Should I get a tutor?

[lilredinjun]

My DD1 goes to a selective private school in London and has just been given her results from the summer tests. She is going to be in year 5 from September but has asked if I can get her a tutor during the hols for help in English.

I have spoken to her school who feel it may be a good idea as currently she is struggling with creative writing in English.

I feel a bit apprehensive about getting a tutor though because I think in time the skills needed for writing good essays will develop.

DD1 is very keen to improve her written skills but I think she works very hard already and I don't want her to feel under any pressure.

Any advice?

I would be more inclined to go along the DIY route and get her to write for fun over the summer and to do lots of reading. Mine always did those things at the summer reading challenge at the local library where you read a certain number of books and collect stickers. Perhaps you could just chat then about what makes the story interesting, how things are described and about the characters involved. A tutor for the summer holidays sounds a bit grim to me I'm afraid.

How about drawing up an action plan between the two of you? Creative writing is stimulated by reading great creative authors and by having interesting personal experiences to write about - can you think up a good combination of books and experiences and then get your DD to write pieces about what she does?

Thanks - We have done these things last summer and over xmas but it seems that although there has been improvement, it is still not enough.

Teacher feels that DD1 has a mental block re writing which she needs to overcome as eventually it will cloud results of other tests.

IMO I feel summer should be restful and homework has already been set which includes plenty of writing.

However, because DD1 has suggested Tutor I'm wondering if I should see this as a plea for some help or just gently encourage her myself

I wouldn't get a tutor...summer holidays shouldn't be about more schoolwork. Maybe do some children's creative workshops for fun.

I like that idea Scurry - any recommendations for good places - we are in NW London area...

Don't know of any,suggest google and have a look at the local library which will advertise things like that.

example

Forgive my knowledge of London if Chiswick is nowhere near!

forgiven! Found a good one locally that has a week long workshop that will hopefully build confidence. Looking into it now...Thanks all.

Your school has set homework for the summer holidays?
Good grief.

great that your DD has asked for help. Good luck with the workshop, but if it turns out not to be enough, do get a tutor. They will probably be able to give the extra push and guidance that will make a difference

Hi, personally i think summer hols should be about having fun and adventures and leaving work for term time, but i guess all schools are different. Limited experience of tutors, some are great some not so good, i'd say just be careful you don't inadvertantly put too much pressure your DD and risk burn out

I tutor - and what I will say is that my books generally will fill up fairly quickly come the first parents evenings of the new school year in October-time. Up until then it's usually no problem getting the one you want - but after that you may start running into problems with getting one that can slot you into a mutually convenient timeslot. The other time my phone tends to ring off the hook is January time, again after the parents evening rounds! It depends where you are though - round here there seems to be a shortage of actual primary trained current teachers doing it which is why I get so many enquiries.

Having said that - it's a strange request for a kid to come out with out of the blue unless someone else in the class has one and has been talking about it - if so, word of mouth's the best way to find one (and cuts these agencies out of commission - I charge less for direct bookings because I can pass on what I save in having to pay out commission and I prefer to get business that way these days - one of my mums has passed my name around about half of the area!).

That's just the availability thing from what I've found from the other side if its a road you DO want to go down.

have you tried mind mapping for kids by Tony Buzan. It may be that she has trouble coming up with ideas and ways of sustaining a story.

in the nicest possible way, how do you think that this inability will hinder your child? really if this is her only weakness, i would put it down as just not her thing. Apologies if she is going to face some selection criteria in the near future where she will need to do this, but my observation is that in public exams, this ability is not needed. What is needed is to have a view and be able to write clearly and concisely.

i would also wonder at the school highlighting this as an issue for you to solve- the school is there to meet their needs. Is it highly selective?

The ability to handle text easily and quickly is a key secondary school skill. Rightly or wrongly many selective London day schools will be concerned about a child who has not got those skills in place by 11, in case they will struggle later. (And given how over subscribed these schools are they can pick and choose.)

This is a particular problem for girls. My son did 13+ which was just as well as his English was awful at 11 but had improved dramatically by 13, without any intervention outside school.

I think you are lucky to be given early warning and a chance to see if a bit of support can help, rather than learn that there is a problem later in the day. At that point the options are panic coupled with cramming at a point when it is too late to find a good tutor, or accepting that an otherwise bright child will not get the required mark on English and hence have a restricted school choice.

Two things helped with us. One was to focus on the fact that we were supporting our child with a core learning skill, rather than on the 11+ itself. An investment in the future rather than a pass/fail/not good enough thing. And then because we had no choice but to go down the DIY route, I can strongly recommend the Galore Park, "So you really want to learn English" series, which as well as the standard comprehensions and essays has a number of class exercises, or in our case family exercises, encouraging the use of words etc.

I was rotten at English at school so not only had every sympathy for my daughter but had been concerned that I was not in a position to help her. But it worked out, and it is starting to look as if she too will be a late developer rather than a permanent struggler.

waht have the school tryed to do about this already?

Or why don't you say to the school "I pay a lot of money for you to teach my child - are you saying that you are so incompetent I have to pay someone else to do it?"

that was what I was thinking seeker but thought I would ask first if the school had taken any responsability for this...

my thorghts exactly Seeker!

You are probably right. However what they say is that your child is not clever enough to go to the sort of school that all their friends will be going to.

So an awkward choice. Do you agree with the school and accept that your child is not academic. Or have a go on the basis that your child appears just as bright as siblings. And that they might as well master English skills as best they can.

In our case our daughter did get into an academic school where she is doing very well. It is the right school for her. Aside from English, she has always been pretty strong and I think she would have been bored in one of the gentler Central London alternatives. So it worked out in the end. 11+ is difficult for late developers or kids who have marked strengths and weaknesses.

Can creative writing be taught?? I realise many aspects of English can be taught but I have always tended to believe you can't teach creativity.

I would feel very aggrieved if I was forking out school fees (presumably for smaller classes and more attention) and had to pay for a tutor as well. The school should be doing more.

My DCs are in state school so I could be wrong but I thorght the 11+ tests were based on question and answer type questions rather than longer written pieces. I think your DDs school is being very unfair to say she is not bright enough when she clearly excels in other areas.

Reading a wide variety of books can help with creative writing.

Give her a simple sentence and ask her to write it more exciting.

Get her to write a summer diary in the style of creature from another planet or a girl from a third world country. That way, she will be encouraged to look at things in more detail.

So instead of saying we went swimming today, she would be encouraged to think of how things look or sound through the eyes of somebody going swimming for the first time in a swimming baths. Encourage her to make up details. Make it into a scrap book with photos and add creative captions.

Play word association games when traveling to develop her vocabulary or make up silly sentences.

She seems like a lovely little girl who wants to try her best. Remind her of all the things she is good at and how clever she is for getting into her school already. Let her know that creativity is about having fun and getting creative, not spending her holidays in a stuffy classroom.

Summer holidays are supposed to give children a break, Yes do writing for fun and perhaps get her to do a diary or write about things she does. But I wouldn't get her a tutor.