Due to the impact COVID-19 has had on our children and their learning, there has been a surge in private tuition for primary school children. Students throughout Scotland and England have found that private tutoring has had an incredibly positive effect not only on their academic performance, but also on their love for learning.
Many parents worry about the cost of private tutoring and if it is an expense they can afford to pay. Here, we will break down our pricing structure at LS Tuition and all of the benefits that come with having a private tutor.
How much does private tuition in the UK cost?
Our typical weekly tuition slots are 1 hour in length and cost £65 per hour.
When starting your tuition journey with us, we will begin with an initial assessment lesson which lasts for 1.5 hours and costs £97.50. The additional time offered in these sessions allows for you to meet with your child’s tutor after their assessment is concluded, to review all areas of the assessment and discuss an individually crafted learning plan. This way we can identify which subjects will require additional support and where our focus needs to be.
What is included in the private tuition costs?
Included in your weekly session (1 hour at £65 per hour) is the following:
- Face-to-face teaching with your child to offer a personalised experience and give relevant advice and support tailored to your child’s unique learning styles,
- An additional hour a week spent creating your child’s personalised learning plan and designing each week’s lesson plan,
- Sourcing of learning materials for each subject requiring additional support,
- Ongoing planning for continued learning progress,
- Creating personalised resources to encourage your child’s love for learning and bonding with their teacher,
- Weekly tracking of progress in previously identified areas, plus vital curricular knowledge to plan future lessons,
- Weekly supporting homework packets we develop, mark and feedback to you and your child to assist with progress tracking,
- The resources we purchase to use in our lessons or give to you to study at home,
- Ongoing communication between teacher and parent/carer, plus additional parental/carer involvement in the learning process,
- A specially designed learning environment, built to encourage meaningful learning in a safe, exciting and motivational environment,
- Holistic learning with a focus on developing the “whole child” through creating and sustaining meaningful relationships, instilling a love for learning and supporting the growth of confidence and resilience.
How much does a maths tutor cost?
At LS Tuition we cover KS1 Maths/Numeracy and also KS2 Maths/Numeracy and both are chargeable at £65 per hour for a weekly session.
It is important to make a clear distinction between ‘Maths’ and ‘Numeracy’. Maths refers to specific mathematical topics such as, angles, fractions, shape etc. Whereas, Numeracy refers to the foundational understanding of number and how this works, for example; Place Value, Times Tables, Number Operations etc.
In order for any significant understanding to exist in relation to a maths topic, there must first be a strong foundational understanding of numeracy. It is here that we begin with each child and then progress to various maths topics.
At this level and within numeracy, your child will be guided to developing a strong and confident understanding of the most basic numeracy concepts including; the value of number, initial times tables, use of a hundred square, addition, subtraction and inverse operations – to name but a few. Our goal is to ensure that your children understand rather than memorise.
How much does an English tutor cost?
At LS Tuition we cover KS1 English and also KS2 English and both are chargeable at £65 per hour for a weekly session.
Our Literacy learning at this stage is split into 3 key areas: Reading, Writing and Talking/Listening. All three of these areas are mostly reliant on the teaching of vital, foundational phonics. Your child and their tutor will work through the Phonics curriculum to ensure that all Phases (1-6) are solid, by which point, your child will be ready to move on to the Second Level/Key Stage 2 Curriculum; typically, by Primary 4.
At LS Tuition, we work with the Oxford Reading Tree (ORT) reading scheme and support your children in slowly working their way through each level until they are ready to progress to larger novels. Writing at this level will include emphasis on correct letter formation, simple spelling patterns and the beginnings of sentence structure including initial grammar and parts of speech.
How much is private tutoring per hour?
Our weekly session rate is £65 per hour for one-to-one classroom tutoring.
What assistance can I get to help pay for private tutoring fees?
Unfortunately, the Scottish Government currently does not offer any assistance in paying for private tutoring for primary school students.
Is there any minimum commitment time?
While we don’t have any minimum commitment time as such, we do have a 24-hour cancellation policy in place with no lock-in clause. We simply ask that parents/carers cancel 24-hours in advance or the full fee is incurred for the lesson. We ask that parents/carers give us one week notice of a child leaving our tuition services, where possible, so we have time to prepare to say goodbye to our students and we can ‘round off’ our learning together , but this is not a requirement. It is very rare that students leave us with no notice but if they choose to, that is their decision to make.
Will the cost increase as my child gets older?
Our services are a flat rate across any age or year they are attending at school. This is to ensure every child receives the same level of care and focus from Nursery through to P7.
Each child requires their own bespoke teaching style to ensure they are getting the most out of their lessons. Whether they require additional support with maths, English, science or another KS1/KS2 subject, we will develop a learning plan that best allows them to take in new information and offer additional learning materials and homework to practise out with lesson time.
Where will my child receive their private tutoring lessons?
At LS Tuition we have a fantastic classroom that we use for all of our private tutoring sessions. The classroom has been created to be a warm, friendly environment that encourages a love for learning and positive peer support.
We also have our very own Virtual Classroom, which we use for all of our online lessons. Many of our online students are spread across the globe and therefore, in-person tuition is not a viable option. Having said this, we do have many Edinburgh-based students who prefer online tuition! Our interactive Virtual Classroom has a lot to do with the uptake for our online tuition service.
Unlike Zoom and other similar video platforms, our LS Tuition Virtual Classroom has a fully interactive layout, allowing for the student and teacher to experience successful and meaningful learning without leaving the comfort of your own home.
Our group of tutors are all qualified primary school teachers, holding qualifications in Primary Education from the most reputable universities in Scotland such as Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Aberdeen University.
Whatever your preference, we can offer tailored lesson plans for both online tutoring and classroom learning.
What if my child cannot attend a lesson?
If for any reason you cannot attend your weekly scheduled lesson on a one-off basis, you must let us know as soon as you can. We have a 24 hour cancellation policy where we ask that if we have not been notified at least 24 hours in advance of your lesson that you will not be attending, we ask that the full fee is payable.
If your weekly lesson day is proving to no longer be suitable, please do get in touch and we will see if there is any availability to move you to a different day. Please note however, we are extremely busy and waiting lists are in place so there is no guarantee there will be spaces available for alternative days.
Can I use childcare vouchers for private tutoring?
The Scottish Government currently offers tax free childcare vouchers to parents to help with the costs of after school clubs and recreational activities.
LS Tuition currently does not accept childcare vouchers to cover the cost of private tutoring. If you would like to have a friendly chat about our fees and payment plans, please do not hesitate in giving us a call.