The 11+ Tutoring Divide: What the Data Shows
A child in London is roughly 1.7 times more likely to have had private tutoring than a child in the rest of England. That's not a guess — it's the headline number from the Sutton Trust's 2026 Private Tutoring report, and it's the clearest single data point yet on just how uneven the playing field is before a single 11+ paper is even sat.
This isn't a piece telling you whether to hire a tutor — we've already covered that decision and the actual costs involved elsewhere. This is about what the national data actually shows about who gets tutored, and what that means if you're not one of them.
Quick summary
Quick tips:
- If you can't access tutoring, the gap is real but not decisive — consistent free/low-cost practice closes most of it.
- Where you live matters more to your local competition than most families realise — check what's typical in your specific area.
- Tutoring buys familiarity with format, not ability — a school-strong child with structured free practice can still outperform an inconsistently tutored one.
The headline number
The Sutton Trust's Private Tutoring 2026 report found that 29% of secondary school pupils in England and Wales have had private tutoring at some point in their school career. That's up slightly from 27% in 2019, and a long way up from 18% when the Sutton Trust started tracking this twenty years ago — private tutoring has gone from a minority activity to something approaching one in three pupils nationally.
The geography gap is the biggest single factor
Where a family lives predicts tutoring access more strongly than almost anything else in the data. 45% of pupils in London have had private tutoring, against 27% in the rest of England and 24% in Wales. The urban/rural split tells a similar story: 33% of pupils in urban areas have been tutored, compared to 19% in rural areas.
For 11+ families specifically, this matters directly: in areas where tutoring is common (inner London boroughs, for instance), a much larger share of the applicant pool has had some tutoring input, which shifts what "typical" preparation looks like locally — even though it doesn't change what the test itself actually requires.
| Group | Tutoring rate |
|---|---|
| London | 45% |
| Rest of England | 27% |
| Wales | 24% |
| Urban areas | 33% |
| Rural areas | 19% |
| Best-off households | 30% |
| Worst-off households | 23% |
Income matters, but the gap is smaller than you might expect
By household income, 23% of pupils in the worst-off households have had private tutoring, compared to 30% in the best-off — a real 7-point gap, but notably smaller than the geography gap between London and the rest of England. This suggests where you live currently shapes access to tutoring at least as strongly as how much you earn.
The free alternative that disappeared
During and after the pandemic, many state schools offered subsidised or free tutoring through the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), which helped narrow some of this gap for families who couldn't afford private rates. The NTP ended in 2024, and in-school tutoring has seen a dramatic decline since — meaning private tutoring is now, for most families, the only route to tutoring at all, which likely widens rather than narrows the gaps described above going forward.
Parent advice
Don't read this data as "you need a tutor to compete." It shows who currently has access to tutoring, not what's required to get a grammar school place. Plenty of children get in on strong free preparation, and plenty of tutored children don't get in — tutoring shifts the odds, it doesn't decide them.
Check what's typical in your specific area, not the national average. A family in a low-tutoring rural area is competing against a very different applicant pool than one in inner London.
If cost is the barrier, structured free and low-cost resources — including apps built specifically around the real test format — can close a meaningful part of the gap that tutoring is meant to close, particularly on format familiarity and consistent practice habits.
Student tips
Whether or not you have a tutor, the same things actually move your score: understanding each question type properly, practising regularly rather than in bursts, and getting comfortable with timing under test conditions. A tutor can help structure that — but the practice itself is what does the work, whoever is guiding it.
Tutor notes
- Use this data to set realistic expectations with families about their local applicant pool, rather than letting national tutoring-rate headlines cause undue alarm.
- Be transparent about what tutoring can and can't do — it improves familiarity and technique, it doesn't substitute for the child's own ability or guarantee a specific outcome.
- For families citing cost as a barrier, be ready to point toward credible free/low-cost alternatives rather than treating tutoring as the only path — this builds trust and reflects the reality the data shows.
So what should you actually do?
Use this data to understand your local context, not to panic about a national average that may not apply to you. If tutoring isn't accessible or affordable for your family, that's not a disqualifying gap — it's a reason to be more deliberate about consistent, structured free practice covering the exact format your target school uses.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of pupils have had private tutoring in England and Wales?
The Sutton Trust's Private Tutoring 2026 report found that 29% of secondary school pupils in England and Wales have had private tutoring at some point, up from 27% in 2019 and 18% two decades earlier.
How does private tutoring differ between London and the rest of England?
In London, 45% of pupils had received private tutoring, compared to 27% in the rest of England and 24% in Wales. The report also found 33% of pupils in urban areas had been tutored, compared to 19% in rural areas.
Does household income affect access to private tutoring?
Yes — the Sutton Trust found that 23% of pupils in the worst-off households have had private tutoring, compared to 30% in the best-off households, a gap of 7 percentage points.
What happened to free, school-based tutoring after the pandemic?
The National Tutoring Programme, which offered subsidised tutoring through schools during and after the pandemic, ended in 2024. In-school tutoring has seen a dramatic decline since then, leaving private tutoring as the main route for families who want it.
Does tutoring guarantee a grammar school place?
No. Tutoring can improve familiarity with question formats and exam technique, but grammar school places are allocated by score against a required standard, and a well-prepared child using free or low-cost resources consistently can outperform an inconsistently tutored one — tutoring is one input among several, not a guarantee.
Related SharpY Mind resources
Where to go from here
Whether or not tutoring is part of your plan, consistent, well-structured practice in the real test format is what actually moves scores. SharpY Mind builds that through short daily sessions, free to start.
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