Intensive tutoring - defintion of...?
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Looking for help
- Posts: 3767
- Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:12 am
- Location: Berkshire
My problem is that I just didn't know about it.
Where we live a tuition centre takes children for one year or longer every Saturday for three hours with nightly homework to be done and extra classes should the child seem to be struggling.
Is this excessive? It certainly does sound it, but then it depends on how strong your need is to get your child into the school. We were desperate for our son to go there as it is the only school that we knew, all our others got in, but because we didn't know about the tuition centre, we could not give our son the same chance as all the others. We did do preparation...a test a week for a good 8 months before the test. He scored always upwards of 85% on practice tests in VR and NVR, well over 90% in the weeks leading up to the test. I thought this was sufficient, but onbiously not.
The first time I became aware of the centre was when I visited the open evening for the school in question about 4 weeks before the test and found a flyer on my windscreen as I left. As we come form a neighbouring local authority and few children travel from our area to the school, we had no playground gossip about it etc, so no way of knowing that this is what everyone else taking the test was doing (Probably not everyone, but a large number). Bear in mind that we have had children at this school for 7 years at this stage, so it is not discussed among parents at all, very hush, hush if it was going on at all then.
If I had my time over, would I go down this route? I'm not actually sure any more. If I had one child that will cope in another environment, it is my youngest, he is confident and capable and sensible, oh and extremely bright. But he didn't pass, I would say this as a warning to other parents not yet in my situation. You must find out what is going on and don't be in the dark as we were.
Do I agree with this kind of tuition? Well I think it will backfire a bit in the future because if a child needs this sort of help to pass the 11+, then he is going to need a fair amount of work to get good GCSEs, A Levels etc but by the age of 16 a child might not want to be tutored in Maths every Tuesday and French every Thursday, if you see what I mean.
LFH
Where we live a tuition centre takes children for one year or longer every Saturday for three hours with nightly homework to be done and extra classes should the child seem to be struggling.
Is this excessive? It certainly does sound it, but then it depends on how strong your need is to get your child into the school. We were desperate for our son to go there as it is the only school that we knew, all our others got in, but because we didn't know about the tuition centre, we could not give our son the same chance as all the others. We did do preparation...a test a week for a good 8 months before the test. He scored always upwards of 85% on practice tests in VR and NVR, well over 90% in the weeks leading up to the test. I thought this was sufficient, but onbiously not.
The first time I became aware of the centre was when I visited the open evening for the school in question about 4 weeks before the test and found a flyer on my windscreen as I left. As we come form a neighbouring local authority and few children travel from our area to the school, we had no playground gossip about it etc, so no way of knowing that this is what everyone else taking the test was doing (Probably not everyone, but a large number). Bear in mind that we have had children at this school for 7 years at this stage, so it is not discussed among parents at all, very hush, hush if it was going on at all then.
If I had my time over, would I go down this route? I'm not actually sure any more. If I had one child that will cope in another environment, it is my youngest, he is confident and capable and sensible, oh and extremely bright. But he didn't pass, I would say this as a warning to other parents not yet in my situation. You must find out what is going on and don't be in the dark as we were.
Do I agree with this kind of tuition? Well I think it will backfire a bit in the future because if a child needs this sort of help to pass the 11+, then he is going to need a fair amount of work to get good GCSEs, A Levels etc but by the age of 16 a child might not want to be tutored in Maths every Tuesday and French every Thursday, if you see what I mean.
LFH
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Looking for help
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- Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:12 am
- Location: Berkshire
Your missing an O Herman and doing an M before a D.....can you tell me what it stands for? I amhermanmunster wrote:apols for further digression but You know it is not suprising I struggled with one of my maths teachers because she used to say:Rob Clark wrote:CM, I’m having a flashbackBODMAS
A fearsome primary school maths teacher yelling at me ‘BODMAS, boy, BODMAS’, usually closely followed by a blackboard rubber aimed somewhere near my left ear…
Apologies all for the digression. The best days of our lives, eh…
BLESS MY DEAR AUNT SALLY. ......
.... but that's not the same is it
to admit that I have never heard of this-
hermanmunster
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Ally
- Posts: 299
- Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:30 pm
- Location: Hertfordshire
Gerneral tutoring should be viewed as mentoring, as teachers within the state system do not have enough time to spend one-to one time with each child on a weekly basis. You'll only get this if your child is speical needs (top or bottom end of the scale) and that doesn't always happen.
I've used a tutor since xmas of Y4 my DS is now in Y6. We've had change of teacher during Y3, Job share in Y4, and a weak teacher in Y5
Yes grades have improved, but they may well have done without tutoring. But my DS has gained confidence in his own ability which has has also improved his grades.
Yes she has helped preapre him for the entrance test, but that is only since May of this Year
I've used a tutor since xmas of Y4 my DS is now in Y6. We've had change of teacher during Y3, Job share in Y4, and a weak teacher in Y5
Yes grades have improved, but they may well have done without tutoring. But my DS has gained confidence in his own ability which has has also improved his grades.
