Understanding Why Your Child Is Struggling
Falling behind in maths is rarely about intelligence. The most common causes are cumulative gaps (missing a key concept that everything else builds on), maths anxiety (emotional barriers that block learning), teaching style mismatch (the school approach does not suit how your child thinks), and pace problems (moving on before mastery). The right tutor addresses the root cause, not just the symptoms. But first, you need to identify which of these factors is at play.
What to Look for in a Tutor for Struggling Students
Tutoring a struggling student requires a specific skill set that goes beyond subject knowledge.
- Patience and empathy: A struggling student has likely experienced frustration and failure. The tutor needs to rebuild confidence alongside competence.
- Multiple explanation strategies: If a student does not understand the standard method, the tutor needs alternatives. Visual, physical, and real-world approaches often work when abstract methods do not.
- Diagnostic ability: The tutor should be able to identify exactly where understanding breaks down, not just that it has broken down.
- Realistic goal-setting: Improvement is incremental. A good tutor sets achievable short-term targets that build momentum.
The Danger of Generic Tutoring
A common mistake is booking a tutor who simply re-teaches the current school topic. If your child is struggling with Year 10 algebra because they never properly understood Year 7 fractions, re-explaining algebra will not help. The tutor needs to trace back to where understanding broke down and rebuild from there. This requires a diagnostic assessment, not a guess.
Start with Diagnosis, Then Match
The most effective approach is to identify gaps before choosing a tutor. A diagnostic assessment shows exactly which topics and skills need work, which allows you to find a tutor with the right specialisation. Our free 15-minute quiz produces a detailed gap report that makes this process straightforward. You will know exactly what your child needs, which makes finding the right tutor dramatically easier.