We provide a few tips for finding the best Maths, English, Science or special educational needs tutors near you.
Ryan Stevenson
Searching for the best tutor for your child?
In this post we help you make that decision
Tips for Finding the Best Tutor Near You
I am an experienced maths and science tutor with significant special educational needs (SEN) tutoring experience. I am therefore familiar with the questions parents ask and also what makes a good tutor. In this post I share some tips to help you find a great tutor. Three common questions from parents are:
Let’s look at some themes which come up in these questions, and in doing so, help to answer them.
Why do you need a tutor?
In answering the first question regarding a good tutor, it is important to understand your objectives. Why do you feel a tutor is needed? By parents exploring this with their child they can get an idea of what is meant by ‘good’ and which approach is best. Some reasons for seeking a tutor may include:
- My child is falling behind in class and struggling with their homework.
- My child feels alienated in class and is not engaging with the subject or lesson.
- I want my child's grade to improve to qualify for A-Levels or university, or complete GCSEs.
- My child is easily distracted or has learning challenges and is not receiving the necessary one-to-one attention.
What makes a good tutor?
In our experience, an important starting point is that the student needs to feel acknowledged and in an emotionally comfortable learning environment. A ‘good’ tutor is therefore one who can build rapport with the student. This increases confidence, leading to self-sufficiency. It is best to communicate all known learning issues to the tutor to help with lesson planning. A good tutor (or tutoring agency) will ask relevant questions before tuition begins.
All parents wish for their child’s grades to improve. However, certain aspects of learning need to be identified along with the particular objectives before steady progress is made. This preliminary questioning can help determine what the specific role of the tutor is. For example, it could be to re-engage the student with learning, increase confidence, fill in missing gaps or prepare for a specific exam e.g. 11+ or GCSEs.
When to hire a tutor
Parents frequently seek to hire tutors with the approach of important exams and the natural desire for their child to do well. For some students ‘playing catch-up’ suddenly becomes an extra source of stress. It is therefore better to act sooner rather than later if there are any concerns. Some tips related to tuition timing include:
- Be proactive, rather than reactive. This reduces pressure.
- When looking to hire a tutor, look at their availability right up to the exam.
- Plan ahead as popular tutors can get booked out from mid-September for the school year.
If you are unable to help with your child’s homework, it may be worth trying outside help before subject complexity increases. Subject performance in Maths and Science is difficult to bring back on track in a few weeks. This is especially true if there are fundamental concepts missing or learning challenges present. A tutor is therefore a good investment in these cases. If tuition is provided holistically, it can also address self-esteem and self-limiting beliefs.
Tutors who can address special educational needs (SEN)
Many tutors do not have experience with special educational needs. Many tutoring agencies therefore throw their tutors into situations they are not properly prepared for by matching the student purely on their knowledge of the subject. This then causes problems where specific approaches are needed to tailor the lesson to the unique needs of the student. If you do have a child with additional needs then be sure to ask the tutor (or tutoring agency) what experience the tutor has, and what approaches they have used previously.
Non-neurotypical students are often more sensitive to their environment, as well as body language and behaviour of people in close proximity. Therefore, it is best to find a SEN tutor with relevant experience to avoid a negative learning experience for the student, which can push subject interest in the wrong direction.
Some tips when looking for a SEN tutor:
- Check to see if they have experience in the particular SEN.
- Ask them their about their tutoring approach with non-neurotypical students or students with the specific SEN.
- Patience is an important general trait for all SEN tutors. Try to assess the tutor's behaviour and manner in this regard.
- A tense or highly strung tutor is usually a poor match for a student with additional needs.
- If using a tutoring agency to find a SEN tutor, check their SEN credentials and whether this is a focus area.
- Make sure the tutor has an enhanced DBS. Vulnerable students require extra safeguarding. This applies even when using a tutor for online tuition.
- Once identified, make sure the tutor is willing to work with all parties involved e.g. the school, Local Authority, family. A team effort is usually more successful.
Next steps
As seen from the above, careful consideration is needed in finding the best tutor near you. We offer a free no obligation in-person consultation. Please get in touch to find out how we can help you to find a great tutor. We plan to write more on this topic in a future blog to explore whether it is worth using a tutoring agency.
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