Find the best school for your child

The Good Schools Guide to tutors

Everything you need to know about choosing a tutor for your child.

How do I find a tutor for my child?

Whatever your reason for using tutoring services outside of school, you’ll want to get the best bang for your educational buck. Our quick checklist will make sure you find the most effective tutor for your needs.

We have quizzed and/or visited a number of tutor agencies about whom we have received considerable feedback and talked to their clients and their tutors. The reviews are available online to logged in subscribers.

This section covers tutor agencies that actually know their tutors personally, ie they meet and interview them and keep in close touch. We have visited and had extensive consultation with all the agencies in Section A.

Tutor agencies in this section meticulously check references, CRB* records, etc but, partly because of the size of their lists, conduct their personal interviews only over the telephone.

The agencies in this section are those which have been recommended to us by approbatory parents, whose tutors are happy, whose credentials...

Online tutoring is very much a growth business. It's cheaper than paying someone to come to your home, and can be more convenient. Some children positively prefer to interact online

Special educational needs introduction

Some special needs are easy to spot, others are only determined once a child has experienced considerable difficulties, frustrations or social and emotional problems. Over the years, diagnosis of and provision for SEN have improved, but both can still be a minefield. Identifying different kinds of special educational needs Few children fit a condition perfectly – if they do, we tend to say they are a ‘classic’ case. Most will not be straightforward: perhaps a dyslexic with dyspraxia and a touch of ADD, or a child with ASD who also has Down’s syndrome. Just as special needs are hard to…
Finding a state grammar school

There are currently around 164 state funded grammar schools located in 36 English local authorities, with around 167,000 pupils between them. There are a further 69 grammar schools in Northern Ireland, but none in Wales or Scotland. Almost half of these are considered 'selective authorities' (eg Kent and Buckinghamshire), where around one in five local children are selected for grammar school entry based on ability. The others are areas such as Barnet or Kingston, with only a few grammar schools. How to find a state grammar school Word of warning: not all selective grammar schools have 'grammar' in their…
The Good Schools Guide online subscription

Find the best school for your child. One month subscription - £0.49 per day Three month subscription - £0.41 per day Six month subscription - £0.33 per day One year subscription - £0.29 per day Register for instant access to: ☑ Search for more than 30,000 schools in our parent friendly interactive directory. ☑ Create and save lists of schools via My Schools. ☑ Use our comparison grid to get exam results overview of schools you are interested in. ☑ Find comprehensive advice on state and independent schools, tutors and special needs. ☑ Catchment maps for English state schools by…
Schools for children with performing arts talents

As proud parents, we all know our children are unique. They're smarter than anyone else's, funnier, certainly more attractive, better behaved and above all bursting with the kind of talent that would leave Daniel Radcliffe or Charlotte Church standing. And sometimes, just sometimes, parental pride is justified.
Uni in the USA... and beyond

The British guide to great universities from Harvard to Hong Kong. We tell you how to choose, how to apply, how to pay. Why study in the US? Ask the US-UK Fulbright Commission... Ask the US-UK Fulbright Commission who report that you're in good company: the US is the top destination for international students worldwide. In fact, over 11,000 British students chose the States for their studies last year. Read more Scholarships for International Students Here's where you click to receive our giant pdf on US university scholarships for international students, covering how to find financial aid and how... Read more Can I afford it? America might proclaim…

Subscribe for instant access to in-depth reviews:

☑ 30,000 Independent, state and special schools in our parent-friendly interactive directory
☑ Instant access to in-depth UK school reviews
☑ Honest, opinionated and fearless independent reviews of over 1,000 schools
☑ Independent tutor company reviews