Esther and William will start school in September

We are very lucky that our local school and education authority have agreed

That Esther and William

Born at 27 weeks gestation in July 2010

Can start school according to their due date

Rather than their premature birth date

And so we have a summer of play ahead of us

And through our play we will be working on Early Learning Goals

I am so excited to have this time to focus

On Esther and William’s individual needs

From testing the waters of school this year

I know that William needs to focus on his motor skills

Gross and fine

He needs to be able to write his name

To hold a pen, pencil or paintbrush and start to enjoy mark making

Esther needs to work on her reading

We also need to focus on her confidence and self esteem

And help her believe in herself and realise how very special she is

I am starting to plan our learning through play activities

Things we will do together over the summer months

And also times I would like to spend one to one

All of this planning has reminded me how much I love being a teacher

And how much I enjoyed being a one to one tutor

I began tutoring part way through my first year as a teacher

I taught year two and parents were worried about SATS

SATS and the move to key stage two

They wanted their children to have some extra help

With their individual needs

I adored the children that I tutored

I loved going to their homes

Getting to know their families

I loved spending time with children

One to one

Teaching to their particular requirements

Using their preferred learning style

In my sessions I used a mix of teaching ideas and resources

We played games, sang songs

We completed online, interactive activities

We did worksheets, generic and personalised

We worked inside and out

It was a fabulous experience for me

And I hope for the children I tutored

I tutored some of my pupils for several years

And it was wonderful following their journeys

And supporting their learning

I tutored again in a different area

Later in my career

When I was teaching Year 5/6 in Kent

I tutored a range of children

Of different ages with different needs

I helped children to prepare for The Kent Test

I worked with some beautiful children

Who had very specific needs that were not being met by school

And I helped some children who just benefited from one to one tuition

To boost and bolster their confidence

I think there are misconceptions about tutoring

It is something rich families do

It is something pushy parents do

Tuition is formal and means lots of worksheets

Tutoring is for a specific subject or reason

Extra tuition is too much for children

On top of all they already do at school

Tutoring can be incredibly beneficial

For children of all ages and abilities

And it does not need to be formal at all

Perhaps your child loves writing

You could employ a tutor to do a creative writing session with your child

Perhaps your child struggles with mental maths

Employ a tutor to teach maths through play

You can find great people, qualified people through a tutoring agency

Perhaps your little one, like William

Needs help with their motor skills

Find someone to come and help with carefully planned activities

Perhaps animation?

Tutors can help with all subjects

They can develop a child’s generic ability to learn

By building learning power

Training in study skills for tests and exams

Tutors can teach a new subject or skill set

Or help to develop and revise an old one

A tutor can be an invaluable way to offer your child

One to one support that they need

A chance for someone to look at things they have been shown at school

In a slightly different way

I am not sure if I will ever employ a tutor for my children

As a teacher myself and with a Daddy who loves teaching

We have tuition built into our daily lives already

Without really meaning to

We have for years completed a calendar at breakfast

Talking about the weather

Learning about numbers and months and days of the week

We do lots of mental maths and phonics work in our play

I am always browsing early years education sites

For ideas to inspire what we do at home

I use my knowledge of the curriculum to plan what we will play at home

At the moment we are learning about lifecycles

To link in with visits to Longleat and Coombe Mill Farm

We are using Reading Eggs and Mathseeds

To reinforce the phonics and mental maths we are experiencing through our play

I do know that in the future one of our children

May want or need help and not want it from me

Children respond very differently for parents

Than they would for teachers and tutors

At some point they may want or need someone that is not me

At that time I would try to find someone I knew

A personal recommendation

Or I would turn to an agency such as Fleet Tutors

A team of tutors across the UK

Who have the same vision of additional tuition as me

To do what is best for the child

To fit in with the needs of the family

To make learning fun

To foster a love of learning

A love that will last for life

This is a collaborative post