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Original poster

Is it the norm to have tutors for primary school children these days?

299 replies

Sugarbeach · 02/09/2012 11:22

I didn't think it was the norm, but it seems that it is the norm in some part of the country (or the world even). DD is progressing well and is happy at her school, she is about to start Yr 3 where the work is expected to be more formal and there will be a ramping up of the homework I imagine. I was going to just leave the school and teacher to do their job, and not intervene too much unnecessarily. I'm paranoid and thinking whether the majority of children get lots of tutoring at home, so that it seems to be a good school or whether it IS a good school.

So..
is tutoring the norm in your opinion?
Is it mainly done for struggling subjects, or to hot house, or for 11+, or to make up or the lack of teaching at school?

I'm interested to know, it's so different to my days, I feel like I've been living under a rock....

OP posts:
imnotmymum · 05/09/2012 11:02

If the parents are bright enough would not need tutors Winkhome and school work together with the motivation of child=success

FreckledLeopard · 05/09/2012 11:08

Tutoring is totally 'the norm' around here. I'd say at least 75% of DD's Yr 6 group last year was tutored (either for selective independent schools or grammar). Most are tutored from around Yr 4 onwards. Elsewhere, it seems to be the norm that children at independent schools are tutored for both GCSE, AS and A2 levels. Something like 66% of all London school children at independent schools are tutored.

wordfactory · 05/09/2012 11:22

imnotmymum what an extraordinary thing to say!!!

Do most bright parents speak several languages plus Latin, and are experts in maths, english, science and music?

I would consider myself adequately intelligent and educated, but most certainly I cannot be all things to all men.

ByTheWay1 · 05/09/2012 11:23

Tutoring is only really used here for Y5 for the grammar school tests. BUT we pay for piano lessons and 2 nights of karate a week - for things outside the curriculum. And we also go through the stuff they have done in Maths and Science (both are avid readers anyhow with high comprehension scores).

The school experimented with dual year setting for maths which was a disaster (Y5 and 6 split into 4 sets instead of each year splitting into their own 3 sets) - they forgot that the Y5 students had not done Y5 like the Y6 students had - so a lot of expectations were made based on stuff they had not learned.... We parents had a lot of sorting out to do!! and a lot of complaining when we realised the problems building up....

Bonsoir · 05/09/2012 11:27

I agree, wordfactory. I tend to think that we are doing quite well in our family, with two mother-tongues, three further languages, maths & physics all to teacher (degree) standard, plus quite good grasp of history, geography and economics and several sports. But music and Latin would have us stumped!

imnotmymum · 05/09/2012 11:29

Well I guess in our house we do have the balance. Sorry if some do not. Do people hire several tutors then for each thing and I do question the school they go to if they need all these experts to help them succeed.

wordfactory · 05/09/2012 11:35

Well a lot of people have no choice whoch school to send their DC to...you do know that don't you?

If that school is below par, then there's not a fat lot they can do.

Also, there are many parents who feel the school is doing exactly what it sys on the tin, but that the contents of said tin, are below their own expectations for their DC.

imnotmymum · 05/09/2012 11:41

I do know that not everyone can have their preferred school. However surely at high school, GCSE or A-level most parents could help their children if stuck on something and work together to find answer if not rather than spoon feeding them with tutors. I was just shocked that children would need help all round in all subjects, I guess having not being in the position of my children needing much help and going to preferred school I will shush !!

wordfactory · 05/09/2012 11:55

Well I take my hat off to you for being so very able.

But I'm afraid the older I get and the more I know, the more I realise I don't know Wink.

Bonsoir · 05/09/2012 11:56

IME tutors don't spoon feed, they teach, and a lot better than most parents and most school teachers teach.

LackingNameChangeInspiration · 05/09/2012 11:58

TOTALLY the norm for primary in some areas, and the schools take all the credit and even the parents say that the schools are wonderful when they KNOW that theirs and everyone else's kids were heavily tutored

not the norm where I live but to get into the good secondary you can't rely on just the school, but here a lot of parents do DIY extra tutoring (poorer area), but not all

It was the norm when I was in secondary school, pretty much our whole class would turn up to easter/summer cram schools and language camps etc

imnotmymum · 05/09/2012 12:00

Well isn't that sad that some kids are getting some poor teachers. IME people I know who have had tutors teach to the test- not true learning. How much more do we learn when against a problem and research it, read about the subject, explore other avenues of thought.

