Have you been wondering whether you should get your child a primary school tutor? Has the discussion at the school gates or the parent’s WhatsApp group been buzzing with tutor talk? Making this decision for your child can be scary! There are so many things that will fly around your already busy mind. “Will my child like their tutor?” “Will I have to leave them at a stranger’s home?” “Is the extra tuition going to be too much for them? They’re still kids after all!” or “Can I afford this additional weekly fee on top of everything else?” Let’s unpack all of these questions together. Hopefully, I can make your mind a little clearer on the decision of whether you should get your child a primary school tutor.
Before we get into all the bits and pieces about primary school tutoring, if you have stumbled upon this blog post because you are thinking of getting a tutor to prepare your child for the transfer test, I’ve got a little treat for you! Click here for a FREE SEAG Test Paper and Teaching Guide which you can use at home with your child! This FREE Transfer Test Practice Paper, also includes a step-by-step teaching guide. You can read this as a script when explaining the answers to those tricky questions!
What areas can I get my child tutored in?
Before I dive into the 5 terrific reasons you should hire a primary school tutor for your child, let’s talk about which areas you can hire a tutor for. Some people think tutors are only for transfer test preparation or exam preparation. However, there are lots of other areas that parents have contacted me about for tutoring.
Curriculum Areas
You can find a primary school age tutor that will offer extra tuition in all of the curriculum areas. The reason for this is most tutors are trained teachers and will have a specialist subject area such as Maths, Science, Music or English. You can even find tutors for Home Economics, Art or Technology and Design. But you won’t need to worry about those subjects until your child’s in big school.
Confidence or Anxiety
Unfortunately, some students suffer from confidence issues or anxiety about going to school. This can happen for many reasons. They may find certain topics or subjects challenging and don’t want to ask for help. This can lead to feelings of stress or anxiety over school. They may have issues with a group of peers that can cause them not to want to go to school or not be able to focus during lessons.
Another issue that I have come across, is unfortunately some students just cannot ‘gel’ with their teacher. This is not an unusual thing. If you think back to your school days, you can always remember your favourite teacher and also the one that you could not stand at all! Every teacher has a different personality and style of teaching. There’s nothing wrong with this, if we were all the same we would be like robots! But if your child is not keen on their teacher, this can affect their confidence in the classroom. Having a tutor can help to boost your child’s confidence levels.
Transfer Test Preparation
This is probably the most popular area of tutoring within Primary Schools in Northern Ireland, transfer test preparation. The reason is that parents want to have their children as prepared as they can be before sitting the tests. The tests have changed a few times throughout the years. Having a tutor can help keep you up-to-date with the current test, topics and marking system.
What will a primary school tutoring session look like for my child?
Every tutor will organise their sessions differently. I can’t speak for every tutor out there so I will tell you what my sessions look like. Most sessions will last for an hour but some tutors may schedule double sessions, 45-minute or half-hour sessions. This depends on the area of study.
What my tutoring sessions look like
When I first meet a new student, I start by playing a couple of games to help them feel more comfortable. I will also have a wee chat with them, while playing the games, about school. Then I will ask what areas they find a bit tricky, some areas they would like to practise and what areas they think are easy. I tailor the work completed in my sessions with a mixture of what the student has told me they would like to practise and what areas I notice or think they could benefit from studying.
Transfer Test Preparation Sessions
The session may run differently if you hire a primary school tutor for transfer test preparation. I usually spend 30 minutes on English and 30 minutes on Maths. My English section of the session usually consists of comprehension and some grammar or punctuation work. My Maths section of the session will have two maths topics that I will work through with the student.
When it comes to practice papers, I usually complete the first paper with the students and work through it with them, one question at a time. I never give a student a test paper to work through for the whole hour of the session. Unless I am doing it with them. There is no point in doing this as the tutor will just be sitting there twiddling their thumbs for an hour instead of teaching your child. Also, I would ask the parent if they are happy for me to leave practice papers for homework and I can go over them with the student at the beginning of the next session.
You’re the boss!
