Increased exam pressure and large class sizes can put a lot of pressure on students, especially for those who struggle to learn.
Whether your child is struggling with their English Language essay or completely lost in the world of Algebra, there are many options available for them to get extra support. One of the most common and convenient ways to supplement your child’s schooling is with home tutoring.
In this blog we discuss our top 5 benefits of hiring a tutor, and what to look out for when choosing one.
5 Reasons Why A Tutor Is Worth It:
They Are Proven To Help
Safe Space To Ask Questions
Weaknesses Are Addressed Directly
Lessons Are Tailored
Great For Building Confidence And Motivation
1. They Are Proven To Help
A tutoring study carried out by educational psychologist, Benjamin Bloom, shows that 6 months of private tutoring improves grades by 2 standard deviations. This implies just how much of an impact private tutoring has on your child’s progress compared to relying solely on school.
The statistics speak for themselves!
2. Safe Space To Ask Questions
One common issue with being part of a large classroom is that your child may be fearful of appearing silly in front of their peers, and hold back from asking questions.
One to one tutoring gives your child a safe space to ask questions, big or small, without feeling self-conscious.
3. Weaknesses Are Addressed Directly
According to the Department of Education, the average secondary school classroom has
21.7 students, meaning your child’s teacher must spread their attention across 22 other students (and in many cases, up to 30 children).
With one to one tutoring, your child's weaknesses are addressed directly in comparison to when your child is sharing their teacher with over 20 other students.
4. Lessons Are Tailored
One of the main benefits of hiring a good tutor is that they will tailor the lessons/create the tasks specifically for your child - this could be based on previous exams, recent classes, homework or whatever suits their needs and preferences. This is something that you’ll less likely experience in a classroom setting because teachers usually have their hands full with the needs of different students.
When lessons are presented in your child’s preferred learning style, they are more likely to understand the topics and perform better in exams.
5. Great For Building Confidence And Motivation
Confidence is essential for students and can be key for their success, however many children feel rather unnoticed/lost in large classrooms. But with the right support, these situations can be prevented.
A good tutor will praise your child regularly for their successes and, for opinion-based subjects like English, will engage your child in meaningful debates to help them form their ideas and feel confident expressing them.
By praising successes and filling in knowledge gaps, tutoring will therefore have a positive impact on your child’s self-esteem and confidence, which will not only help them in exams, but out of school too.
How To Choose A Tutor
Although there are many reasons why using a tutor is worth it, it is also important to note that a bad tutor could in fact make things worse. For example, we have seen students whose tutors do not understand the exam board requirements for their subject and guide students to focus on the wrong elements or teach maths in an unnecessarily complex way. So, it is crucial you choose the right tutor.
Keep these points in mind when choosing a tutor:
Ensure they are a fully qualified teacher.
They should be able to provide references, ideally of having helped students achieve high grades.
A tutor should assess your child's levels/skills early on or before the first class to ensure that progress is made from the very start (perhaps looking through recent work or exams).
How We Can Help
At GCSE Masterclass, we use only the very best teachers. All our staff are fully qualified, experienced teachers who have a proven track record of high quality teaching and excellent results within their GCSE classes.
Contact us to find out more about how we can quickly improve your child’s confidence, grades and future.
Written by Kate, for GCSE Masterclass.