Private tutors in the UK have been convicted of sexual offences involving children more than 90 times over the past two decades, according to research by the BBC. Such incidents have led the children’s commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, to call for changes to the system, under which people are not required to be screened before working with young people as private tutors. De Souza demands that private tutors be subject to the same checks as teachers.
A 2023 report by educational charity the Sutton Trust showed that 30% of 11-16 year olds in the UK had received private tutoring at some point.
There is no legal requirement for private tutors to undergo checks or hold teaching qualifications, unlike teachers in schools, who must undergo enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service background checks. The Tutors Association, which represents over 50,000 UK tutors, requires members to have such checks and to adhere to a strict code of conduct. John Nichols, the association’s president, has written to the Secretary of State for Education to call for mandatory checks for professional tutors.
The figures, which are likely to be an underestimate, were compiled by examining court filings and newspaper reports. They include Thomas Rodgers, a music tutor who continued to offer private lessons after being convicted of sexually abusing two boys. Rodgers was convicted in December 2023 and later given a two-year prison sentence. However, the current law would allow him to offer tutoring again on release from prison, with no obligation to undergo checks
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