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The Benefits Of A Private Tutor For Your Child

Clarissa Kyriakos — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:17:15 +0000

If you do a search on the internet for private tuition you will soon discover that there are many tuition agencies offering private tuition by a wide range of qualified and unqualified tutors. Researchers have reported that there may be more than one in four state school pupils in England having private tuition after school to help them with their studies. A survey of 3,000 primary and secondary school students in England showed 27% of them had private tuition.

The subjects Mathematics and English are those for which most parents who decide to use private tuition look for support for their children. This is found generally to be the case for pupils of primary school age. Foreign language tuition and the sciences are more likely to be the the areas supported by private tuition for secondary school pupils.

It is the approach of Year 6 SAT’s (Standard Assessment Tests) which is the driving force that encourages most primary school pupils to seek private tuition. It is the desire to achieve the national average level or better which will help to get them to the desired learning level or setting group in their chosen secondary school. While primary age children have the SAT tests to focus their thoughts, secondary school children are usually looking for help to gain higher grades in their GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) examinations.

Private tuition is usually held after school or on Saturday mornings. Regular once or twice weekly lessons are most common. Most lessons usually last for one hour but with older children the lessons may extend to one and a half hours. Younger children and those with poorer concentration may find that forty five minute lessons are more appropriate. Some tutors will offer private tuition during half-term breaks and through the extended summer holidays.

Private tuition is usually carried out individually but sometimes there may be a few children of similar ability who could join together for their tutoring. Charges will reflect the number of students having their tuition together in the same group. One-to-one tuition will be more expensive than private tuition that takes place in groups but this is compensated for by the advantages of fewer distractions and the individual attention that the child receives.

The main reason for taking private tuition is to ensure that areas of uncertainty in the child’s education can be identified so that a programme of work can be devised to shore up the foundations and improve learning in the relevant areas.

Assessments will be carried out to see what level the student is currently working at and if there are any significant gaps in their learning that may be causing problems. The private tuition will then focus on these areas. The tutor’s goal is to boost their student’s self confidence in the subject and to ensure that progress is made.

Private tuition ensures that the student can enjoy the personal attention of the tutor for the full period of the lesson on a one-to-one basis. Ideas, strategies and methods can be highly focussed. Working in this way, misconceptions can be cleared up so that the student does not have trouble with the subject in later life. These tightly focussed private lessons enable worthwhile progress to be made and the children benefit from the tutor’s undivided attention.

Clarissa Kyriakos writes for Chichester Primary Tutors where you can find out all you need to know about arranging private tuition and Special Educational Needs for your primary school aged child. Arrange private lessons and have your 10th lesson free. Recommend new clients for special offers!

Boost Confidence With After School Lessons

Clarissa Kyriakos — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:23:22 +0000

Faced with the pressures of modern-day life, it is undeniable that some children will be in need of after school lessons. After school lessons should not be confused with after school care, after school clubs or after school activities. Many parents work hours that require their offspring to be cared for and occupied in after school clubs where children can play, relax and socialise with others. Some after school clubs may focus on particular activities such as swimming, football, ballet, gymnastics and computers, to name but a few. After school lessons are for children in need of extra help with specific lessons.

Very often parents are not made fully aware of the progress their child is making in specific areas of learning. The annual report is one way of finding out information but this is just once a year and often at the end of a school year. Parent evenings are another way of finding out about progress and it is often at these meetings that parents are first made aware that their child may be having difficulties. This is the time when parents might then consider some extra lessons after school to help their child with their learning.

Some children may have been recognised by the school as having special educational needs and will discuss the issues with the parents. The parents will be informed of their child’s individual educational plan which will show the specific targets the child is working on and the progress that is being made. Once parents are made aware of these needs they may want to find out about extra after school lessons that will help their children make the desired progress.

After school lessons will normally concentrate on one particular subject. The lessons are focussed and the student will benefit from specific objectives. Consolidation and repetition are necessary for children to make the desired progress in their after school tuition. If different subjects are taught during the same after school lesson then the learning can be very disjointed and can be confusing.

