Unsurprisingly, parents and students come searching for tutors in examination years: Y6 for KS2 SATS; Y8 for the common entrance exam; Y11 for GCSEs. And that’s totally understandable. However, because of the reduced time in these academic years (because exams are typically placed early in the summer term) the tutor and student are often faced with a choice when time is tight: should we aim to develop a deep understanding and retention of some select topics; or should we aim to superficially cover a larger range of topics?
Whilst the latter option can work (if backed up with some specific extra homework), in the vast majority of cases, I’d opt for the former. However, this option presents an obvious alternative risk; i.e. the topics we focus on may not be highly prominent on this year’s exam! So, when the clock is ticking, and choices need to be made, the dialogue between the student/parents and the tutor becomes very important in setting a strategic plan of action that might have the greatest impact on the student. However, there is an alternative….
In my experience, tutoring works best when we consider education as a slow (and enjoyable!) marathon rather than a final year sprint. And, indeed, many parents are starting to turn to tutors with this mind-set. If your aim is to develop strong fundamentals in English, Mathematics (or a new language), which for the most part are the key to full and deep curriculum access as students move through their schooling, then there is one message: START EARLY. If your aim is ‘exam success’, consider starting tutoring the year before ‘exam year’ e.g. Y5 for KS2 SATS; Y7 for the common entrance exam; Y10 for GCSE.
In doing this, the tutor and student have more time for curriculum coverage, to build a deeper understanding and maximise storage in long term memory. In doing this, when the ‘exam year’ comes around the student is more confident and will more likely be able to maintain a healthy mind during that all important time.
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