincerely,

Henry Fagg

Director, The Tutor Pages Ltd

Later this year the UK government will introduce measures intended to protect children and
vulnerable adults and reduce the risk of abuse from paedophiles and other unsuitable people.

Many of those who work with children will have to register with the Independent Safeguarding
Authority (ISA) under a new vetting and barring scheme.

If you are a tutor or coach, please take part in our survey to voice your opinion on this vitally
important issue, and for a chance to win a year's membership to The Tutor Pages.

If you know any private teachers, we kindly request that you forward this email to them so that
they are able to take part in the survey.

Here is the link to the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ISAtutorsurvey

Answering the survey takes about 5 minutes.

If you are a tutor, here are three important reasons for taking part in this survey:

- this scheme will have a profound effect on tutoring in the UK, and our survey will inform you of
how you will be affected.
- gathering a large number of responses means that we can voice the opinions of tutors in general,
and promote your best interests.
- you will have the chance to win one of 50 free memberships to The Tutor Pages (or a free renewal
if you're a current member).

Thank you for your time, and we sincerely hope you will wish to take part.

Sincerely,

Henry Fagg
Director, The Tutor Pages Ltd

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Carol Vorderman launches ‘The Maths Factor’ website

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Carol Vorderman has launched an online maths school – themathsfactor.com – to help children and their parents master maths. Looking at the video on the site, the materials seem pretty impressive, and Carol’s enthusiasm is palpable.

However,

  • the ‘free sample sessions’ advertised on the homepage don’t appear to be currently available;
  • there’s no evidence presented for why her system might work as well as she promises (though, to be fair, she’s published very popular educational maths books for Dorling Kindersley, and has worked hard to promote maths across the political divide);
  • although parents are subscribing to a software product (albeit a sophisticated one), the promotion material is quite cheeky in appropriating the language of private one-to-one tuition – for example, ‘Carol Vorderman is your child’s personal tutor and she’s passionate about maths. We teach on a one-to-one basis’;
  • the survey which the The Maths Factor launch is piggy-backing on (revealing that one in five primary primary school pupils receive extra help from a private tutor) is not startling, and confirms data from earlier studies.

Finally, the most amusing detail of this story has to be the reaction to the survey by former chief inspector of schools Chris Woodhead, as reported in The Daily Telegraph:

“This statistic demonstrates how Labour has failed generations of primary schoolchildren … Nothing is more important to children’s education than being able to read, write and add up. Billions of pounds have been spent to no avail.”

Leaving aside the hyperbole, I’d like to see the statistics to support Chris’s assertion that ‘billions of pounds’ were spent to ‘no avail’. Then we’ll see who can or can’t ‘add up’.

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