How Tuition Can Be The Best Choice for ALN Students

If your child has ALN , one to one tuition could be the best choice for you.

Many families are looking to the next academic year with apprehension – any school year can be daunting but the impact of Covid-19 on education could make things even harder. Out of a normal 190 school days, the average pupil in Wales has missed 66 days of learning due to disruption because of the virus. Exam boards and teachers will collaborate to do their best to help pupils catch up on what they have missed but for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) making up the difference could be even more of a challenge.

Don’t worry though – one-to-one tuition is a flexible, cost-effective way for pupils with additional needs to get the support that they need to flourish. One to one tuition can be a fantastic way for pupils of all abilities to learn to the best of their ability.

Relaxed learning environment

Schools across the UK make a huge effort to make school a comfortable environment for pupils with autism. However, a study by the National Autism Society found that 60% of teachers don’t think that they have received adequate training to teach children with autism.

Learning at home with a one-to-one tutor can help ALN pupils feel more relaxed and ready to work without the distractions of other pupils in a noisy classroom. Tutors can collaborate with parents and carers to help create a calm routine so that pupils are able to thrive.

Personalised lessons

ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pupils with ADHD often find that they struggle to focus on one task for an extended period and instead prefer to do a variety of short engaging tasks. For a teacher in the classroom, it can be difficult to adapt lesson plans to suit this style of learning as they will also need to consider the needs of the other pupils. A one-to-one tutor can give students more time and attention to help them thrive inside and outside the classroom. Tutors can adapt to pupils’ moods and interests quickly while teachers will sometimes have to stick to pre-planned lesson plans.

Teachers and teaching assistants might also have limited awareness of the triggers that can distract pupils with ADHD. Tutors, on the other hand, will spend a longer amount of time talking to the pupil and will be more aware of how to keep them on task. Tutors can talk to pupil’s teachers if they discover any strategies that are particularly effective.

Feedback for learning

Feedback is crucial for all students but especially pupils with additional learning needs who might be struggling to keep up with the rigorous demands of the national curriculum. When a pupil writes an answer in the classroom the teacher will mark it and give advice about how pupils can improve in future. Many schools make pupils improve their work (sometimes in a different coloured pen) so that the pupils can demonstrate that they have understood the feedback and will do even better next time.

This process of feedback and improvement is one of the most effective ways that pupils can improve. The difficulty for a teacher is that they have to mark the work of an entire class – a tutor will only need to mark one answer, so will be able to provide feedback almost instantly. This will help pupils with ALN to understand exactly where they are going wrong.

Written by Samuel Heaton, a Cardiff & Vale English Tutor.

Keywords: ALN, additional learning needs, ADHD, autism

Photo by Mart production.