Remember, you are paying the tutor, so if you would like the session to run differently or have particular topics covered, just ask them. I have had parents ask me to complete the child’s homework with them because they have a busy week ahead and won’t have enough time. I’ve had parents ask me to help their child with a particular topic for the whole hour. Chances are your tutor will be completely fine with this.
Primary School Tutor Rates: What can you expect to pay for each session?
Once again, I cannot speak for every primary school tutors hourly rate, so I will give you a rough idea of pricing and show you my tuition fees. I charge £30 for the hour’s session and then depending on where the student lives, I may add on £5 to cover fuel costs as I travel to the student’s house. This £30 fee covers all learning materials and practice papers if the student is sitting the transfer test. The hourly rate for primary school tutor is between £25 to £40 for an hour’s session. To be honest, I feel above £40 for primary school tutoring prices is extremely high for an hour’s session, so if you are quoted this, ask for a breakdown of what the fee includes.
If you are on a bit of a budget, contact some of the teacher training colleges such as Stranmillis, St Mary’s or the University of Ulster as teachers who are not fully qualified yet offer lower fees for their sessions. Primary school tutoring online can also be a bit cheaper or joining up with some of your child’s peers for group sessions can also work out a bit cheaper.
What information should I give the primary school tutor about my child?
It’s always best to meet the students in person to get a sense of where they are at in school. Although, we do need some information to help us prepare for the first session. It all depends on what you are comfortable sharing with the tutor before you meet them. Some parents will give me a rough idea of what areas they feel their child needs additional support with. Some will send me the Maths and English areas of their child’s last school report and some parents just tell me what class their child is in. It all depends on what you would like to share over the phone or via email.
My advice is to give them the essential details in advance such as what class your child is in, a couple of topics they need to practise and if they have additional learning needs such as they need a larger font due to their eyesight or if they have dyslexia or dyspraxia for example.
Where can I find a primary school tutor near me?
If you are looking for a primary school tutor there are lots of tutoring websites out there that help you to find a tutor such as Tutor Hunt. However, these types of websites charge you for the tutor’s contact details and the tutor does not get this money, the website does. Also, some of these websites will charge both the parent and the tutor.
The best way to find a tutor, in my opinion, is through word of mouth. If you are recommended a tutor by someone you know or a friend of a friend, it will help you to feel a bit more comfortable with leaving your child with this new face. You will also know they are a good worker if they have been recommended to you.
If you don’t know anyone who has been a tutor before, you can search for any tutoring pages on social media, such as Facebook or Instagram. You can also search online to find a primary school tutor hire. For example, you could search ‘Primary School Tutor Belfast’ to find tutors if you live in Belfast.
5 terrific reasons you should hire a primary school tutor for your child
Now that we have discussed some of the questions about primary school tutoring that might be whirling through your mind, let’s get started on my 5 reasons why should hire a primary school tutor for your child.
Help with Particular Subjects
You’ve all been there, the parent-teacher meetings where the teacher starts positive and then slides into the areas where your child needs to improve. It can be hard to hear as your children are your pride and joy. You don’t want to hear anything negative about them. Once the shock has worn off, reflect on what your child’s teacher has said. They aren’t telling you these things to be mean (most of the time!). Your child’s teacher wants what is best for them, just like you.
After your child’s parent-teacher meeting, sit down with a cup of tea and reflect on what they have said. Jot down on a piece of paper which areas they need additional help with and also ask your child as well what they think they need to practise. If you look at those topics and think, “Wow! There’s no way I can teach those topics. I don’t have a clue!” or you just simply don’t have time because you have a million things to do. Then hiring primary school tutors could be what’s best for you and your child as they will be learning the correct way to tackle these topics.
Confidence Booster
If your child struggles with a lack of confidence in school or feels anxious over Maths, English or both, then hiring a tutor can help with this. Your child will have at least an hour, once a week, where the entire focus will be on them. They will have the tutor’s full attention and can work as slowly or as quickly as they want with a topic. If they need to go over fractions for six months, then so be it. They will not be rushed through topics like at school.
