Looking for North London tutor for 10 year-old

[Celebrian]

Hello All,

My little boy is soon moving on to secondary school and I want him to have a head start. He is already excelling and I'd like to give him that extra push to give him a head start for when he gets there.

As I'm sure you will have found yourselves, it is so difficult to find a tutor that is just the right fit for both you and your child, so I'd be very grateful for any recommendations you may have for me!

I'd really appreciate your help!

I've spoken to some of my friends and met with a couple of their tutors, but neither of them seem right- especially because fitting someone from the other side of the city into a busy schedule is difficult.

I'm sure someone out there can point me in the right direction.

No direct knowledge as mine are still little, but isn't this a really bad time of year to be looking? Most tutors are hired to prepare for 7+ and 11+ exams, I know that 7+ are just getting going so presumably the tutors will be busy. Not sure about 11+ timing. Also I think that in N London tutors are often booked up a year or so in advance, you might do better with a tutoring company. I have heard good things about The Tutor Pages online too.

I have spoken in the past to someone who runs a tutoring agency and they recommended that tutoring should be to fill gaps or to stretch a child that is not getting enough differentiation in the classroom and would probably be reluctant to tutor a child in the situation you describe (based on what she has said in the past)

I understand why you want your DC to hit the ground running into secondary but one issue that teachers have is when children have been tutored in material not yet covered in the class. This can lead to bored and disengaged children. DS1 is in Yr7 of a very academic prep and they are particularly concerned about this issue.

Hello Celebrian, I had an excellent tutor last year for my son doing GCSE (we're in Harrow). PM me if you would like me to send his details; happy to send them over,
Ax

Hi Celebrian,

I am much in the same boat as you are. My child is bright overall and is simply not stretched despite the differentiation I'm informed goes on in the class. I need someone that can challenge my DS to keep them engaged and loving learning. I thought getting a tutor to challenge and plug the gaps would be a great idea. If you are referred to one on here I would appreciate you sharing their details, as long as they are in the Holloway, Camden, Highgate - Islington/Camden areas

Thanks

After a school-gate conversation, another mum has advised me that there's a good tutor that works from Pancras Sq Library - the new one in Camden. Apparently, he does confidence building educational activities in small groups on Saturday's, which he uses to evaluate children. After that he offers one-to-one if necessary. I'm going to check him out as it's quite near to me.

Just briefly met this tutor that was recommended to me. He works with small groups in Camden - Pancras Library then subject to that may offer one-to-one.

After an hour long conversation with him asking me all sort of questions and my DS aspirations, goals, likes, dislikes etc. I was offered to join in for free on Saturday to see if we like him and he can work with us.

Should I be suspicious?

I know some wonderful tutors, they work wonders for my family in that area :) PM me I'll be able to give you details

Thanks all for your responses!

I would definitely want a tutor to fill the gaps in my son's learning. I understand that schools don't like the children to get ahead of themselves where the curriculum is concerned, however I would rather not hold my child back just because the curriculum isn't going fast enough for him. Within the school environment, he will still likely find engagement in subjects that he finds more challenging but I am quite happy for him to find that engagement elsewhere for the subjects in which he excels.

JazzDiva, that is exactly the area I am looking for! That sounds okay so far and I don't see why you should be suspicious if he's tutoring in a open area. He seems willing to give you a chance to test whether or not he will be a good fit for you (which is just what I want). Can you send me the details?

Celebrian

I found my tutor; I hope you have as well? I forgot to get back to you, has anyone else done so? If not, PM me and I shall provide the details of the tutor I've just found