After school lessons are often sought by parents who want tuition for their children from the ages of six or seven, to make sure that they don’t fall behind. Parents will enquire about after school lessons and often word of mouth will find the best type of tutor for the task in hand. Looking on the internet will reveal numerous agencies that offer after school lessons but many parents prefer to go directly to the tutor rather than through an agency.

The student must feel happy and understand the reasons for the extra lessons. Tutor and student must relate to each other and good communication is vital. Liking and respecting each other with clear procedures for rewards will help make the after school lessons productive.

There is often the problem of where the after school lessons are to be held. Some tutors will not want to teach after school lessons in their own home for a variety of reasons. Some parents will not want the extra trouble of transport to and fro from the lessons. There may be some tutors that will not want to travel to their student’s house as this can be time consuming and travel costs may not make it worth while for them. Some children may not concentrate so well in their own home if there are distractions around them. So you need to find an after school lessons tutor that is best suited to you and your child’s needs.

Interestingly, research shows that by far the most popular subject request for after school lessons is for mathematics teaching. Secondly is English with science and then other National Curriculum subjects having hardly any requests.

Clarissa Kyriakos writes for Chichester Primary Tutors where you can discover everything you need to know about arranging after school lessons and Specific Learning Difficulties for your primary school aged pupil. Book private lessons and receive a complimentary 10th lesson. Introduce new clients for further bonuses!

Does Your Primary Tutor Have These Skills?

Clarissa Kyriakos — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:57:44 +0000

To be a good primary tutor you need to be able to relate to your student at their level. You need to consider their age and also their ability. Take time to find out what interests your student out of school. What hobbies do they enjoy? Find out about their siblings and any pets they have at home. A good primary tutor will discuss their student’s favourite subjects and what they would like to be better at. Who are their friends at school and out of school? Find out about their teacher. What do they like and dislike about their days at school?

One of the key skills a good primary tutor will need is to be able to assess the level their students are working at very quickly. Through these assessments a good primary tutor will also be able to find out how the student learns. Activities that are visual, auditory and practical will help you to find out what sort of learner your student is. You can then use their strengths to help tutor them in the subject you are teaching. The student will gain in confidence as your relationship develops. If you communicate clearly and concisely at the assessed level they are working at you will quickly see progress in results.

Good primary tutors take a genuine interest in trying to help and ensure that their students understand exactly what they are trying to learn. If you are genuinely interested then this will easily be conveyed to the student. You will be surprised how results will improve just because they respect their tutor and have a desire to please. This is particularly evident in primary school children.

Parents will also develop a trusting and professional relationship with you their child’s tutor and the positive relationship between student and the tutor will prove beneficial. Your reputation as a good primary tutor will develop and you will be taking on more clients before you know it!

You need to know whether your student is making the desired progress. Be clear about your teaching objectives. It is important to make sure that the parents know and understand what you are teaching. It will help you if you give the parents some understanding as to how they can help at home.

Make sure that you have completed the appropriate assessments. It is important to establish precisely where the student is in their learning. There are likely to be stages of development that the student may have missed out on. It may be necessary to go back some way to find out if there are gaps in their learning. If you do find any such areas then you will need to remedy the problem before further moves forward are made. Good primary tutors will explain this to parents and constantly keep matters under review through activities to make sure that learning is being reinforced and understood. Don’t forget that what your student may be able to do for you on one day they may forget or not be able to apply in their school work or in a different context. Ongoing practice of skills learned is necessary to ensure understanding. Pay close attention to these important steps and you will be well on the way to being a good primary tutor.

It is important to discuss with the parents whether they would like homework produced over and above any that may be set by the school. This may be an issue that needs diplomatic handling. If school homework is a problem area at home then the parents may want you to help the student with their school homework rather than run the gauntlet of negative sentiments about completing homework at home. If your student is given extra homework from you then you must ensure that this is explained to the parents. When homework is completed, always give feedback to both the student and their parents. Follow this advice and you will become a good primary tutor with a solid client base that is well deserved.

Clarissa Kyriakos writes for Chichester Primary Tutors where you can discover everything you need to know about arranging after school lessons and Special Educational Needs for your primary school aged pupil. Book private lessons and receive a complimentary 10th lesson. Recommend new customers for further bonuses!