School encouraging use of tutors

[Parmesanfrenzy]

So our secondary school likes to send out letters which (among other things) encourage the use of tutors. Such as: "We believe that tutors can be an invaluable support".
I feel a bit uneasy about this message. Coming from a school which makes a big thing of levelling the playing field. What do people think?

On the one hand I'm surprised they need to point it out, but your parent council need to be asking what the advice is for parents that can't afford tutors.

Mm I think I know the correspondence to which you are referring and it's not intended to encourage tutoring. More a stepping on eggshells attempt to point out that tutors should not be overly involved in Folios.

If it's came from an English department If not apologies I am talking pish.

We got a similar letter.

Is it 'roll' rather than 'role' of tutors then? Always assumed it was role but this letter definitely says roll.

They've encouraged it before. Not just in this letter.

Yes should be "role".

It's maybe just a coincidence . The school I thought it might be doesn't generally discuss using tutors , or not in correspondence anyway .

They Just felt the need this year due to Folio being a single piece of very significant weighting and not SQA marked at Nat 5 . As a result it's very difficult for teachers when the candidates class work has no resemblance to what is worked on at home , ie written by a tutor.

I'm not against using tutors, particularly, especially if the tuition isn't just focused on exam technique, but actually teaches the child. But I do think it would be rather dispiriting to read that kind of thing if you couldn't afford tutoring. And I'd hope that the majority of kids were getting enough teaching from the school and didn't need tutoring. If they do need tutoring, there's something wrong with how they're being taught at school (or with the syllabus or whatever).

Unless the believe in the invaluable support of tutors was followed by a explanation on what that support should entail, as a parent, I would be disappointed in my DC's school if I received that.

Yep tutors can help I have both tutored myself and used them for my DDs but it seems like they're almost having a pop at their own staff by implying that their teaching isn't enough.

I had a tutor in maths years ago - sometimes a bit of extra effort with small group attention can push you into a higher grade.

I don't think it means the teacher or school is is doing a bad job, particularly with class sizes the way they are but do agree with lidl it was opening themselves up to lots of criticisms about why and cost to admit tutoring helps.

The school should be putting together other low or no cost ideas too if they've mentioned tutoring.

Is the school in level 4 Parmesan? Only asking because (anti max, anti vax teacher bashing) usforthem have 2 "calls to arms" at present regarding supported study and intensive tuition for S4-6. If the school have had enough of being spammed with emails which are basically demanding that the teachers provide free tutoring services in their own time. This might be in response to that.

But you did say it's been mentioned before so probably not. I suppose I am just clutching at straws trying to think of why a school would make such a clumsy, potentially damaging, comment.

Are you happy with the school in other respects?

Is it a private school?

As far as I know they've always been pro- Tutors. It gets the grades up.
Not a private school, no.
I do think they rely heavily on parents putting the work in with tutors etc.

That's not something we've come across. My kids are at the stereotypical comp in the leafy suburbs, high achieving school as a whole. Pushy parents.

Lots of kids have tutors, it's not unusual and not something that parents hide. But it's as if the word doesn't exist to the teachers - it is like he who shall not be named. We don't talk about it, we don't recommend it, we just pretend it doesn't exist.

Which is all very weird as many of the teachers at the school are themselves tutoring on the side.

Oh it exists where I am usually following f*ing . Our marking is ridiculed (we are too strict according to to someone who is paid directly by the parents ) , we have to ensure prelims are not taken home but see pupils taking pics of our marking for their tutors. Some of whom aren't and never have been teachers.

When I tutor my opening gambit is I am not here to slag your teacher or school. I am here to support the learning you do with them as you spend much more time with your teacher than me.