Private Teaching

Personalised learning sessions are designed to provide targeted, yet fun and engaging learning which supports individual needs, interests and goals.

Whether a child needs additional support because they are struggling, or they require further challenge because they are very capable, personalised learning takes a child’s holistic needs into account and sessions bring out the best in each individual.

Every child is different and, as parents, you know them best. Contact us if you would like to talk about your child’s needs and whether personalised learning sessions may benefit them.

Personalised learning sessions are designed for one-on-one support.

However, your child might benefit from group sessions. In this case, check out our Learning Pods: carefully selected learning teams of 2 to 4 children with similar learning goals. Personalised learning sessions and the Learning Pods each offer their own unique benefits.

Personalised learning sessions are designed to bring out the best in students of all ability levels.

Each individual has their own strengths, weaknesses and goals:

Some students may need additional support in certain subjects areas, with the aim of bringing them more inline with age-related expectations.

Others may demonstrate a particular strength or be gifted in a certain area. In this case, personalised support can build on these strengths further in order to help a student reach their full potential.

In some cases, students like to ‘keep one step ahead’ in order to feel more confident. These children are neither behind, nor are they especially gifted, but they benefit from the ongoing additional support, encouragement and challenge.

Personalised learning programmes recognise that all individuals develop at their own pace and learning is customised according to their unique needs.

Generally, students benefit most from short but regular sessions throughout the academic year.

However, this is dependent on many factors:

• The age of the child

• Their individual learning goals

• Whether they have any diagnosed learning challenges and/or require support from remedial specialists

• How much support and academic input they receive at home

• How they respond to the learning and support given in school

• How they respond to personalised learning sessions over time. Are they happy and motivated?

E.g. A younger student may have 2 or 3 x 30 minute sessions per week. Whereas an older student may have between 1 and 3 x 45 minute or 1 hour sessions per week.

We can help guide you as to what might be best for your child.

The main benefit of personalised learning is that sessions are designed to ‘tap into’ a student’s unique ability and interests, and sessions can make a fabulous addition to a child’s weekly routine when they are delivered in fun and meaningful ways.

This requires skill from a professional who listens and takes the time to really understand what makes their students ‘tick’. Children need to feel relaxed, yet challenged; encouraged, yet responsible; happy, yet focused; and without fear of making mistakes or the pressure to achieve ‘success’.

No-one can guarantee success or achievement, as there are so many factors at play.

The terms ‘success’ and ‘achievement’ are very subjective. They are interpreted differently depending on the individual’s expectations.

What remains fundamental is ongoing, constructive communication and positive relationships between the professional, the student and their parents. This shared responsibility, along with realistic expectations, enjoyment and care, can only ever work in favour of the child and their ongoing development.

Not really, although understanding what a child is learning at school can be beneficial.

Homework tasks are an interesting insight into what a child needs to feel confident with what is expected of them. A lack of understanding here can result in frustration for both the parent who is trying to help, and for the child who has become demotivated or distressed.

A professional can identify what a child may be struggling with rather than simply completing the task to tick a box. Which foundation skills or knowledge might be lacking, and how can personalised learning sessions be built around the development of these? Students only make sense of what is being learned by building connections with what they already know or believe they know. This is known as ‘scaffolding’ and personalised learning programmes support these cognitive connections and tackle any misconceptions or misunderstandings.

On the other hand, if a child is constantly whizzing through their homework at the speed of lightning, they are not being challenged. In the short-term, this feels great for the student, but in the long-term, it causes disinterest and a lack of motivation. Personalised learning programmes are designed to balance challenge with enjoyment.

If you require tailored support, you need a qualified & experienced professional that understands exactly how to help.

If you are simply looking for homework supervision, then some unqualified adults can do this. However, key skills are still required in relation to forming relationships, communication and subject knowledge.

Does the person have a good relationship with your child? Do they have good language skills? Do they have the subject knowledge required to help effectively? And are they giving complete focus and attention to your child?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, then beware that this input is unlikely to be helpful or constructive.

In some cases, a student requires analysis and input from specialists - including educational psychologists, speech and language experts or occupational therapists, for example.

While well-qualified teachers are trained to identify when such intervention may be required, they are not qualified or able to formally diagnose, nor can they provide specialist remediation.

In these cases, the best results are seen when there is a sharing of information via the parents. For example:

• The teacher notices a child is struggling with handwriting due to possible delayed fine motor skills development.

• The teacher informs the parents and suggests contacting a specialist for further remedial support.

• The parent contacts the specialist and arranges a formal assessment for their child. The specialist makes recommendations and formulates a support plan to deliver a remedial programme inline with their findings.

• The parents share the findings and recommendations with their child’s teacher, who can work to support the application of recommended practical strategies in a wider context. Eg. a recommended handwriting grip - in support of overall writing development.

  To summarise, personalised learning sessions cannot replace, nor do they include, specialist remedial support. However, we may be able to help connect you to specialists who have the knowledge and skills required, should the need arise.

While working with a professional who is able to tailor learning to a student’s needs can be extremely beneficial for both the child and their parents, this cannot replace the pivotal role of the parents in relation to their child’s education.

The best results come when there are strong partnerships between the professionals, the parents and the students themselves. We call this ‘the 3 legged stool’. Without one of the legs, the stool will lack the balance required to stand firmly and independently.

To summarise, given positive and professional relationships, you can view a personal learning teacher or tutor as someone who is on a journey with you and has your child’s best interests at heart.