There are many reasons why you might want to get a tutor for your child outside of their school, whether they go to a school for disabled children or a mainstream school. Regardless of the reason, you will want to get the best tutor. If you are unsure of how to start your search, there is some information that will be able to help you.
Why Your Child Needs A Tutor?
When you start looking for a tutor, you need to have clear objectives in mind. This could be help for an exam or catching up after an extended absence from school or help with a problem area in the subject. The reason for the tutor will help you choose the right one.
How Do You Find The Best Tutor?
There is nothing better than word of mouth when it comes to finding the best tutor. Talking to your child’s teacher is a good option as they might offer home tuition outside of school. There are also a lot of good agencies that will match your child with the right tutor. Tutoring centres are also an option and you will able to find them in local adverts.
What Should You Be Aware Of?
You need to check the references of the tutor as well as their DBS records. You should also look out for agencies that charge an introductory fee or try to get you to purchase a package before you meet the tutor. Reading the small print is also important and you should ensure that online agencies are regulated.
Does Your Child Need A Tutor?
There are some children where a tutor is essential because they have been away from school for a prolonged period due to illness. There are also times when families have to travel for extended periods and a tutor can help your child during this time. There are also children who need a tutor to help maintain their schoolwork during a difficult time such as family breakups or school exclusions.
While there are many reasons why your child might need a tutor, when should you consider getting them a helping hand? You should consider this when your child is around 7 and they need help for prep school assessments. Year 5 is another time to consider this to help them prepare for entry into grammar schools or selective independent schools. A lot of grammar schools will have both verbal and non-verbal reasoning and subject tests.
A tutor in year 6 can boost their basic English and maths competence for the KS2 examinations. Tutors can also help with some of the common entrance subjects such as algebra or Latin. Tricky GCSE topics can be made easier while ensuring that their A level grades match UCAS offers.
Tutors will also be able to help improve their schoolwork when there has been a dip in their grades. After a bad exam result, a tutor can help your child get back on track. If your child has any learning difficulties, a tutor will also be able to help.
You should avoid tutors who offer their services for children aged 5 and under. Schools will not test children of this age and generally look at how they interact with others and their concentration levels. Tutoring at this age will not be helpful.
You may also want to be cautious of tutors that offer coaching in verbal and non-verbal reasoning. There are free test papers that you can get which will generally be enough to help your child. If your child has problems with these free test papers, you might want to have them assessed by a child educational psychologist.
If your child has been off school for a prolonged period because of illness, you can get help from your local authority. They will have a home tuition service and this is where you should go first. Of course, they might not be able to provide what you need.