EYFS - would you pay for a tutor?

[bryonia200]

Just thinking of ways to raise some much needed income and wondering if there would be much call for tutors to help children with EYFS literacy? I am a teacher already but noticed the low-level of literacy when helping out in my ds's class the other day? does anyone use one?

I have a dc in reception. I sometimes struggle to find time to read with her every day due to the demands of older and younger children and I am conscious that she isn't getting the input or making the progress that PFB did. I made a real effort to read with her over the Easter hols and the difference was amazing.

I would consider getting someone else to read with her so she gets more one to one attention but I don't think a tutor would be the answer. I'd be better off getting a local teen to do it or getting a teen to play with all the dcs for 30-45 mins while I give the school age ones some individual attention. DD couldn't handle any longer than 15 min session which seems a bit OTT to get a tutor for.

I know I think it can be confusing for parents too. Our school sends home targets which are of course Literacy and Numeracy targets so they will of course get the message that these are the most important areas. Now I'm not negating their importance but I do feel that the other skills and interest the children have, music, art, sport etc should be equally developed and encouraged. Unfortunately because we are all so bound by Literacy and Numeracy targets (even in Early Years) it's hard to get the balance. I think it's unrealistic to expect every child to leave school a genius in maths and literacy but we should be supporting them in leaving school with good literacy and numeracy skills as well as skills which will enable them to be and want to be a lifelong learner.
Phew! Sorry am currently wading through my targets and so rebelling though this discussion

Well - I quite agree with your comment on 4 year olds mrz and would be surprised if I ever tutored a child that young. (I was once asked to tutor a 3 year old - but declined!) I guess we'll have to disagree on tutoring more generally though! I don't think having a tutor marks a child out as "failing" any more than special provision within school (IEP or small group work or whatever). Sometimes I tutor a child who is actually quite good at a subject but has lost confidence for some reason - it is lovely to see them blossom and believe in themselves again.
I guess I'm reacting a bit because I've seen the way children can benefit.
I do what I do because I love it and I think I'm good at it and I think it helps both children and parents. I don't do it to make loads of money (honestly - I earn far less than when I was teaching). I actually got into tutoring almost by accident - I'd never planned to do it, but then found out how much I loved it and decided to see if I could make a living doing it! (I can, but only just!)
FWIW, I don't like Kumon or Kip McGrath particularly either. This is partly borne out of the experiences of one or two of my students and partly because to me it does smack of a "pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap" type of tutoring. I know that some people have found them very helpful though so wouldn't knock them altogether.

Heartily agree that primary school children work hard at school and shouldn't be made to work even harder 1:1 with tutors after school.

However, this year in Y2 I have a very poor reader, who is still learning sounds. Because his mum freely acknowledges that she is busy at weekends, she pays to send him to a teacher-mum to practise his phonics on a Saturday for half an hour, and to play memory and sequencing games. (We have given the 'tutor' info about phonics scheme/actions, etc, etc, so there is continuity with school.) It is quite reassuring to know that he is practising phonics 6/7 days and rests on the sabbath.

Do parents employ tutors if their child is exceeding expectations?

Not in EYFS, no.

That was in answer to the OP, by the way, not mrz's question!

nobetterthanthat how old are your older DC?

My 8 year old DS1 pretty much taught my DD to read. She is 5 and at the age when reading is a novelty and so she will read her book over and over again and he sits with her quite happily and listens when DH and I have had enough are busy.

Usually parents employ tutors because they are concerned about something. However this does not necessarily mean that the child is performing below an average level. It could be, for example, because their child is getting upset about maths and saying "I can't do it", even if they are actually average or above. Sometimes they are concerned about poor teaching in the school. Sometimes, a child is doing well overall, but there is one specific area where they are having problems. Often parents contact me because the child is expressing some sort of stress or upset. They have usually tried to address the situation with the school and things have not really improved.
If the child is happy and contented at school and performing at an above average level all round then they are unlikely to look for tutoring!

Of the 10 children I currently tutor, 7 have some sort of suspected or diagnosed learning difficulty or special need (autistic spectrum, dyslexia, adhd etc) and sometimes more than one. They range from very severe to fairly mild in effect. I'd say 4 students are performing at an average/above average level generally, 2 of whom do not have any known or suspected learning difficulties. The youngest child I am teaching is 6 and the eldest is 15. I'm currently tutoring reading and other literacy skills at KS1 and 2, Maths at KS2 and 3 and triple sciences at GCSE.

Hi tutors - any of you literacy/phonics tutors work in London? I'm looking for some remedial spelling/reading tuition for my 10 year old son who 'fell through the net'. Ideally I'm looking for a tutor that has specific synthetic phonics training as I hear that teaching colleges are pretty mixed in their coaching in this area?

Any tips/contacts would be gratefully received. Thanks.

I think if you live in North london you will have clients! There are posts on here about the 4+ that are shocking re tutoring young kids.

I refuse to even do homework for primary age, let alone hire a tutor!

Personally I wouldn't hire a tutor. I would think that if my kids were struggling with reading / phonics I would do some fun stuff with them at home to try and help.

However, one of my very good friends has a tutor for her DD who just turned 3! She is trying to get her DD into a well known competitive London girls school. So yes, I think that there is a demand in some areas (I am in North London).