One to one tutoring in schools for struggling learners?

[Sasquashno1]

Hello,

I would like a bit of feedback from anyone that has an opinion on this, teachers and parents alike.

I have been a teacher, SENCO and assistant head with 9 years teaching experience in Infants. We all have strengths as teachers and mine has always been raising the lower achievers, maybe because I was once one myself.

Anyway I am now a mum working as a part time teacher and I have a business idea that won't go away. To provide qualified and specialised one-to-one tutoring to schools for the lower achievers and special needs, maybe also higher able learners also. Not after school or at weekends. From foundation to Year 2. At school, where the children are fresh, eager in a familiar setting and where I can then work alongside the teachers.

My reasons are:

I know how difficult it is as a teacher to unpick and provide the attention we need to children under the national average, especially with our ever-growing class numbers. Our TA's are great but sometimes it does take qualified teachers to unpick, assess and provide quality teaching.

To close gaps early I know is far more effective than trying to do this later.

There is research done by the DfE in 2009 to show that one-to-one tutoring especially in early reading is very effective.

I know it comes down to money but schools do now get pupil premium and I think this would be worth the money?

This is how I expect it to go.

School A asks for a specialist teacher in phonics to come in and raise their lowest Year 1 learners who are on phase 2 with an aim to get to phase 3. The specialist teacher comes in three mornings a week for 12 weeks.
Let's say the specialist teacher achieves this and the school no longer needs to focus on these children as their inline with the majority class now.

Any thoughts? Any mums out there with children struggling to learn? Would you welcome this? Teachers, how would you feel about an external specialist coming in and raising your lower achievers?

Thanks so much for your time :)

[PickAChew]

The way school budgets are going, I'm sure you wouldn't mind being paid in cotton reels and fingerpainted £3 notes.

[gillybeanz]

Your best bet would be a little older children in the private sector or parents who have the disposable income.

State schools haven't got the money and if they do have any bits of extra cash, surely they'd just employ a TA

[stuckinthehouse]

A fellow school mum recently approached me and asked if I would consider tutoring her dd, paid for by her but during school time as her dd wasn't keen on doing it after school. I was a bit taken aback by the request and said that I couldn't imagine the school going for it, due to the jam-packed curriculum. She said she was going to talk to the head about it and she hasn't mentioned it since.

So, I wonder if maybe there might be a market somehow for this, but paid for by parents rather than schools.

[NeoTrad]

There is definitely a market for private one-to-one tutoring in the earlier years of primary.

[Sasquashno1]

Thanks for the reply. My only thought with parents paying is those that can afford it will and those children that really need it won't get it?

[thesandwich]

Why not combine volunteering to do this in school with private tutoring?

[cantkeepawayforever]

I agree that there is a private market for it, but that schools cannot afford it.

TAs who may once have been used to carry out specialist interventions of the type that you describe are being let go, and class teachers are simply filling in as many gaps as possible themselves by working through assemblies, breaks and lunchtimes, as well as in later years running after school sessions.

As a volunteer, you would be most welcome in school, but this is not a business proposition. Combining paid-for private tuition with volunteering might be a good compromise for you. Or you could possible run specialist training, for e.g. groups of TAs (where they still exist) or teachers, to pass on your expertise to them but with no ongoing cost?

[OdinsLoveChild]

Our school does do one-to-one using a TA. She takes each specified child at least once a week sometimes twice to work on the things they may struggle with in class.

I don't know how effective she is as none of my children ever had her teach them one-to-one but I believe those who do need the extra help find her very useful.

I wouldn't pay myself for someone to go into a school to offer this sort of support as I would genuinely expect the school to provide this if it was necessary for my child. If my child was fairly bright and being left to plod along on their own then I would maybe pay for extra tuition outside of school and not in school.

[CaptainsGal]

I have done this.

School A asks for a specialist teacher in phonics to come in and raise their lowest Year 1 learners who are on phase 2 with an aim to get to phase 3. The specialist teacher comes in three mornings a week for 12 weeks.

It was one morning a week and it was covered as a Supply Teacher raising standards before SATs. I am a qualified teacher with SpLD training too. It was for around 3 months.

