Tom*, who suffers from ADHD, finds it very difficult to concentrate at school. Yet, at home with his personal tutor, away from the noise and commotion of the classroom, Tom is “calm, polite and engaged”.
We regularly see pupils like Tom make great progress with one-to-one tuition in the relaxed and comfortable environment of their own home – even from their very first session. Tom’s tutor, who works in Home-School Tutoring’s Surrey area, shares her experience of their first lesson:
I met with Tom on a Monday evening.
When I arrived his mother, Joanne*, said that his day at school had not been a good one. I was expecting to meet a child who was disengaged and could hardly sit still. But it was quite the opposite: he was calm, polite and engaged.
His reading was excellent. He read to me from a Functional Skills English Entry Level 3 (one below Level 1) and I have no doubt he could also read Level 1 and answer the questions. He knows numbers and his addition and subtraction are good, although his multiplication and division needs work.
Tom concentrated well during the lesson and enjoyed it. Both Tom and his mother told me that he gets very stressed in class – and – Tom added – by the swearing in the classroom too. Tom is not the first child or the last that I will meet who can’t cope with crowded places or a big noisy classroom. I told them I get very stressed taking the train at peak hours!
Tom is a very smart boy and his mother was very pleased with the way Tom responded to individual tutoring and told me: “It’s so good to see him like that’.
I believe that, because his environment was calm and relaxed, Tom was calm and relaxed too; he enjoyed the lesson and responded well to my encouragement.
Want to find out more about our specialist tutors and how tuition can benefit pupils with special educational needs? Our ‘Special Educational Needs’ page has more information.
*Names changed for anonymity.