Teachers - do you think children should be tutored?

[plus3]

Oh where to start...although my thread title question may change ..

My DS is in yr 4 and has an undiagnosed SEN (probably not ADHD but has issues with listening & following instructions - we are waiting for SALT review & he has already been diagnosed with a visual tracking problem, oh and he may have Aspergers/HFA)

Anyway...we are coming up to the hideous yr 5 tutoring year in preparation for the 11+. Half of his class have been doing Kumon or explorer, some are already being tutored in extra maths etc.

So should I be doing this for my DS? Should bright children be tutored to give them the extra edge? Should middling children be tutored to bring them up to scratch, or indeed should children who just don't have a clue be tutored just because someone should be being tutored??

Aargh. I despair of this whole sodding system.

Surely, if you can afford it, it's better to have tutored him when it wasn't necessary than not to have tutored him and found out that it was necessary. I think William of Ockham was good at answering questions of this type.

Sorry. Not being very clear. DS's teacher seemed to imply that we needed to tutor him because he is struggling in maths (well he can do it apparently, just doesn't believe that he can) in his recent CATS he scored a 6 in maths, and 8 for non verbal reasoning and literacy.

There are so many variables at the moment - but time is running out in terms of identifying his SEN & supporting him so it doesn't have a detrimental effect on his education.

So I am being naive to assume his education will met his potential?

Are you in a 'wholly selective' county (ie all children take 11+, children go to grammars or 'secondary moderns'), or in a 'some superselectives' county (some children take the 11+, a few grammars, but sufficiently few that the remaining schools are approximately comprehensive in intake)?

What is SEN support like in the schools that your child might attend a) if he passes the 11+, b) if he doesn't pass it / doesn't take it?

Because the answer is not 'yes' or 'no' it is a 'it depends'...

Agree with everything that teacherwith2kids says. Also:

If he has difficulties listening and following instructions, will a grammar school be the best place for him? My experience of grammar schools is that they are not good at dealing with additional needs - would he really be happy with the pressure and pace of work there?

Unfortunately as a former year 6 teacher in a wholly selective county, I know far too many bright children who didn't go to grammar school (not tutored) and too many deeply average or well below average children who did (very heavily tutored). Just because they pass the exam it doesn't mean it will be the right school for them or be happy there or they will thrive.

If you've identified a grammar school where you feel your DS would be happy and appropriately placed and could cope with his additional needs then tutoring is all but essential, in my opinion.

If you feel a non-grammar school would be more appropriate for your child, what do you want to achieve by tutoring? Once you've answered that question, you can decide if a carefully chosen tutor or activities you do at home are more appropriate for your child. Presumably he's doing vision therapy for the visual tracking problem, and the SALT review will produce recommendations of exercises/SALT sessions. Do you really want him to be tutored as well?

My dyslexic ds wasn't actually tutored but I'm a teacher/occasional tutor so pointed him in the right direction. It was definitely the right choice for him as he's now in Y11 11 and looking at A*s/As and the odd B. Wouldn't have expected the same from non-grammar. BUT there was never any question that emotionally he could cope, and his ed psych report for dyslexia had him in the top 1% for verbal reasoning, just with a low processing speed.

My answer - it depends. I'm really glad we encouraged ds to go for it.

Thank you for the replies.
toomuch you are right - we are doing a lot to help his SEN that adding tutoring as well just seems too much. He now has prism lenses having done vision therapy.

teacher don't mind saying we are in Bucks.

Sorry - I am in a despairing mood tonight. I am also cross with the idea of all the deeply average children having opportunities that seem closed to my son.

I need a crystal ball - the Grammar might well not be the right place, but it's still 2 yrs away, and it feels like everything we do (or don't do now) has far too much emphasis. I feel like doors are closing on him (over dramatic emoticon...)

The SALT review is absolutely necessary. I have no idea to when it is actually going to occur.

So a wholly selective county?

Hmm. Call
a) the grammar he would be most likely go to
b) the secondary modern that he would go to

and ask to speak to the SENCo. Even better, arrange visits, with specific emphasis on SEN.

It may change your views on whether opportunities are really being denied him, or whether in fact a school that might not be regarded as 'the best' might be the best FOR HIM. Alternatively, it may show you that the grammar has such good SEN support thatfor the long term it would be better to plough everything into tutoring now.. You won't know until you've talked to them, because other arents don't have your child and won't have the same priorities.

(DS has many ASD traits. He goes to a comprehensive in a super-selective grammar county - because the grammar he could have gone to wasn't the right place for him given 'him in the round')