Half of parents failing to do background checks on online exams advice

More than half of parents turning to online sources for exam help do not check educators’ credentials, according to new research.

Parents whose children are sitting exams this year have revealed how half of them (49.5%) now turn to online sources to support their children through exams, signalling a major shift away from traditional school support. The findings come from a survey of 1,000 parents commissioned by online learning platform MyEdSpace, who are offering 26 hours of free, high-quality revision support this Easter led by fully-qualified teachers.

While teachers still come out on top, with 57% of parents saying schools give the best guidance, a growing number are looking elsewhere. One in three (33%) say online advice is most helpful, and 11% are even relying on social media.

The research also shows parents being left to navigate a crowded and confusing online revision market on their own. More than half of parents who sought help did not carry out a thorough check before taking advice. 18% said they did not check qualifications, credentials or experience at all, while 37.6% said they only carried out a basic check.

MyEdSpace believes this leaves many families navigating a “Wild West” of online revision advice, where there are no clear quality checks.
Parents are navigating a crowded online market with little oversight, often relying on surface-level credentials or word-of-mouth.

It comes as a growing number of influencers claim they can predict exam questions, encouraging students to take shortcuts and focus on the wrong areas.

Sean Hirons, co-founder of MyEdSpace said: “Parents are making high-stakes decisions about their child’s support with minimal information, like buying a house after a quick walk-through.
The online learning space is a ‘Wild West’, with no consistent standards or easy way to verify quality. Parents deserve transparency and should be able to trust that support is credible and proven.

We’ve seen individuals online charge £50-£150 an hour despite having weak subject knowledge. Being clever doesn’t mean you can teach. At MyEdSpace, we only hire fully qualified teachers who can demonstrate both exceptional subject knowledge and the ability to teach it effectively. We receive thousands of applications, most get rejected early and if a teacher can’t meet that standard, they don’t get the job. That’s why parents can trust the quality of our Easter Revision Course.”