Tips on choosing a tutor

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womanofkent
Posts: 93
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 10:56 am

Tips on choosing a tutor

Post by womanofkent »

Hi everyone haven't been on for a while, DS will hopefully be taking test Sept 2012

Advice from school varies don't start him too soon, and the maths teacher said most of the children will be tutored you should do it too.

I am trying to work out how to choose a tutor, he is in top sets for both maths and english but maths is the weaker of the two.

Are there particular questions that I should ask when choosing? it seems some are already booked up but I don't want to waste money on someone that isn't going to get results for him.

thank you
pheasantchick
Posts: 2439
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:28 pm

Re: Tips on choosing a tutor

Post by pheasantchick »

Personnel recommendation is best. Questions to ask include:

- what does the tutor actually do during the session?
- how much homework?
- what is provided in terms of resources etc
- cost?
- knowledge about your local exam, and local grammar schools
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: Tips on choosing a tutor

Post by yoyo123 »

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/services/11plus-tutors" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
womanofkent
Posts: 93
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 10:56 am

Re: Tips on choosing a tutor

Post by womanofkent »

thank you both of you.
I have looked at the link but unfortunately none of the tutors mentioned are near me. I have got some of the books to do work on our own but there is that child/parent issue! You know the one where it doesn't matter that you are actually higher qualified than their teachers but you know nothing and they don't have to listen to you.
amber3
Posts: 18
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2011 10:40 am

Re: Tips on choosing a tutor

Post by amber3 »

We did it without a tutor and the high scorers in my childrens class were those who also managed without a tutor (one had a mum who was a teacher though). I think there is this feeling that pervades parents, whereby if you don't enlist a tutor, your child is sunk. At my DDs grammar, half her friends didn't have tutors. If you child is bright, in top set, and quite disciplined and wants to succeed, you might find it is easier to do-it-yourself.
Just a thought. Do other people feel the same?
menagerie
Posts: 577
Joined: Thu May 26, 2011 9:37 pm

Re: Tips on choosing a tutor

Post by menagerie »

We have a tutor booked but not until January, so are doing the first six months ourselves, and my inner geek is bursting with enthusiasm for it. :wink: That enthusiasm (so far - early days) has passed on to the children and also brought us closer together, as we spend a lot more time doing papers, or word games or cruising sites like Free Rice together. And the self- disciplined attitude pays off when it starts at home. My son was getting a bit idle but recently has suddenly worked hard at his red belt karate, and is also making sudden progress at piano where he had been pottering about a bit. It is very heartwarming to see them progress and know you played a part. But equally - I think a tutor can take the emotional pressure off a child a bit. I care too much when my son makes silly mistakes. Also, I'm hoping a tutor is far better at some of the explaining of the less obvious work. Years of NVR and maths must rub off.

I haven't even met our tutor. I booked her on the strength of several personal recommendations from people with children of widely different abilities. She specialises in a couple of local grammars and indies - all of which we're applying for; she's frank about a child's ability and will offer alternative suggestions of where they might go if she doesn't think they'll pass a certain exam. That's useful to us, in an area where every single exam is different (some just Maths & English, some add VR to that, or NVR or both etc.) She has got children into their chosen school with a very high success rating.

So my questions would be:
Which schools or exams do you specialise in?
What do you do with a child who is unlikely to make the grade of their chosen school, or is borderline?
What is your success rate with children getting into one of their top choices of selective school?
Which papers/methods do you use?
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