Does Tutoring Actually Work? Yes—Here's the Evidence
Research from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)—an independent UK charity that reviews what works in education—shows that tutoring delivers significant academic gains:
The Research
Graduate Coaching Programme
Education Endowment Foundation
The Perry Beeches coaching programme provided regular academic tutoring to Year 7 pupils struggling with reading and writing, delivered through one-to-one or small group sessions with trained graduate coaches.
Key Findings:
- •Year 7 pupils made 5 months additional progress
- •Targeted students struggling with reading and writing
- •Coaches were trained university graduates
- •Combined 1-to-1 and small group delivery
One-to-One Tuition
EEF Teaching & Learning Toolkit
One-to-one tuition involves a teacher, teaching assistant, or trained tutor providing intensive individual support to a pupil. Evidence shows high impact for relatively low cost when using trained tutors rather than teachers.
Key Findings:
- •Average of 5 months additional progress
- •Short, regular sessions (30 mins, 3-5x per week) over up to 10 weeks are optimal
- •Most effective when supplementary to and explicitly linked with normal lessons
- •Trained teaching assistants or tutors can be as effective as teachers at lower cost
- •Particularly beneficial for pupils who have fallen behind
Small Group Tuition
EEF Teaching & Learning Toolkit
Small group tuition involves one teacher or trained tutor working with two to five pupils together. It offers strong impact at moderate cost, making it a practical alternative to one-to-one tuition.
Key Findings:
- •Average of 4 months additional progress
- •Optimal group size is 2-5 pupils; impact drops noticeably above 6-7
- •Most effective when targeted at pupils' specific needs using diagnostic assessment
- •More cost-effective than 1-to-1, making it ideal when budgets are limited
- •Particularly beneficial for low-attaining pupils and catch-up interventions
What This Means for Your Child
The Education Endowment Foundation is an independent charity funded by the UK government to review educational interventions and identify what actually works. Their Teaching and Learning Toolkit synthesises international evidence from thousands of studies.
The research is clear: short, regular tutoring sessions with trained tutors—whether one-to-one or in small groups—lead to significant academic gains. The key factors are frequency (3-5 sessions per week), duration (around 30 minutes to an hour), and connection to what students are learning in school.
At Tugo, we offer both formats. Our 1-to-1 sessions provide intensive, personalised support (+5 months), while our small group sessions (2-5 students) offer strong results (+4 months) at a more accessible price point.
Combined with our evidence-based Tugo Method, which applies cognitive science principles to every lesson, your child gets the best of both worlds: proven tutoring formats delivered using proven teaching techniques.
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