Small-group or one-to-one online tuition: which is better for your child?

A Progmetics parent guide · Updated 25 October 2026

The short answer

• If your child is broadly on track and needs steady support across subjects, a small group is usually enough, and it costs less.
• If your child has one specific gap, freezes in front of others, or works at a very different pace from their classmates, one-to-one is often worth the extra money.
• If you’re not sure, start small-group and watch. Move to one-to-one if it isn’t working. The research supports trying it in that order.

What the research says

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is a UK charity that reviews education research for schools. Its Teaching and Learning Toolkit is one of the most widely used summaries of what works. On tuition, it says:

• One-to-one tuition: “approximately five additional months’ progress on average”, rated moderate impact for moderate cost, based on moderate evidence (123 studies).
• Small-group tuition: “an average impact of four months’ additional progress over the course of a year”, rated moderate impact for low cost, based on moderate evidence (62 studies).
• Head to head: “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.”
• Teaching quality matters as much as size: the EEF suggests “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.”
• Its advice on order: “Given the lower costs, small group tuition may be a sensible approach to trial before considering one to one tuition.”

Read it with three caveats. The figures are averages, mostly from tuition arranged by schools for pupils who were behind, and largely from the UK. Effects were smaller in secondary schools than in primary schools. In maths, the averages were +2 months for one-to-one and +3 months for small groups, smaller than in reading. No study can tell you what will happen for your child. It can tell you that neither format is a guarantee, and neither is a waste.

What “small group” should mean: a hard number

“Small batch” can mean anything. Ask for a number.

The EEF defines small-group tuition as one teacher with two to five pupils, and notes that “once group size increases above six or seven there is a noticeable reduction in effectiveness.”

Here is where our own classes sit:

• Our core classes have at most six children, never seven. When the sixth seat is taken, the batch closes for the term. That’s at the edge of the research definition, so we call these small classes, not small-group tuition.
• Our groups of three (Specialised Subjects and Homework Assistance) sit inside it.
• One-to-one is one teacher and your child.

When one-to-one is worth the extra cost

Our view, after the research:

• One specific gap that a class won’t stop to fix, such as a board-year subject that has fallen behind.
• A child who won’t ask in front of others. Some children never say “I don’t understand” with an audience.
• A very different pace, much faster or much slower than any group.
• A short, targeted push, for a set number of weeks, with a clear goal.

And when a small group is the better choice:

• Steady support across several subjects, where one-to-one for each would be unaffordable.
• A child who works better with peers, who hears other children’s questions and mistakes.
• When the budget matters, which it does for most families.

What each costs: a worked example

Using our own published prices (all excl. 5% VAT):

For one subject, one-to-one costs AED 100 a month more than a group of three. For a child who needs support across the board, the core plan covers five subjects for less than one subject one-to-one. Products can be combined, and we’ll quote a combined monthly figure.

How much tutoring is too much?

Whatever format you choose, watch the total load. The National reported in January 2026 that 36% of Grade 8 pupils in the UAE receive private tutoring, rising to 63% of Grade 12 pupils in Dubai. The figures come from data compiled by Prof Mark Bray, UNESCO Chair in Comparative Education at the University of Hong Kong.

Prof Bray told the paper: “The mental health impact depends on the quantity. If a child’s life becomes school, tutor, homework – with no time to rest, play or socialise – that’s when it becomes damaging.”

A practical rule: if tuition is pushing out sleep, play or family time, the answer is usually less, not a different format.

One-to-one online: what safeguards to expect

One-to-one means one adult and one child on a screen, so rules matter more. Ask any provider what theirs are. Ours, published in full in our child protection policy:

• Consent first. A one-to-one class runs without a parent present only after a parent has given consent. We ask once, during enrolment: your reply to the enrolment email is the record.
• Open doors. A parent can join any class, one-to-one or group, at any time, without notice.
• No private contact. Teachers may not contact students privately by phone, message, email or social media.
• Vetted teachers. Identity, qualification, reference and background checks, plus child-protection training, before anyone teaches alone.

Questions to ask any provider

1. What is the maximum number of children in a class? A number, not “small”.
2. What happens to my child’s class when that number is reached?
3. Who is the teacher, and what are their qualifications?
4. Can I join a class without warning?
5. How are one-to-one sessions safeguarded?
6. How will I see progress, and how often?
7. What does it cost per month, with VAT, and what’s the notice period?
8. Can we watch a real class before paying?

Our answers to these and more are in Nine questions to ask before you pay for online tuition.

Questions parents ask

Watch both. Then decide.

Book a free demo class in any subject or product, and watch the full session alongside your child. One free demo class, and a second if you need it. No card details taken.

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Written by Progmetics Team. Book a free demo class to see how we work.