Here's our Home Tuition FAQ. We've done our best to answer the questions that we often get asked by parents at the beginning of their journey with us. If you have another burning query please do give us a call.
Your tutor(s) will have been given all the information that they need to get to the venue for tuition. This is usually your home. We ask that another adult is present, which safeguards your family and our tutors. Please don't feel obliged to join the session.
We like to form a trust relationship with your child first. You'll know that we've already completed a relational learning plan with you and this will have been shared with the tutors before the big day and they'll have some idea of how your child works and their likes and dislikes.
Feel free to spend a little time getting to know your child's tutor too. We like to work with you as a team for the benefit of your child.
The first few sessions will be about exploring your child's learning and finding the right tempo for them. Our tutors often make these discussion based and game based. We like to make learning fun and purposeful!
Your child and their tutor(s) will need a comfortable place to learn. Something like a kitchen table is ideal. They'll also need pens, pencils and paper. If you can't supply these, we can!
If your child is accessing our online tuition we ask that they access sessions either through a laptop or a tablet. Let us know if you feel you don't have the right tech for the job.
In both face to face and online tuition we ask that sessions take place in a shared family room. We don't feel it's appropriate for sessions to happen in your child's bedroom.
If your child is unwell and not able to take part in sessions please let us know as early in the day as you can. We follow the same rules and procedures as schools (The Spotty Book) and sometimes ask for a period of wellness before our tutors can attend sessions again. If you are unsure please ask Sarah or Liz (email or call the office).
In some instances, where our tutors are able to, they may offer to move the session to a more convenient time.
Most of the times if this happens then it's down to a scheduling mix-up or incorrect address on our system. Please give us a call or WhatsApp Sarah or Liz in the office and we will follow this up for you. Most of the time our tutors are able to make some of the planned session.
You can find all the information about your child's schedule with Next Steps Education Ltd through our portal. You can access this through our website (here). If you need us to reissue you with log-in details please ask Sarah or Liz.
Please let us know in the office (0330 460 4650). You can call or WhatsApp this number and Sarah or Liz will get back to you to acknowledge your message. Our tutors are as flexible as they can be. We all want your child succeed with us.
Sometimes we find that families find it tricky to have a second adult with their child when sessions are due. If that's the case please do let us know as we are often able to arrange alternative venues. We will always do our best to accommodate any changes needed.
After each session, our tutors complete a report to let you (and others) know what topics and ideas have been covered in the session and how your child got on. It's one of our favourite office tasks to read back through a term's reports as we always see great progress through your child's time with their tutors. We recommend you do this with your child at the end of term too!
Next Steps Education Ltd work on a referral basis. Our students are sometimes sent to us by local authorities and sometimes by schools. We share your child's reports with our client (local authority, school, or sometimes both) as they will have a duty of care and continued interest in your child's progress.
As part of our service, we attend regular review meetings about your child along with key adults involved in your child's education. These could be school staff, local authority inclusion team members and other adults who are often involved in Teams Around Families/ Child.
It's entirely up to you. We have your details on our office systems and we are happy to be the go-between if you prefer not to share details, although we know that this often makes for smoother communication between tutors and parents. You should only share your own contact details with our tutors. If a tutor asks for your child's details or shares their own with them please let us know. This is against our safeguarding policy and code of conduct.
Pick up the phone to us! Drop us an email! Catch us on WhatsApp!
Our primary aim is to engage your child in learning. If that's not happening for any reason then we'd like to be able to put it right for you and your family. If at all you feel uncomfortable contacting us, please in the first instance get in contact with your key adult at school (this could be a SENDCo, Pastoral Head or Head of Year) or with your Local Authority key adult. A list of these for Devon can be found here and here.
We hope that we've answered your questions in our Home Tuition FAQ. If there's some that we've missed please do get in touch. You'll find that we are a friendly bunch who'll do our best to make tuition with us easy-going for your family and successful for your child.