Looking for advice!

[Lily27]

I know that there have been a number of threads on tutoring.

if there are any tutors reading this, I have a question about my DS, nearly 10. He has a physical disability, not very severe but still has an EHCP. It affects him in different ways, he is a reasonably bright child but has fallen behind in his learning, working below ARE. His teachers think he will catch up as he made great strides in Year 4, narrowing the gap with peers. The school is quite academic (state school)

i would like to get him some tuitions for maths and verbal reasoning. How would it work? How often does he need a tutor and how long should every session be? Would it help him? One of his problems is a lack of confidence and I was hoping that catching up would boost his self worth. He sees other kids doing things with ease that he can’t eg his playing sport, handwriting, playing an instrument. He’s quite lonely. All of this weighs him down and affects his sense of self.

I am not a tutor but have used tutors, chosen via tutorful.co.uk - they have been an absolute godsend for helping my DD‘s confidence grow in various academic subjects

we have tended to identify specific topics and set targets around those. How often you go for it too depends on how much time you have spare and money.

It has mainly been online and that has worked well

You could have written all that about me at nearly 10. Broadly speaking I'd be looking at no more than once a week for an hour or so to begin with and see how much difference it makes. I found school tiring so it was always a balance between extra practice but also having time to play and not getting too tired. I would also say is there anything he might enjoy that he could do as an extra curricular? From what you say boosting his confidence with a club doing something that he enjoyed might help as much or more than the tutoring.

Thanks that’s very helpful. I’ll start him off with a local tutor maybe just once a week and see how it goes.

He has enjoyed a few activities after school but he refuses to go to an out of school club where there are more opportunities. I sense that is a confidence issue. I will keep trying. I agree with what you are saying.

We have a tutor twice a week. Once on a weekend morning and once a week after school.

The best thing is if you are able to get a tutor that your child really likes. Someone fun to make it a positive experience. Even if that means part of the lesson is game(ish) based to turn a chore into sort-of-play. You want his/her knock at the door to be a good thing.

Also, maybe offer an incentive to your child. If they have a good lesson you will take them to get an ice cream/burger etc.