LackingNameChangeInspiration · 05/09/2012 12:01

"I was just shocked that children would need help all round in all subjects"

I got most tutoring in my BEST subjects as well as my worst, so that I achieved as much as I possibly could in my best one (say the difference between an A and a B), whereas with my worst subject it was to do with the difference between a pass and a fail

I think if you're looking to improve top grades then it may be out of some parents scope, I'm pretty sure we could help DS with any subjects he's poor on just to make sure he got a pass not fail, but if he was looking to boost his top subjects, there are some I could do and others, like languages, which I would be no use whatsoever with at high grades level

Bonsoir · 05/09/2012 12:05

Tutors are not systematically preparing children for tests - on the contrary, parents may use them for much more general learning outside the NC and testing.

wordfactory · 05/09/2012 12:06

Yes lacking.

DD booked herself onto a language course this summer. Not because she's lagging behind (she could pass a GCSE already no bother), but because she wants to be able to speak it well.

And surely everyone accepts that imporvement comes hand over fist if one has one to one time with an expert? No?

LackingNameChangeInspiration · 05/09/2012 12:08

there are all different kinds of tutoring, for my strongest subject yes it was about the test, so that I could show what I know IYKWIM, I already knew my stuff, I just had to get that across properly in the exam time

with my weakest subject I had a tutor who helped me ENJOY a subject I previously hated, we didn't look at a single past paper or even do anything from the sylabus, he just boosted my confidence and made it a bit more enjoyable for me so that I felt able to take on my school work

imnotmymum · 05/09/2012 12:09

OK I guess I beg to differ. I am a fan of autonomus learning which if developed when young they will achieve the best grades. My eldest is just starting year 9 on her GCSEs so maybe I have not experienced the whole of High School yet. Sorry Bonsoir but general learning what do these said parents actually do then with their children, surely general learning is from them. What is general learning ??

rabbitstew · 05/09/2012 12:11

Just as there are bad schools and bad teachers out there, there are some shockingly bad tutors. The more people using tutors, the more bad tutors there are available...

BrittaPerry · 05/09/2012 12:11

We don't have a tutor, but the dds do do some extra work at home. This is mostly because. I am pushy Grin

rabbitstew · 05/09/2012 12:13

Looking at some of the adverts for tutors around here, I'd be better qualified to tutor children in their chosen specialist subjects than they would...

Bonsoir · 05/09/2012 12:15

Essay writing, for example, is a general skill and one that is much better taught by an expert tutor than a parent (frankly, none of our DCs are going to write an essay because their parents told them to, but they will for a tutor).

LackingNameChangeInspiration · 05/09/2012 12:15

and exam technique itself is also a very valid and valuable thing to learn early on, you don't get extra marks if you got carried away on the first questions and write a 5 page essay on a questin that's only allocated 5% of the marks etc leaving you no time to do the rest properly!

and knowing your exam technique helps to get rid of a severe fear of exams, which some people I went to uni with still had!

You can know a lot about a subject and still cock up an exam by not reading it properly, the markers can only give marks for certain things!

Morebiscuitsplease · 05/09/2012 12:16

Imnotmymum it isn't a question of parents not being bright enough. I do help my DDs but I wanted to be sure that with regard to Maths the tutor was using the methods used at school today not from my day. This could only confuse my DD further! Parents have their role...supervising homework, helping with spellings etc. I do think it is a case of the right tools for the job. teachers have that skill and with one to one it is tailored to the child. I have taught myself but would not presume to think I could teach every subject!!

Jahan · 05/09/2012 12:18

Tutoring is totally normal in my area too.
Now that ds1 is going into yr3, I'll be getting him a tutor too. Most of his class have had tutoring from yr1 so although ds1 is very able (and has had a lot of 'general' learning) he's not in any of the top sets at school because of the more able tutored kids.
I'm not competitive and accept thats just the way it is. However, I want him to achieve to the best of his abilities, to feel confident in class and not feel like he's not bright.
I don't see anything wrong with tutoring - its just going over and re-enforcing what they should be learning. A teacher with a class of 30 all demanding varying degree of attention cannot fulfil ever childs requirements.

LackingNameChangeInspiration · 05/09/2012 12:21

also no matter how qualified you are in a subject, some children are just more compliant with tutors as a proper teaching relationship can be established

my mum was a university lecturer in a subject which I had a tutor for because we'ld end up arguing if we sat down to study together! My dad was fluent in a language which I had a tutor for, we did try, but it's like teaching your own kids or your partner to drive - sometimes its just not gonna work!

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