Yes she has helped preapre him for the entrance test, but that is only since May of this Year
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Milla
- Posts: 2556
- Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:25 pm
Mine has had an hour a week in a shared group and he comes out absolutely buzzing. Loves it. Dragging his equally able (but less academically inclined - too sociable, too chatty, too butterfly) was a bit of an ordeal but one I felt I was right to insist on knowing the level of training provided in the private schools round here. But the fact that my DS2 actually enjoys the sessions and gets a kick out of having his brain engaged so makes it a pleasure in itself. Still hope it pays off, though, in The Test 
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Gman
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:23 am
My DD had 2 terms of a Saturday Tutor, in groups for, 1.5 hours. She had missed a lot of school, so I asked the tutor to fill in the gaps on maths, as she had used the time of to read, so had no issues with VR.
The tutoring gave her confidence in her maths ability, and focused on problem solving, so that whatever the question, she could work through it.
I would have done the tutoring even if there was no 11+.
I would say though, that at DD school, kids have been tutored for 2 years or more have been failing.
The tutoring gave her confidence in her maths ability, and focused on problem solving, so that whatever the question, she could work through it.
I would have done the tutoring even if there was no 11+.
I would say though, that at DD school, kids have been tutored for 2 years or more have been failing.
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sj355
- Posts: 1149
- Joined: Thu Nov 02, 2006 4:07 pm
- Location: Finchley - Barnet
I think Rob Clark should answer this query, and if he does not I have a blackboard rubber readily availableLooking for help wrote:Your missing an O Herman and doing an M before a D.....can you tell me what it stands for? I amhermanmunster wrote: apols for further digression but You know it is not suprising I struggled with one of my maths teachers because she used to say:
BLESS MY DEAR AUNT SALLY. ......
.... but that's not the same is it
sj355
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Plum
- Posts: 284
- Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:26 am
Pleasantchick
You have nothing to feel guilty about! You know your DC best and what they are capable of.
My ds was (and still is) tutored by a lovely lady. At the end of every session she lets ds do a bit of drawing, which she also teaches. Originally, we started getting him tutored once a week with a bit of homework purely because he was coasting along at school and he was not being stretched at all. Ds is a lazy so and so who would do the bare minimum to maintain his position in the class.
Once he started with the tutor she quickly said he was grammar school material so VR was included in his weekly session as ds does no VR at school. Most of his maths was done at home, mostly he taught himself just by working through the book with me and the tutor on standby for anything he got stuck with (not much thankfully - although I must say my maths has improved!).
Mostly the tutor worked with him on his English (typical boy) and he recently passed the exam for one grammar school and has another still to take.
IMO state primary school syllabus does not cover (in time) a lot of what is required for the 11+ so some tutoring is required by most children.
I have to say that since he started going to a tutor, ds work ethic has improved greatly and it is no longer a struggle to get him to do his homework. Hopefully, this is something he will carry into high school and beyond!
Plum
You have nothing to feel guilty about! You know your DC best and what they are capable of.
My ds was (and still is) tutored by a lovely lady. At the end of every session she lets ds do a bit of drawing, which she also teaches. Originally, we started getting him tutored once a week with a bit of homework purely because he was coasting along at school and he was not being stretched at all. Ds is a lazy so and so who would do the bare minimum to maintain his position in the class.
Once he started with the tutor she quickly said he was grammar school material so VR was included in his weekly session as ds does no VR at school. Most of his maths was done at home, mostly he taught himself just by working through the book with me and the tutor on standby for anything he got stuck with (not much thankfully - although I must say my maths has improved!).
Mostly the tutor worked with him on his English (typical boy) and he recently passed the exam for one grammar school and has another still to take.
IMO state primary school syllabus does not cover (in time) a lot of what is required for the 11+ so some tutoring is required by most children.
I have to say that since he started going to a tutor, ds work ethic has improved greatly and it is no longer a struggle to get him to do his homework. Hopefully, this is something he will carry into high school and beyond!
Plum
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emmgemuk
- Posts: 24
- Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:17 pm
I tutored my DD (who has just passed) by doing a VR tues and a NVR thurs, and then going through the corrections and methods on a sun, so, say 2 hours a week for 4 and a half months 3 weeks off in the summer. Thankfully our girls grammar is never over subscribed so a pass is enough. My DS is now in yr 4 and the grammer school for boys is always over subscribed, so I am considering starting tentatively with him after easter, which will be 18 months before his test, although I think much of the VR will be beyond him then as he does not have the same grasp of language as DD. ( boys ey?) To combat this I am (trying to )encouraging him to read daily before he goes to sleep.
I personally do not agree with people paying for tutoring as all it does is raise the pass mark and then it becomes more about who can afford to get their children into Grammar rather than who actually should go.
by doing a VR tues and a NVR thurs, and then going through the corrections and methods on a sun, so, say 2 hours a week for 4 and a half months 3 weeks off in the summer. Thankfully our girls grammar is never over subscribed so a pass is enough. My DS is now in yr 4 and the grammer school for boys is always over subscribed, so I am considering starting tentatively with him after easter, which will be 18 months before his test, although I think much of the VR will be beyond him then as he does not have the same grasp of language as DD. ( boys ey?) To combat this I am (trying to )encouraging him to read daily before he goes to sleep.I personally do not agree with people paying for tutoring as all it does is raise the pass mark and then it becomes more about who can afford to get their children into Grammar rather than who actually should go.
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teffi
- Posts: 40
- Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:51 pm
