Should I consider tutoring for dd during the summer?

[slightlymentalmum2one]

Dd is 7 and will be in year 3 in September. She has had a checkered school history and in pre SATS markings at Christmas she was assessed at all level 1c. Since then she has had a Jew teacher and in her actual SATS was graded mostly 2b and a couple of 2a's.

The new teacher made all the difference for dd giving her confidence to try even if she failed and I'm worried if she has 7 weeks of she may lose the confidence she has built up.

Tutoring would be a struggle for us but if it helps avoid a year like this one it would be worth every penny. What do you think?

New teacher obviously not a Jew as far as I know

I would do it.

Tutoring with the right tutor can do wonders for a child in terms of building knowledge, skills and confidence.

The right tutor will make it as relevant as possible to your child's interests.

Don't worry about those who say, "let children be children, don't push them"...there's a point where children have to learn and if they are not doing it in school, tutoring is the only option to avoid them falling through the cracks.

Would you suggest a real tutor or one of the online tutor services?

That's fantastic that her new teacher brought her up a whole level and more in 1 term. Maybe ask if she could tutor DD out of school or if she can recommend anyone?

2a is slightly above what she should be I think(correct me if I'm wrong) so she's doing great.

My dd is same age with a 3, a 2a and a 2b. The 2b is maths and I won't bore you with my tale of woe but is what I'm focusing on.

I've just got all the year 2 CPG maths books and we'll work through whilst consolidating times tables 2,5 and 10.I'm getting her to do a holiday diary(will be a tad boring thanks to the rain) and she'll read loads.We're doing the library challenge.

I wouldn't pay for a tutor,just do it yourself.

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply.

Nappy I hadn't thought about asking her teacher, he's a NQT and this is he's first teaching post so not sure how interested he would be or even if its allowed under the school rules but I could sound him out I suppose.

Rockpool that's how her teacher explained it to me. 2c is our local average, 2b is the national average and 2a is slightly above average. I did consider doing workbooks at home but dd and I clash too much and I'd rather keep things simple and fun.

I'd recommend just doing it yourself as well - I expect we will join the local library scheme, read some books together, watch countdown (DD1 likes doing the numbers round), play some games (chess, cards, scrabble etc).
Mine get really tired by the end of the year, and need a few weeks without formal lessons and homework, so they go back refreshed.

Dd and I clash but I may well resort to bribary. She's after some Build a Bear roller skatesand I may well keep a marble jar for each page/work book finished.

I'll do nothing for 2 weeks than half an hour a day I suspect.

Sorry bribery

At that age, you can do a lot of it yourself (and I am a tutor). The only issue might be that some children work better for an adult other than their parents. Little and often is the key.

I tried to teach dd recorder that she was desperate to learn but she just doesn't listen or respond to me. 3 weeks of my friend taking her and she can now play simple tunes and read a few notes.

DD had been taught overseas and worked hard during year 2 to catch up and ended with 2a's but I felt these were generous 2a's. I got someone in for about 6 sessions. My gut was right and she wasn't as secure with all the year 2 work as perhaps her grades indicated. The 6 sessions not only helped avoid any dropping off but it also made me aware of how I could help my younger children as they approach this age (sentence structure, adjectives, verbs, connectives etc). I believe it put her on the right path into year 3 and her attitude towards learning this year has been good, she has had a great teacher and I look back and think money spent well. This year I think she can do a bit of maths online or from a book.

If you can do it yourself great if you aren't sure where to start ask for someone to guide you and if it's hard to get the 1:1 time bring someone in.

HTHs

I've always had tutors on and off for my ds, over the years, especially when I had to move him out of private and into state (he just got all 5's in his ks2 sats). My view is that the teacher has 30 kids in a class, so I don't see how, with all the will in the world, it's humanly possible to attend to so many kids different needs. It's my version of parental support, I suppose. Many have them too, but deny it. The only problem with doing it yourself is, as you've noted, the potential of the two of you falling out, which is what happens with my son and I. Tutors are so much more patient and not emotionally attached.

On-line tutors are defo cheaper but for me, nothing beats 1-1. Once my ds knows the technicality taught by a tutor, I will but give him workbooks to work through. For example, he starts secondary school in September, so over the summer holidays I won't have a tutor but for short periods, will give him workbooks to keep the info fresh, in his mind.

BBC bitesize for all levels is both Free and great if pennies are tight. Once again I use this in between tutors. There are some cheaper tutors, not all are terribly expensive, especially for what you need at this stage, a different ball game completely if you're tutoring for grammars or the indies.

My experience of having a tutor is that they give the kids just a little bit more confidence and finds methods that's more conducive with their personality and way of learning.

Books how do you find a good one?The idea is starting to attract me now.Just looked on Find a Tutor but it's almost impossible to work out who is any good.

Sorry it was Tutor Hunt,just thinking if dd and I do fall out(highly likely)a back up plan might be good.

In that case, a tutor might be a good idea. I advertise using some of the online sites such a tutor hunt or UKtutors, so you might try those? You normally get an idea of whether the tutor would suit you through the telephone consultation. Think of what you'd like to ask them beforehand.

Tutor4me is another one. Make sure they are CRB checked and fully trained, pref with lots of teaching/ tutoring experience.

I think the teacher is the best start point. You can include a direct question about tutoring (how to find one), but whether FTP tell a tutor or if you decide to do it yourself, the more important question is what areas are the ones which would most benefit from continuing support and what activities will provide this. It might be that with a clear steer and a few ideas, you can do quite a lot yourself, or at least brief a tutor better about what to tackle.

