Parents tend to assume one-to-one is the gold standard and a group is the budget option. The evidence is kinder to groups than that. This page sets out what the Education Endowment Foundation found, where groups work and where they do not, and how to tell a good small group class from a cheap one.
Is small group tuition as effective as one-to-one?
Small group tuition is nearly as effective as one-to-one tuition on the EEF’s all-age averages, and in some studies it is better. The Education Endowment Foundation’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit rates small group tuition at four additional months’ progress a year and one to one tuition at approximately five, and its one-to-one review states that “studies comparing one to one with small group tuition show mixed results. In some cases one to one tuition has led to greater improvement, while in others tuition in groups of two or three has been equally or even more effective.”
The EEF’s explanation is the one a parent should hold onto: “the variability in findings may suggest it is the particular type or quality of teaching enabled by very small groups that is important, rather than the precise size of the group.” Who is teaching may matter more than how many are in the room, so a good teacher with three pupils can outperform a weak tutor with one.
What does the EEF say about small group tuition?
The EEF defines small group tuition as “one teacher, trained teaching assistant or tutor working with two to five pupils together in a group” and rates it “moderate impact for low cost based on moderate evidence”, drawing on 62 studies in a review last updated in July 2021. Its key findings include that “one to one tuition and small group tuition are both effective interventions. However, the cost effectiveness of teaching in small groups indicates that greater use of this approach may be worthwhile.”
Behind the +4 months average, the EEF reports that impact “tends to be greater in primary schools (+4 months) than secondary schools, which has fewer studies overall and a lower impact (+2 months)”, and that “the studies in mathematics show a slightly smaller positive impact (+ 3 months)” than reading. For a GCSE parent the realistic expectation on these averages is therefore around two to three months’ additional progress from good group tuition, not four, and the EEF’s secondary figure for one-to-one is also lower than its headline (+4 months rather than +5). Months of progress do not convert directly into GCSE grades.
The EEF also says that, given the uncertainty and the lower cost, small group tuition “may be a sensible approach to trial before considering” one-to-one. For many families that is a sensible order to try things in.
When does a group of similar ability work?
A group of similar ability works when every child in it is practising the same thing at the same level, so the teacher’s explanation lands for all of them at once. The EEF says small group tuition “is most likely to be effective if it is targeted at pupils’ specific needs”, that “diagnostic assessment can be used to assess the best way to target support”, and that “the specific subject matter being taught and composition of the groups may influence outcomes”.
In practice that means grouping by target grade as well as current grade. A pupil working from a 4 towards a 5 in maths needs ratio, percentages and basic algebra drilled; a pupil working from a 7 towards a 9 needs algebraic proof and the hardest problem-solving questions. Put them in the same group and one of them is likely to waste the hour. Priority Education, this site’s tutoring partner, organises its maths lessons so that “students work in small groups of similar ability and similar target grades”, which is the structure to look for from any provider.
Grouping is less likely to work when a child is far behind the others, when a child’s gap is unusual, such as a specific misconception in one topic, or when attention or anxiety means they will not ask a question in front of peers. Those children may need one-to-one, at least to begin with.
How big should a tutoring group be?
A tutoring group should be small, and the EEF’s definition is two to five pupils. The EEF’s rule of thumb is that “the smaller the group the better”, and that “once group size increases above six or seven there is a noticeable reduction in effectiveness”. Groups of two or three are the size at which the EEF found some studies “equally or even more effective” than one-to-one.
The National Tutoring Programme used similar thresholds. In its first year, tutoring was “designed to be delivered mainly in small groups (one tutor to three pupils) or one-to-one for pupils with additional needs”, and NFER’s 2024 review for the Department for Education reports that the DfE recommended ratios of “1:1 up to a maximum of 1:6”.
So a reasonable rule for a parent is: a class of two to four of similar ability is a small group in the EEF’s sense; six or more starts to look like a small lesson rather than tuition; and anything above eight should be priced like a class, because that is what it is.
How much cheaper is small group tuition than one-to-one?
Small group tuition cost roughly half as much per child as one-to-one on the clearest published UK figures. The EEF reports that in the National Tutoring Programme’s first year (2020-21) schools bought subsidised one-to-one tuition in 15-hour blocks for an average of £167 to £180 per pupil, while 1:3 or 1:2 groups cost £70 to £100 per pupil for the same 15 hours, “with lower costs for higher pupil-tutor ratios and online delivery”.
The private market follows similar arithmetic. If three families share a qualified teacher who charges £45 an hour for the group, each pays £15, which is at the bottom of the student-tutor band, and still has a teacher. Teachers To Your Home’s 2026 guide makes the same point, saying two or three families can arrange tuition together and share the cost. Group lessons are one way families afford the qualified-teacher band described in tutoring cost per hour in the UK.
What should I look for in a small group class?
A good small group class has five visible features: a diagnostic before placement, grouping by target grade, a maximum size the provider will state, a teacher who marks individual work, and a route to one-to-one if the group is not working. Ask how children are placed. “By year group” is the wrong answer; “by current and target grade, after we have seen some work” is the right one.
Ask how the hour is used. In a good group lesson every child does the question, the teacher sees every answer, and the explanation that follows is aimed at the errors in the room. In a weak one the teacher talks for most of the hour and the children copy. Ask whether your child’s marked work comes home. Ask what happens if your child pulls ahead of or falls behind the group.
Finally, check the price against the size. A group of six priced like a group of three is one way a parent overpays for tuition. For online groups, the set-up questions in online tutoring vs in person apply as well. The rest of this series starts at choosing and paying for a tutor, and Priority Education’s group lessons are described on the tutoring page.
If you want to talk it through with a qualified teacher first, book a free call.