Being able to focus on topics and learn the step-by-step process of how to complete Maths or English tasks can have a positive impact on your child’s confidence and self-esteem in school. They will be able to put their hand up to answer a question without being worried about not knowing the answer. My passion and slogan for my tutoring business, which you will see everywhere, is “Let’s create happy, confident learners together!” My reason for choosing this is that I want your children to feel happy and confident inside the classroom and out. Parents and tutors can work together to make their child’s schooling years as positive and fun as possible.
Having to catch up on certain topics
Things happen in life and this can affect a child’s schooling. There may be an illness within the family or with the student which means they are off school a lot or for a long period. The student may have to change schools due to moving house or moving from a different country. This means they may miss out on particular topics or learn things a different way to how their new school does. English may not be the family’s first language and they need help interpreting and understanding their school work. No matter what the reason is that the child needs to review or learn new topics, a primary school tutor can help the student catch up with their peers. (I don’t like using the term, ‘catch up,’ your child is right where they are meant to be. But you know what I mean!)
Transfer Test Preparation
If your child is planning on sitting the transfer test and you would like them to have additional help and preparation before the test, then hiring a tutor is a great option. As I said above, transfer test tutors are aware of the current testing methods, marking schemes and areas of study required. And if they don’t know the answers to your transfer test questions they will find out for you.
Another reason for transfer test tutoring could be because your child has specific areas that they are struggling with. Let’s face it, your child’s class probably has about thirty students in it. Speaking from a teacher’s point of view, there is just not enough time to help each student one-to-one with areas they are struggling with. A teacher is only one person. They have a list of the length of their arm of other tasks and paperwork that needs to be finished.
Having an extra hour per week dedicated to transfer test preparation, won’t do your child any harm. Seeing a new face each week can also help with their learning. So many times I have parents tell me that their child won’t do any work for them. But as soon as I walk in they are sitting at the table ready to learn. This is not uncommon so if your child is like this with their tutor, don’t feel bad about it.
Additional Learning Needs
If your child has certain learning needs such as ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Dyslexia or Dyspraxia, then having a tutor could be a great idea for your child. If needed, their school work should be altered or changed in school depending on their learning needs. However, this does not always happen. Having a primary school tutor, who can cater for their individual learning needs and methods, can have a positive knock-on on effect their school work.
How do I make a decision about tutoring?
The best way to make this decision is to have a really good think of what areas your child needs additional support in. If you feel you can do it yourself then give it a go! I have resources which include step-by-step teaching guides for parents. You can read like a script to help parents who tutor their kids. If you don’t have a lot of spare time to help with your child’s additional learning, don’t feel bad about that. Hiring a tutor can take a lot off your plate. Chances are your child will love spending time with their tutor.
Talk to your child’s teacher
You can have a chat with your child’s teacher to see what their opinion is. Although some schools don’t like to recommend primary school tutoring for the students, they might give you a subtle hint!
Give it a go!
If you are stuck or wondering what to do, you can always give it a try. If it doesn’t work out you can just be honest with the tutor. Tutoring isn’t set in stone. If your child doesn’t get on with their primary school tutor then there isn’t much point in putting them through that. Now if they are just being ‘lazy’ and don’t want to do the extra work then that’s different. I mean if their personalities clash then there isn’t much point as your child won’t learn as effectively.
Talk to your child
Lastly, have a chat with your child and see what their opinion is. At the end of the day, if you want your child to have a tutor and they say ‘no,’ you’re probably going to hire one anyway. But valuing their opinion can do wonders for their confidence levels. Before I met my new students, some of them thought I was going to be like Miss Trunchbull from Matilda. But once they get started into the sessions they love them!
More Information on Primary School Tutoring
Does My Child Really Need a Tutor?
5 Reasons To Hire A Tutor For Your Child (and 3 Reasons Not To)
Time to tutor? When to get a tutor for your child
5 fantastic, simple ways to prepare your child for the SEAG Transfer Test
I hope this blog post helps you with your decision of whether to hire a primary school tutor for your child or not. If you would like some additional advice please send me a message on
Facebook or Instagram. Don’t forget to download your FREE SEAG Practice Paper and Teaching Guide here to become your child’s transfer test tutor! Let’s create happy, confident learners together. Either by becoming a tutoring parent or by hiring a primary school tutor for your child.
