Hello,
I would like a bit of feedback from anyone that has an opinion on this, teachers and parents alike.
I have been a teacher, SENCO and assistant head with 9 years teaching experience in Infants. We all have strengths as teachers and mine has always been raising the lower achievers, maybe because I was once one myself.
Anyway I am now a mum working as a part time teacher and I have a business idea that won't go away. To provide qualified and specialised one-to-one tutoring to schools for the lower achievers and special needs, maybe also higher able learners also. Not after school or at weekends. From foundation to Year 2. At school, where the children are fresh, eager in a familiar setting and where I can then work alongside the teachers.
My reasons are:
I know how difficult it is as a teacher to unpick and provide the attention we need to children under the national average, especially with our ever-growing class numbers. Our TA's are great but sometimes it does take qualified teachers to unpick, assess and provide quality teaching.
To close gaps early I know is far more effective than trying to do this later.
There is research done by the DfE in 2009 to show that one-to-one tutoring especially in early reading is very effective.
I know it comes down to money but schools do now get pupil premium and I think this would be worth the money?
This is how I expect it to go.
School A asks for a specialist teacher in phonics to come in and raise their lowest Year 1 learners who are on phase 2 with an aim to get to phase 3. The specialist teacher comes in three mornings a week for 12 weeks.
Let's say the specialist teacher achieves this and the school no longer needs to focus on these children as their inline with the majority class now.
Any thoughts? Any mums out there with children struggling to learn? Would you welcome this? Teachers, how would you feel about an external specialist coming in and raising your lower achievers?
Thanks so much for your time :)