A Kent primary school teacher has described a litany of failures by Totally Rad Hub, a private music tuition company, leaving pupils without lessons and parents chasing refunds. Hannah, the school's music lead, arranged weekly drum and singing lessons for children in April 2024, but tutors repeatedly failed to attend.
The company, which claims a network of 200 freelance tutors serving 300 schools and 5,000 families, charges parents up to £40 per hour. But Hannah said a drum tutor disappeared after three sessions, blaming a 'personal emergency' and then an 'unviable commute'. A singing teacher finally arrived in June but only taught for one day, citing a bereavement; no further lessons were provided.
Parents who paid upfront for missed classes faced prolonged delays in obtaining refunds. Wendy Hollands, whose eight-year-old son Riley was left distraught after drum lessons stopped, said: 'He was coming home and taking it out on us because he wasn't doing the drumming.' Riley is awaiting an autism and ADHD diagnosis.
Despite the school terminating its contract in February 2025, Totally Rad insisted it should continue until Easter and recommended the school seek independent legal advice. In June 2025, around ten parents were contacted by the company demanding payment for services not rendered, with some having money taken from their accounts without authorisation.
Totally Rad's projected income from schools exceeded £1 million in 2024. The company did not respond to requests for comment on the specific incidents.