Activities might include using specific workbooks or websites, but could also include playing darts or Monopoly, cooking (re adding recipes and dealing with quantities), keeping a diary/scrapbook, writing postcards, learning to touchtype etc.

@ Rockpool - You know one day I must write a book on all this tutoring stuff because God knows, I've had some great ones, really awful and some interesting characters in between. Without any form of regulatory body, I swear it must be the biggest money making venture out there - just about anyone can claim to be a tutor. The bit I love most is when tutors for grammar schools and indies present their letters of glowing recommendation's from those they managed to get into their school's, which of course, don't include those that didn't. Bearing in mind also, they're not miracle workers and it takes a lot of support your end too. And just to make matters even more confusing, the most expensive are not always the best either. I've usually gone on recommendations, although a slight warning there also in that, one tutor I was recommenced was terrific in English (by the recommender's own admission), but weaker in Maths. Her kids were wearker in english, my ds was weaker in maths, but thicko me, not thinking that his Maths could be that bad, still used him. My ds's English got even better - wonderful in fact, maths improved not one bit. He was the most expensive.

For the age your dc, I once used a teacher at school (not his own, but from another year group) and she was fantastic. We had to leave the school eventually for other reasons and she was only able to tutor during school hours. I have spent eye watering amounts in Smiths on some good and some not so good books, still swear by Stephen Curran Books (especially if like me you're too daft to figure the tougher bits out yourself. My ds self taught himself Algebra using these) and also dabbled for a short while with Explore learning. If you're ultimately thinking grammars, start Bonds books as early as you can as I have known those who have avoided the cost of a tutor altogether, (or only required one just a for a couple of months before the exams).

You shouldn't really have to spend more than £15/hr at this stage and you may have to think about going to them. The reality is, all children respond differently to different types of learning. That said, one area I forgot to mention, which also keeps costs down if pennies are an issue, is group tutoring. Looking back, this was the MOST effective for my ds only because he's quite competitive and strived to be the best in his group. This, along with BBC Bitesize worked really well. I think, it's about figuring out your kids personality, lead learning style (i.e. visual, audio or kinaesthetic) and deciding from there:)

I disagree that you shouldn't have to spend more than £15 per hour at this stage. Although I am mainly a secondary tutor, I do tutor some primary (solely for English though) and my price is £20 -£25 per hour and no less. That is because my time is my time and it is irrelevant what age of child I am teaching. It is no easier to teach younger children, so why should it cost less? I am also in a cheaper area.

You -can-get cheaper tutors, but generally they are nowhere near as highly qualified. I am a highly experienced and accurate examiner for GCSE (which is what I teach, in the main) and I would expect excellent Maths/English primary tutors to have experience of marking SATs papers too.

I do not need to charge less (in fact I could charge more) because I am highly successful, get results and have a waiting list. It is better to pay a good price than to enlist the services of a charlatan.

Booksandbrunch - I wouldn't work for £15 per hour. Take into account preparation time, cost of printing resources, travel time (if I have to travel) and petrol costs. Even if the tutee travels to me - I would not consider that. I have a 2.1 Oxford degree, a PGCE and years of teaching and examining experience. That fee would not justify my expertise/years of experience.

I agree it is an unregulated industry, but there are some good (and highly professional) tutors out there. You just have to be discerning when looking for one. I have a 100% retention rate for all my clients and have been tutoring for years, so I must be doing something right. I do think it is not always necessary at this age, but for the right child it can be helpful. I have turned children away before if I felt that they didn't need tutoring.

I have been asked to tutor a 4 year old before and I absolutely would not consider it (although not originally my specialism, I do mini workshops around phonics in nurseries).

Books What age was your DC when you first got them a tutor?

They have school holidays for a reason you know. Let her have a break from it and return in September refreshed and raring to go! she is 7 years old and not behind.Education is a marathon not a sprint

Thanks again for all your replies, it's definitely given me lots to think about.

@dontcallmehon - Hey don't beat me up, I love tutors. a huge advocate for them; swear by them in fact. If it wasn't for tutoring, there is absolutlely no way on this earth my ds would be at the level he is at now. With exception to his current teacher, the state school I had to move him to is absolutely tragic.

Nonetheless, in his early years, I was able to get him tutored for £15/hr. There is even a lady I could call right now, who was brilliant (would still be with her if my ds wasn't allergic to her three cats), who worked from home and charged me £15/hour. I make no apologies for that becuase it's true. I guess everyone has their price. I'm 98% sure the brilliant teacher he had in school charged me around that price also. At most it was £18, but it definitely wasn't £20. When it came for tutoring towards the indies/grammar's, which was our back up plan had he not got into the school he was allocated, tutor charges increased significantly. A friend of my ds's parents was paying their tutor £40/hr three times a week leading up to the grammars (still works out far cheaper than private school fees I guess and the reason why people argue that is is still a system only the rich can afford - another story for another day) and he passed two of them, so money well spent in their case. Having said that, the most expensive one we've ever had, which resulted in beans and toast for tea, was the most ineffective - terrible in fact.

nappyaddict My ds is having a sleepover, which is a shame, as he would be able to tell me exactly what age he was when he had his first tutor (he now has a better memory than me too). At the top of my head it was around mid year 3. And for me, even if he didn't turn out to be an Eienstein as a result of having a tutor, it's just the sheer confidence it brings. Besides, how can knowledge ever be a waste?