Does Your Child Need a Tutor?

Primary school children do not need a tutor full stop. Forcing a tutor onto a child that does not want one can turn then into against education. Hit then with the idea of a tutor at the right time, typically coming up exams and don't hire a tutor over the simmer when they will be ignored.

I don't believe in hiring a tutor for the 11+. If they pass the exam because they were tutored, they might find themselves in a school for which they are not suitable. They may end up leaving that school, meaning you have wasted a lot of money, and they have had a disrupted education.

In any case, much private tuition is a waste of time and money. Your child does not need an English tutor ever. Buy them some books and have them read to you a couple of times a week. Even for a subject like maths, a tutor is only effective about 20% of the time, meaning you have to pay an effective rate on average of about £200 an hour.

Much more effective than a tutor often is a stimulating game. Buy them a chess set, a draughts set, a musical instrument or a raspberry pi. Cheap, brain training, and open ended.