When should I start thinking about a tutor?

The benefits of tutoring are becoming more apparent to parents and students. Particularly in highly competitive areas like STEM subjects, Oxbridge and Russell Group university applications and even grammar school entry. But when is the right time to look for a tutor?

Starting too late?

Many people start looking for a tutor after January mock exams. Perhaps they are sitting on a university offer and the mocks haven't gone quite as well as expected. Some wait until even later; as late as Easter in some cases. This leaves the student and the tutor with a problem. Students usually do poorly in exams for one of two reasons. Either they have gaps in their subject knowledge or, more commonly, they have difficulties translating what they know into creditworthy answers on an exam paper. Before the tutor can help the student, the root cause of the difficulties need to be identified and the later this begins, the later any problems can start to be addressed. This is why, as part of our sign up process, we ask some diagnostic questions when you first contact us. This enables us to establish the correct support mechanisms as early as possible.

Once a student's challenges have been identified, then the tutor works with the student to overcome these difficulties. The longer the tutor has to work with the student, the more effective this support can be. The greatest improvements are seen when topics or skills are revisited, revised and tackled in different ways. This requires time. Often addressing a challenge in one area exposes a difficulty somewhere else. Given the average contact time with a tutor between Easter and the exam is around six hours, the ability to improve the outcomes for this student would be reduced.

Then there is the issue of tutor availability. Good tutors book up early. The longer you leave searching for a tutor, the less likely you are to find one who meets your needs. You may have to go with somebody who is too expensive, with little experience or who you don't really get on with. These can all negatively affect your experience, and hence the value, you receive from the tutoring process.

When should you look for a tutor?

There isn't really a "too early". September of Year 12 may seem a little excessive but consider the following scenario. A student has just moved to a new sixth form. They have to learn where everything is, who their new teachers are, make new friends and adapt to a different way of studying. On top of this, they are being bombarded with new content and unfamiliar material. Falling behind at this stage will make every topic harder going forward. The syllabus builds on previous concepts so without firm foundations, the entire qualification is going to get increasingly challenging.

Skill fade

Two full years of tutoring is a lot to commit to but it really does give students the best opportunity to develop and reach their potential. A smaller commitment, and probably the second best time to engage with tutoring is at the end of the summer term of Year 12. Skill fade is a genuine problem for students. It occurs over the summer holiday and only becomes apparent in September of Year 13. Good students take several weeks to return to study mode and don't perform as well on valuable content as they could. This can be overcome by a tutoring programme which continues through the summer, consolidating topics learnt in Year 12 and practising those vital exam skills.

There is an additional benefit to looking for a tutor in June or July. Tutors partially clear their schedules at this time. Students who have completed their A-levels no longer need tutoring and slots become available which weren't a few weeks previously. Beating the September rush gives the best choice of tutors.

We offer tutoring throughout the year, including during holidays. Get in touch to discuss your specific needs and we will assign the best support available.