Tutoring an able child

[RoundTheBloch]

I'm just musing really. Is there any point in tutoring an already academic child, not for entrance exams etc?

DC is yr 8 and very able/top sets etc in all subjects. But in maths in particular I feel a bit more time or focus would help her to reach her potential. I know there are a lot of ifs and buts at her age, but the school reports suggest she is working towards a potential 8 at GCSE. Homework is always done, but no actual work/textbooks come home to learn from it's all online quizzes etc, and having never struggled I feel there is a lot of coasting going on... But then, I don't want to be an overly pushy parent either and she is doing brilliantly already. I'm not sure how much benefit a potential a small grade increase would give?

Is this a thing people do?

I've got a Y8 maths able child.
He is already bored in class, as he can do it all. There is no way I'd be tutoring him to get further ahead.
What we have done is get him puzzles - suduko, a train tracks thing, rubix cubes etc.
He also does Parallel, which is a weekly set of questions (online) that are different to straight maths questions.
He has also enjoyed in the past some of the activities on NRich.
He is a wicked strategic board game player - it is a rare day he looses a game of chess.
Basically, we've gone sideways with maths, rather than forward.
So, what would your aim of tutoring be?

I don't think professional tutoring is necessarily the way but it sounds like your daughter would benefit from being challenged. (To help develop resilience, strong work ethics, confidence, healthy ambition, etc) Lots of online resources and books she could use to fulfil her potential and perhaps aim for a 9 as a soft target. Only anecdotal but I was also flying at school, being top of the class without doing much work at all. And then in my last of high school (at 17), I started finding maths difficult. Having never experienced academic struggles before, my reaction was to pretty much give up. I passed but achieved a lot less than expected and this followed me later in life too. How I wish my parents had 'pushed' me a little.

Just as you would hire a professional coach to help your child develop their sports talent, if you have the means, you would do the same for their maths skills. It’s not very different, not for the sake of better exam results.

I would advise to go with a tutor anyways, my kids who were already quite academic benefitted a tremendous amount from this online tutoring programme (EAA Virtual Learning Academy), we signed them up for a few years ago, I believe the programme is now the reason they're able to stay on course and properly apply themselves at A Level, however, every child is different, so it really is up to you and what you believe is best for your child

Seconding this. My lovely nephew was like this - a natural at maths in particular but could have easily drifted to an 8 when in reality he got a 9 (and exceedingly high mark on his paper!)
It was more about him feeling confident and learning about putting the work in to get a great reward. It has stood him in good stead! But he had a fantastic online tutor...I think tutors are very hit and Miss.

Have you decided where she’s going to do a levels? In my area it’s very competitive and some of the schools will only accept a child if you have an average grade of 7 or I think one school might want 8s among your top 8 GCSEs. The only reason I would tutor my daughter was if she needed a high average grade to get into a specific school at a levels. Otherwise I don’t think the benefits are worth it and making your child do a subject that she doesn’t need to do might cause resentment.

Note - This is just one area and both state schools and private schools seem to work the same way - I don’t know if everywhere is like this.

Hi @RoundTheBloch ! I have sent you a Private Message.

Maybe have a look at Kings Maths School they do a lot of out reach for children of all ages in high school. I wished I'd known about it earlier my eldest would have loved it.

Mine has tutors in 2 subjects in y11 for confidence reasons , very able, but prone to panic. So it’s to reduce her stress really and enable her to reach her potential. I’d be happy with her getting 5/6s - she would be devastated if less than 7-9s . I wouldn’t be worrying about it in y8 tho.

If it was me, I wouldn't, but I'm teaching a lot of bright girls this year who've put themselves under such pressure for perfection it's made them mentally unwell. I'd be wary of sending a subconscious message that nothing but the best is good enough.

In Y8 there is an awfully long way to go, and I think having hobbies and outside interests is far more important. Picking up something like a new instrument is just as likely to teach resilience and how to deal with challenges, but also has the potential to be really fun!

At the end of the day, if she did get an 8 in GCSE maths, it wouldn't harm her life chances in any way. If she puts pressure on herself to be perfect, and develops exam anxiety (for example) then that could cause real problems down the line.

I would save tutoring for higher up the school, in case she starts finding a subject a challenge or there's issues with teaching in one of her GCSE subjects.

Usually children find the GCSE subjects challenging because of what they missed in the previous years. It is good for a child to identifying the gals and learning at a last minute that is in the year prior to the exam. It is better to have a solid knowledge year by year. Tutor can help with that

*gaps