The Times and The Sunday Times have launched Times Tutorials to help parents with the high costs and limited availability of private tutoring.

Tutoring is now seen as essential for many parents wanting to enhance their children's education but in an increasingly competitive marketplace, worth an estimated £6 billion a year, it is often impossible to find a good local tutor at an affordable price. Good tutors are at a premium in many parts of the UK and can cost anywhere between £20 and £200 an hour.

In a 2012 survey by EdPlace, half of parents questioned stated that such high costs were the main barrier to arranging private one on one tutoring, and those who do spend an average £2,750 per year.

Times Tutorials can be undertaken from the comfort of a child's home, costing a maximum £12 a month or just £96 for an annual subscription at timestutorials.co.uk. Times+ members can enrol for a whole year for only £60 in a special offer ending on 15th October 2015.

Parents who subscribe can quickly set their child a range of assignments covering maths, English and science then constantly track their progress and reward them for their hard work. All work is based on the National Curriculum for 5 to 16 years-old and is checked by qualified teachers. New tutorial subjects and content will be added during the school year.

Times Editorial Director, Emma Tucker, said: "We know from our post bag that readers are keen to find good, affordable local tutors. But they complain about the expense and the lack of quality control. This is why we have set up Times Tutorials.

“Not only is the service a fraction of the price of private tutors, it is written and overseen by qualified teachers who understand the demands of the national curriculum. Moreover, it allows parents to monitor their child's progress."

Times Tutorials are part of The Times and The Sunday Times drive to play their part in helping our children get the best start in life. Sunday 22nd September sees the launch of the newspapers' Good University Guide. The Guide is designed to help older students choose the right course and university to realise their career ambitions. It comes as new research for The Times and Sunday Times, carried out by YouGov, showed 61% of senior decision makers in companies that employ graduates regarded the degree course as the most important when considering recruiting graduates.