Education Boutique is a tutoring company with a difference. Founded by Lucy Spencer in 2016, the business is on a mission to create a personalised learning experience that meets the unique needs of each and every learner.
Lucy says: “I’m passionate about impacting change and empowering all of our staff to be advocates for supporting parents and children with additional needs. I believe in the freedom to educate without walls and borders and removing barriers to learning.”
With a talent pool of 30,000 tutors, Education Boutique works with a variety of education providers including thirty-three local authorities and every secondary school in Bracknell Forest and Wokingham.
Their customers range from children aged 4 years to adults of all ages, and the team are particularly passionate about supporting autistic people and those who have become disengaged from the school system.
The beginning
Lucy began working as a private tutor after leaving a career in classroom teaching in 2015. She found it a great way to teach in a more fulfilling and flexible way and, when Covid hit, found herself getting much busier when her one-to-one sessions suddenly moved to online webinars with thousands of children logging in to her creative writing sessions, which were featured in the national press. Previous teacher friends began to get in touch and wanted to work with her and it was around this time she was approached by E-teach, a recruitment company in Bracknell specialising in education technology products. In 2021 Education Boutique became part of E-teach and together they now support thousands of students nationwide.
Lucy said: “At the time of being acquired by E-teach, tutoring was just becoming part of the school education system and the ‘catch-up’ effort became a big thing. With their support I was able to grow our talent pool and develop an industry-leading vetting system that ensures safe recruitment policies and DBS checks equivalent to those used in schools. From a technology side, we also have an enormous database of tutors covering the whole of the UK.
“There is a huge crisis in special education needs and we can provide support where schools struggle, which is why we’ve grown so drastically. We know who we are looking for when it comes to our tutors too, which is why each one is amazing. We’re very unique in what we do.”
What they offer
One of Education Boutique’s main USP is that all tutoring is done in person (unless customers request online). From daytime school-funded tutoring to private tutoring which supports exam preparation, their ethos is – ‘make it fun’.
A big focus for Lucy and the team is supporting students to get back into school through a range of interventions and bespoke academic opportunities that are totally different to traditional lessons. Although everything they do is academic, they are keen to showcase their strengths in delivering non-standard education and a new approach to delivery that encompasses a broad and inspiring curriculum.
Many of the clients using Education Boutique have experienced mental health difficulties and so staff are carefully selected with a good understanding of what education looks like for someone that has experienced trauma.
Looking ahead
Lucy is very well-known and respected within the education sector and is regularly asked to contribute to media and panels where she has responsibility for driving excellence in special needs education this area – something she is extremely passionate about.
A great businesswoman, Lucy won Female Entrepreneur of The Year at the Thames Valley Community and Business Awards in 2021 and she is all about driving change.
Passionate about challenging assumptions around the tutoring industry, speaking out and advocating for the children and parents they support, she hopes to bring Education Boutique to the forefront at the industry.
Lucy said: “We don’t fit into what school is thought to be, but we understand how the future of education could be improved, how and why things should change and the impact early intervention could make. Collaboration drives the biggest change and, as a Bracknell business, I’d love to start championing our services in Bracknell and enabling SEN education in Bracknell to be an area of excellence. Attending the Bracknell BID breakfast networking meetings have been a great way to network with more of the local businesses, and I look forward to sharing some of the fantastic partnerships I’ve been involved with over the coming months.”
Find out more
If you, or anyone you know are struggling with a child who is not able to attend school Education Boutique can offer free consultations and signpost to the most appropriate services.
Additionally, if you need support with entrance exams or other milestones in a British Curriculum, you can email the team on info@educationboutique.co.uk or 01276 674322