As the Summer break approaches, many parents are faced with the decision of whether or not to continue their child’s education through tutoring during the holiday. While some may see the Summer months as a time for relaxation and fun, others view it as an opportunity to give their children a boost in their academic development.
At Dukes Tutoring, we believe that summer tutoring can offer a wide range of benefits, from preventing learning regression to preparing for upcoming academic milestones.
Here are 10 good reasons for summer tutoring…
- For Enjoyment
To give your child the gift of one-to-one time with a friendly and supportive tutor, time for them to enjoy while they’re learning. We match our tutors to each student very carefully, not only for subject specialisms but also for personality fit and learning style. Every one of our tutors is interviewed by the Dukes Tutoring team before joining us, so we can bring a knowledge of their personal style into consideration when matching them with a child.
If a child isn’t enjoying it, then it isn’t worth pursuing. We therefore ensure that our tutoring is inspiring and encouraging, offering each child time to focus and time for themselves. Tutoring should be something really special that’s bought for children by their parents!
- Foundations in Place
To make sure the foundations are in place before the next school year. Is your child still a bit wobbly on phonics or basic number work? We can help with a short burst of fun lessons. Here’s an example from the last half term that shows how effective a short programme of holiday tutoring can be in getting children back on track:
A new client came to Dukes Tutoring wanting daily tutoring sessions during the half-term holiday for their four-year-old child, to support them in consolidating what had been taught at school and to address any gaps in their learning. Due to the Lockdowns, the client felt that their daughter had missed the interaction and support usually provided within a school setting and was concerned that they had lost confidence in their own abilities and their enthusiasm for learning.
The daily sessions were half hour online sessions covering phonics, reading, writing and maths (specifically numbers). These areas were covered through providing short, fun and engaging activities. By the end of the week, the child was able to identify nearly all the Phase 3 phonemes and high frequency words, use these to read and write simple words, and count and write numbers to 20 accurately.
The client was very pleased not only with the amount of progress their child had made in a short time, but also with the effect this had on their confidence levels and self-esteem. The client commented that her daughter was now really looking forward to returning to school with the reassurance that she is doing really well with her learning.
- GCSE and A Level Confidence Building
To build confidence for facing GCSEs or A Levels next year, if your child is going into Year 11 or Year 13. There is still a lot of uncertainty around how these qualifications will be assessed next year – will there be a return to standard exams, will teacher assessments still be used, or will there be an increase in coursework?
Summer tutoring can help maintain momentum and fill children with confidence to face these important academic milestones in the year ahead. We have specialist subject tutors in every area available for top-up, ad hoc tutoring to address specific areas of weakness, or a more sustained programme of tutoring support. It can be as flexible as you need it to be.
- 11+ State Selective Boost
To give a summer boost to preparations for state selective 11+ exams. Once the Autumn term begins, the programme of eleven plus entrance exams can feel very intense. Having the support of a tutor throughout the Summer can make all the difference to how prepared children feel and to their confidence in facing the exams.
- 11+ Independent Schools Preparation
To prepare for independent school entrance exams, if you’ve just decided to pursue independent school applications, you can give your child a strong start with some focused summer tutoring. Or, if you’re already preparing, keep up the momentum. The journey to the independent assessments in the new year can feel long, so it’s crucial to pace preparations properly. This is a key benefit of working with an experienced specialist tutor, who will guide your child every step of the way.
- Focus on Key Areas with No Distractions
To make positive use of down time between Summer holiday activities. We find that the best time for children to have some tutoring is after breakfast, before going out on an outing or meeting up with friends. It wakes them up for the day and stops that long holiday boredom creeping in. They can also make the most of having no other schoolwork or homework deadlines, to focus on key areas without the distraction of deadlines.
- Minimise Summer Regression
To prevent ‘Summer regression’ – the learning loss children can experience when they are not in school, particularly in reading and maths levels. Students’ knowledge loss during the Summer has been said to amount to at least one month of schoolwork. Tutoring with a light touch, perhaps involving project-based learning focusing on areas of the child’s personal interests, can stop this loss of momentum without it seeming as though they are doing any work. It is important for primary aged children to maintain practice with numbers and writing, as well as keeping up with their reading during the Summer, and our tutors can carefully guide this.
- Curriculum support – Filling Learning Gaps Before the New School Year
To provide curriculum support and plug learning gaps from interrupted learning during the pandemic. This is currently a popular reason for short-term tutoring. Learning from home during the Lockdowns has not been successful for every child and some parents are concerned that there are serious gaps in curriculum knowledge as a result. We can provide targeted tutoring interventions to address those specific areas.
- Routine, Purpose and Sense of Achievement
To simply replace what children might miss about being at school, such as having a routine, a sense of purpose and the positive feedback for doing something well. Some gentle Summer tutoring can provide positive affirmation and a sense of achievement.
- Prepare University Applications
To prepare for university applications this Autumn. It’s never too early to take some professional advice to refine university and course choices, and start work on a personal statement. We have expert tutors to help with every aspect of the application process, from deciding where to apply to having tailored interview preparation.
As an example, we recently helped a high-achieving Year 13 student with predicted grades of As and A*s in her A Level subjects, who needed help to review and refine her Personal Statement and prepare for potential university interviews. The Dukes Tutoring Matching Team identified an appropriate tutor with the relevant skills and experience – a role model, someone who would instill confidence and help the student articulate her interest in, motivation for and understanding of her chosen degree. The tutor encouraged her to draw on a wide range of specific experiences, skills and qualities which she could link to the course, and refining the student’s writing until they were finally satisfied with a full and well-evidenced Personal Statement.
The tutor also supported the student in becoming interview ready. They conducted an entire mock interview over the course of a session, which highlighted areas of strength as well as revealing some areas to work on.
The student had four successful interviews and was offered places including at her first-choice university. Getting started early with a similar set of sessions starting during the Summer, will help university applicants submit their applications promptly and return their focus to their studies during the Autumn term.
When shouldn’t you use summer tutoring?
If your child is doing as well as they are capable of at school, there is probably no need to tutor them over the summer. Simply encourage them to read widely and it might also be fun to start some family project work of your own. If they have finished the term exhausted, burnt out from exams or feeling flat from working hard all year, they deserve a proper break and a chance to be children. In this case, if they would still benefit from extra help, then defer any tutoring until much later in the summer break and prioritise rest and relaxation.
Whether to tutor is ultimately your decision and it must be based on your individual child’s needs and circumstances. Tutoring should simply be a positive, helpful support – part of the work hard, play hard approach to childhood.
