Private tutoring is abhorrent says private school head

A Heads of some top private schools have spoken out against parents who excessively tutor or interview prep their children to try and gain them a place. Parents are making children act like “performing animals” by putting them through extensive private tutoring to gain places at leading independent schools, headteachers have warned.

B Being tutored in an attempt to make children appear brighter than they really are in interviews and entrance exams is “abhorrent”, according to Andrew Halls, the headmaster of fee-paying King’s College School, Wimbledon. “It is really important parents choose a school where their child will be valued for the sort of boy or girl they are, not crippled by the idea that they have not lived up to your ambitions,” said Mr Halls.

C Dr Andrew Mayfield, director of admissions at St Paul’s School, in Barnes, West London, said children can be “crushed” by getting in to schools that are not appropriate for them. “If you’re trying to tutor them to get them in, then that’s probably not the best school for them. You’re probably trying to overcook them,” he said. “A child’s happiness, well-being and development are more important than the reputation of a school.” The right school is one where a child can “flourish without external support”, he added.

D Hilary French, headmistress of Newcastle High School for Girls, said: “Of course teach children good manners, but don’t train them in certain conventions that somebody has put on the internet. They’re not performing animals, they’re children. We all need to learn to accept who we are and not pretend to be someone different.” Mrs French said children who have been prepped often do worse during the admissions process because they “think along pre-determined, learnt lines rather than thinking through things”.

E Dr Ralph Townsend, the headmaster of Winchester College, said the private tutoring industry was “both unfortunate and unnecessary”. “There are many good schools; the parents’ task is the one that best suits the child’s interests and abilities,” he said. “If the child cannot meet the required criteria naturally, it’s the wrong school for him or her. “A good school sets out its stall very clearly so that parents know whether or not that is what they want for their child. No school is right for every child: the child needs to be right for the school.”

Adjusted to (1)

abhorrent – odporný

crush – zlikvidovat

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Child’s happiness is more important than good name of the school

2 Prepared children often do worse at entrance exams

3 Headmasters speak about ambitious parents

4 Parents should find a suitable school for the child

5 Hall’s opinion about pushy parents

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What do headmasters of top private schools say?

2 What does Hall say about tutoring for entrance exams?

3 What does Mayfield mean with the phrase “flourish without external support”?

4 What shouldn’t parents do according to French?

5 What does Townsend say about private tutoring industry? Why?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 excessively tutor or interview prep

2 fee-paying

3 reputation of a school

4 teach children good manners

5 child cannot meet the required criteria naturally

4) Answer the following questions.

What are levels of education? What are types of schools in the Czech Republic? What is the difference between Czech and British systems of education?

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Source:

(1)

CONNINGTON, James. Private tutoring is abhorrent says private school head. The Telegraph [online]. 2015 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ education/educationnews/11687621/Private-tutoring-is-abhorrent-says-private-school-head.html