Children can have mixed reactions to getting extra help, whether for exam preparation or top-up support in a subject they find especially hard. Some might feel nervous about meeting a new tutor, or resist extra help feeling it is extra work on top of an already-loaded school program.
Helping your child to feel positive about receiving extra tuition can be hard to navigate. How can you enable them to feel excited about improving their grades rather than nervous and daunted?
Some useful tips to consider:
- The first and most important step is to find the right tutor for your child. As one to one tutoring is so personalised you need to think about what kind of tutor your child will feel most comfortable with. If they dislike the idea of tutoring and see it as being an extension of school it can help to request a younger tutor, perhaps someone who has been through the process themselves not too long ago and can relate to the process personally.
- Helping your child to see the benefit of one to one tutoring can be very useful. Explain that in class it can be hard for teachers to have the capacity to individually support each pupil in their preferred learning styles and help them to start to think about how they like to learn best. Encourage them to relay this to the tutor in the first lesson.
- Keep tabs on how tutoring is going. Typically you should start to see your child grow in confidence and subject knowledge within around 4 lessons. Make sure you ask them how they found it, if they understand the tutor’s explanations and ensure that they feel comfortable and positive about the tuition.
- If you have any questions, concerns or ideas, be pro-active about discussing these with the tutor or with Bristol Tutors. Tutoring works best when there is a strong line of communication between tutors, agencies, parents and schools.