To ask about how you got your good long lasting private primary tutor and what you think about it?

[Shaminon]

Dd is in year r and already quite obviously struggling to keep up. She is not learning her phonics quickly and is bewildered by the simplest of maths. Her school is academic focussed , perhaps more than would suit her but it's our local school and a move would be risky and disruptive. I am thinking about paying a private tutor to tutor her once weekly to help her to not sink in the key stage 1 curriculum expectations - what do others think? And any advice to make it work best ? And do I talk to school about getting her a tutor? They have already told me she is struggling and they will be putting in extra support - I just don't know how long this will be in place for her and to be honest what the quality will be like. It seems sensible to have a quality back up plan with someone who knows the primary curriculum inside out.

Aibu?

Reception? Far too young. Your going to turn her off education if you force a tutor on her. She’s 5.

@SympatheticSwan
Why are you tutoring your reception and Y1 children?

@Isawthathaggis
Err... why not? They enjoy it, the tutor makes an effort to make it really fun, and they don't fall behind at school. In addition they get to practise English with a native speaker with a good accent (I am foreign and not very fluent, one of their class teachers is not a native speaker either, neither of us can sound out phonics like "th" or "ph" properly, for example).

In other countries they dont start formal learning til about 7. Or they go to school at this age but it's mainly play, they dont start reading and writing til they are a bit older. Because of what you are experiencing - a lot of children just aren't ready. I think it's a bit like potty training - if you push a child before they're ready they will grow to hate it and rebel. School is a long day for them already in reception especially if they are in an academic setting rather than in a play setting and if you get a tutor at this age I think you run the risk of making her frustrated and sick of it. Lots of schools are cutting back on homework as the benefits of homework vs say going for a walk or playing outside are not actually proven.

At this age the level is so basic that if you really want to help her, go and visit the teachers and read up around what they're doing and help her yourself but in a fun way eg competitions to who can spot the most vowels when you're out on a walk. If you think she may have dyslexia then talk to the school about this