Private tutoring 2026
Think tank: The Sutton Trust
Author(s): The Sutton Trust
February 20, 2026
This report from UK think tank the Sutton Trust looks at the gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in the use of private tutoring.
Paying for private tuition alongside mainstream schooling has become ever more common. But its expansion risks entrenching a two-tier system, where better-off families can buy extra advantages that remain out of reach for those on lower incomes. For the past 20 years, Sutton Trust research has tracked this growth, consistently showing access is concentrated among wealthier households.
There is strong evidence that one-to-one and small group tuition delivers significant improvements in attainment, with those from disadvantaged backgrounds standing to benefit the most. During the pandemic, many state schools offered tutoring to pupils via the National Tutoring Programme (NTP). However, this came to an end in 2024 and since then, in-school tutoring has seen a dramatic decline. Meanwhile, in January 2026 the Government announced plans to introduce AI tutoring tools in schools, targeted at disadvantaged pupils, with a pilot programme scheduled for 2027.
This new polling using the latest data from the Ipsos Young People Omnibus looks at the gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers, significant regional differences and big rural – urban divide in use of private tutoring, as well as the impact of the end of the NTP on tutoring in schools.