I got the work by starting as a volunteer in DDs class, taking small groups out of the class when they did literacy. It developed into paid work.

I have also gone into indy schools, and one state comp, doing private tutoring paid for by the parents, but in school time - at the time when the child would have had 1:1 support but the staff were not sufficiently qualified or didn't have the time for 1;1.

I 'sold' myself on the basis I had additional qualifications and far more than a TA.

[mouldycheesefan]

My friend whose child is under achieving and gets pupil premium pays for a tutor outside of school. She does get extra help in school but need the boost of the out of school help too.

With school budget cuts I can't see any business that relies on selling their services to schools doing particularly well. Schools that can't afford teachers and glue sticks are likely to not be able to afford your service. But private schools might?

[CaptainsGal]

My advice OP is to get additional training - SpLD Diploma- and work p/t in the indy sector or from home / community centres, etc setting up something to rival Kumon.

[CaptainsGal]

Most indy schools already cover this mouldy. The best ones employ either SENCOs or LST with SpLD diplomas and the cost is invoiced to the parent. a local indy school has a whole clutch of private p/t teachers in the LS dept who come in to work 1:1.

[TheWeeWitch]

I've just arranged for a private tutor to go in to our child's state primary to give him one to one dyslexia support. We pay for it, but the school allows it to happen in the library during class time.

There's no way I'd expect the school to pay for it! I'm just grateful that they let it happen there within school time as DC wouldn't cope with added academic work on top of his school hours.

[gillybeanz]

OP, I'm sure it's only the way you have worded it, but it sounds like you are saying that only the children of poor parents really need the help.

[lin4]

The government had a scheme to provide exactly what you are suggesting ( maybe 7/8 years ago) but it was phased out. As others have said, in the current economic climate, it is very unlikely that schools could afford to fund such a teacher lead intervention. There are numerous reports of children with significant SENs not receiving the support that they need. I agree though that early intervention is always best and cheaper in the long term.

[ASDismynormality]

My school uses TAs to do this, there are a couple of TAs funded by pupil premium who deliver the 1-1 sessions for those in need.

[CaptainsGal]

I'm really surprised OP that if were on the leadership team as a dep head, you think that schools have the money for this.

You'd be looking at the equivalent of a 0.3 post at least.

Schools already have Learning Support and Sencos. They are all supposed to be using phonics in the infants so that the support you mention would not be needed anyway. The real answer is to find a p/t LS post where you are paid as staff. Look around at the private schools in your area and look into getting more training - 9 years without specialist training won't be that attractive.

I tutored and was earning around £40 p hour but you need to be able to work from 4-7pm and that's not easy when your own kids are around. Might not work for you.

[mrz]

As a SENCO I wouldn't use a service that withdraws children from normal lessons to receive 1-1 interventions sorry.

[Notcontent]

All children - whether struggling or high achieving - can get a lot out of one to one tuition. But there is no money for it!

[Dauphinois]

We have a tutor who works 1:1 with certain children but it's paid for by parents, not the school.

[38cody]

erm...like reading recovery 1 to 1 teachers? Whose numbers have been hugely cut due to the expense of paying a teachers salary to teach 1 chid at a time. I'm astounded that you have been a deputy head and yet have no grasp of a school budget!
The TA's are being trained to do this up and down the country as they are so much cheaper ... it's not a new business idea and it's not cost effective.

[Feenie]

The problem with outside tutors - even good ones, as I'm sure you are - is that it takes so many sessions to get know the child, and their starting point, that all momentum is lost. Much better coming from an adult who knows the child to ensure rapid phonics intervention, as required by the curriculum.

[mrz]

"like reading recovery 1 to 1 teachers? Whose numbers have been hugely cut due to the expense of paying a teachers salary to teach 1 chid at a time" or perhaps because research has shown it to be flawed and hugely expensive for results that don't last?

[jamdonut]

So, while you are doing that, I will just wash paint pots shall I? ( A joke in itself as we hardly ever have time to get paints out these days).

[SailAwaySailAwaySailAway]

Our local authority still provides this service.