Washback of private tutoring restrictions on mainstream English education from English teachers’ perspectives: the case of a key middle school in China

English private tutoring (EPT) remains a crucial language supplement to mainstream education in many ESL and EFL contexts. In China, however, the government implemented the Double Reduction Policy to strictly restrict off-campus tutoring, creating concerns among schools, students and parents. This year-long case study examines the washback of EPT restrictions on mainstream schooling at a key middle school in Chengdu. Data were collected through two rounds of semi-structured interviews with 12 Grade-9 English teachers, as well as examination of teaching materials and curriculum documents. Findings reveal that the ostensibly positive washback of EPT restrictions on mainstream English education is ultimately transient and limited. While restricting EPT temporarily redirects mainstream English education toward authentic language acquisition, it fails to alleviate systemic exam-oriented pressure and has widened disparities in students’ linguistic abilities. Although school-based English after-school services and differentiated language instruction were introduced to compensate for the reduced access to EPT, these initiatives have inadvertently increased under-performing students’ psychological burden and teachers’ workloads. This study addresses a critical gap by underscoring the intricate interplay between policy mandates and language classroom realities from the practitioners’ perspectives, offering critical insights for policymakers and educators in language education reform.