INDIVIDUAL/GROUP PRIVATE TUITION?

[mrsmerryberry]

Hello,

This post is really for those of you with experience of your childen having private tution on weekends or after school, I need some advice.

Did you decide to take your children to a private tuition school or did you arrange a tutor to come to your home?

What made you decide, was it that there was a really good reputable private tuition school near by or did you know a good tutor that visited your home or was it something else??

www.firstutors.co.uk will give you a list of private tutors in your area, they also show feedback from previous pupils/parents so you can judge who is best.
Good luck in your search!

I initially sent one of my kids to a tutor because she had swtiched off at school and wasnt interested in anything. The tutoring programme reincentivised her to want to learn but it was very expensive. It was in a tutoring centre.
The centre was a group of 4 and we were paying what we would for a one-one tutor and I considered it was too expensive because my own child wasnt getting very much one to one because the tutor was busy with other kids

I now use an online tutoring programme which has been extremely effective in re-teaching the curriculum and has reinforced the knowledge and allowed her to review everything she might have learnt in the past and forgotten.

A friend of mine is a tutor and people go to her house for lessons but they are in half hour slots and you dont get time to get follow up discussions because the next student is there.

It very much depends on the tutor. I offer whole hour slots, a mixture of come to me/go to the student (though it is cheaper if you come to me) and have a 15 min gap after the hour slot for talking to parents.
Personally I am wary of group tutoring - I think I'd only do it in exceptional circumstances as the whole point imo is to really tailor the sessions to the individual child, find exactly where they are struggling and work out next steps of exactly the right size and frequency for that individual child.

I went for group tution because of the cost of one to one was too much.

I think my son enjoyed being part of a small group and during a tutoring session there are times when the child just has to work independently. The tutor might as well work with a different child than sit in a corner watching the world go by.

To me the important thing was that the session was structured and planned.

I really really don't "sit in a corner watching the world go by". If a child is working on something independently, then I'm usually watching how they are tackling it, looking for clues as to where they are having a problem with understanding etc. Occasionally, with teenage students, I will give them 5 minutes or so to complete some work independently without me watching (usually because I'm sensitive to the fact that students of this age may not want me watching their every move) but this is never a major part of my lessons. Oh and during that 5 minutes I will be writing up records/observations etc concerning that student.

I arranged for a private tutor for my kid for a few months. I asked around (mums I knew at school) and based on their recommendation went to the tutor. Worked out really well, she was very reasonable (£20 per hour) for a one to one and it really helped my daughter catch up. I got excellent feedback and could work along with my daughter and now I no longer need the tutor. I guess it depends whether you get a good tutor.

It depends on what the child's needs are and the purpose of the extra help. For example if the child struggles to conc and is distracted by others in class then maybe group sessions will help improve this. For these types of sessions you may need to travel to the tutor.

Cost is different in different areas.

Always check the tutor's background - many will now offer CRB checks.

All said and done I'm a teacher so if I can help pls shout....

Dd went to one of those franchises where she was taught in a small group, cost a fortune but there was too much emphasis on computers and not enough with the teacher for me.

Dd has since had private tutoring which was much better value, we met in a library. I would have preferred for the tutor to come to ours because it's safe and she could get used to working at home but the tutor wouldn't travel so we met in a library instead. It was fine, the tutor is more important that the location.

When I called tutors some of them were easy to say no to but when I found one I liked I didn't ask all the questions I had planned. Big mistake, no matter how nice they are ask all those questions! A professional tutor wouldn't even wait to be asked, they'd be telling you already, but I didn't know that.

has anyone tried one to one online tutor?

We use Whizz.maths which I have found to be fantastic, not only for my children but for me as well

If you say that you are not confident at the start for the assessment, the lessons will be a lower ability which means you get taught the strategies in stages correctly and work through the processes in a methodical manner

Thanks everyone, really helpful advice.