Why tuition?
Some good reasons for tuition
Improving Performance
To resolve any temporary learning problems which a child might have and to improve his or her performance and confidence in the learning process
Preparation for Eleven Plus
For more able children, there might also be a specific aim in mind, most notably the Eleven Plus test at the start of Year 6.
Preparation for SATs
Another test which affects all children in Year 6 are the SATs. Parents are naturally keen to see their children do themselves justice in these tests, and preparation and reinforcement through tuition can help with this.
No pre-assessment tests
As there are several different needs met by tuition, I do not run any compulsory assessment tests before a child starts with me, although I will test at the parents’ request. My focus is on the child and not on an examination pass rate for the tutor.
Style and tone of tuition
I run tuition for children between the ages of 7 and 11. Younger children do not learn easily in weekly lessons and need short, more frequent teaching sessions. I am happy to tutor Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning up to the end of year 6, covering both the Eleven Plus and SATs. My experience does not extend beyond that.
My tuition sessions are always face-to-face, one-to-one and take place in my own spacious and comfortable study in Ferndown. Although I have done online sessions (including during the Covid lockdowns), my materials are not designed for online learning and I did not find them very satisfactory. I do not travel to a family’s home; I like to have all my learning materials to hand and to get the child away from any distractions of home.
Lessons have an informal style. Children and parents call me Marnie and, although the sessions have a structure, I like to keep them free-flowing and fun, with plenty of variety and challenge. I keep a stock of attractive stickers and the children can choose their favourites to stick in their books at the end of a lesson.
