Working with Local Authorities
- Case Studies -
Examples of Successful
Tutoring Support Sessions/Provision
Case Study 1
Client:
School and Hampshire Local Authority
Needs and diagnosis of young person :
Anxiety, ASD (Autism/ ASC), Language Disorder, Limited Interaction and Attention Skills,
Verbal Dyspraxia
Specialist
SEN teacher :
Background:
The referral for this student initially came from the school as the student was still on the register, despite having never attended. Because of severe anxiety, he had struggled to leave the house and hadn’t received any formal education for three years.
The student has a diagnosis of ASD with associated language disorder, moderate speech difficulties, and his attention and social skills were not yet fully-developed. He also has moderate to severe difficulty with expressive language. He had speech and language therapy input in 2014-15 due to a severe speech-sound disorder, language difficulties and feeding difficulties and was diagnosed with verbal dyspraxia.
Specialist Tutoring:
Working online, tutor Rebecca has focused on building a positive relationship with the student, increasing his communication skills, and getting a ‘feel’ for his preferred learning-style and the level he is currently working at. Together, they have been working on maths and English with a history element. His mother is on-hand to help with any communication issues.
Outcomes:
Rebecca has established a good working relationship and the student has attended every session, gaining confidence, despite still finding communication a challenge. Both the school and Hampshire County Council are happy with the support that the student is receiving. Likewise, the boy’s mother is also very pleased with the tutoring and how well her son is engaging (previous tuition had been unsuccessful).
Because the young man is not currently aiming to go back to a mainstream setting, the sessions will continue, possibly adding another weekly session to increase the amount of work covered.
Case Study 2
Client:
Hackney Local Authority, London
Needs and diagnosis of young person :
Specialist
SEN teacher :
Background:
The student was born with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), which can disrupt thinking processes, concentration, and memory. Typically, a FASD child will also present with social and emotional difficulties, including difficulties with impulse control, hyperactivity, and social interaction. These may coalesce to make learning in a social learning situation challenging to the student, other learners, and teachers.
He began his secondary education at a large, comprehensive school in Hackney. His parents became concerned about his increasingly erratic behaviours at home, while there was little evidence of successful learning taking place at school. There were also concerns about safeguarding. Parents and the school, supported by an educational psychologist who observed and assessed the young man in situ, came to the view that the school was unable to meet his needs.
Specialist Tutoring:
SENsational Tutors was asked to provide tuition until a more appropriate educational setting could be found. Tutor John worked with the lad for six months, for six hours per week, focusing on literacy skills, as part of a specialist tutoring team.
The student’s academic, social and emotional development had been negatively impacted by his experiences at mainstream school. To counter this, John devised a bespoke and highly-detailed scheme of work to address the young man’s language difficulties – including reading, spelling and ‘coding’ and ‘decoding’ words, among many other things. They also worked on matching sounds and symbols, word-building and syllables.
John allowed the student some control over what was studied and the pace at which he proceeded, taking the boy’s interests into account. Because the texts they studied were tailored to the young man’s interests and capabilities, John was able to ‘stretch’ him beyond his comfort-zone, expanding his social skills and critical thinking at the same time. Together, they also worked on improving executive function, cognitive flexibility, retrieval practice, and processing information.
Outcomes:
John found that the student did want to learn, and that he responded positively in a one-to-one situation when the work he was given was presented in a way that was manageable and appropriate.
The youngster responded well to a multi-sensory approach and was prepared to try some strategies beyond his strengths. When looking at the work he’d completed during his last session, the student remarked that when he’d been at mainstream school, the only thing he’d done was to write the date at the top of the page.
Case Study 3
Client:
Wokingham Borough Council
Needs and diagnosis of young person :
Specialist
SEN teacher :
Background:
The student was referred to SENsational Tutors by Wokingham Borough Council due to not attending school for a year and spending most of his time in isolation when he was there. He is sixteen and has a diagnosis of ASD, DLD, trauma, emotional and mental health issues, and had exhibited violent and aggressive behaviour at school. The primary concern was to re-engage him in education while addressing his specific needs.
Specialist Tutoring:
The tuition has been ongoing for one year and eight months. The main targets have been to build the boy’s self-esteem, fill gaps in his KS2 and KS3 learning, and build his independence and ability to communicate.
The main barrier was his low self-esteem and lack of trust towards teachers. Krista has overcome this by building a trusting relationship, actively listening, and allowing the student to self-advocate. External agency involvement included an occupational therapist and a speech and language therapist.
Outcomes:
The tuition has had a significant, positive effect on the young man’s learning, communication, and general wellbeing. Thanks to Krista’s ability to build a rapport with the student, he went from complete non-attendance to 98% attendance after eighteen months. The local authority has remarked on these improvements.
He has now filled in most of his gaps in the KS2 curriculum as well as many from KS3 and has begun to think about what he might be interested in studying at GCSE level. Currently, he is still being home-schooled but is looking to move to a post-16 setting when a suitable place becomes available.
Case Study 4
Client:
Hertfordshire County Council
Needs and diagnosis of young person :
Specialist
SEN teacher :
Background:
Hertfordshire County Council referred the student to SENsational Tutors. Although he was attending a specialist SEN school, he hadn’t been making the progress his mother felt he was capable of. The young man has autism and sensory processing issues but had initially been misdiagnosed with developmental delay, which was later retracted.
The family had challenged the local authority at a number of tribunals. The school was doing its best to cater for the boy’s academic ability but together with his mother, they agreed to employ a one-to-one tutor to shadow him in school and work alongside his class teachers to progress his attainment.
The student was thirteen and in a mixed Year 9 class when he started working with Kelly. He had an EHCP which had to be reviewed by tribunal and it was this that led to the funding for the tutor to be placed in school.
Specialist Tutoring:
Kelly has been working with the student for just over a year, supporting him in class to complete his work but also stretch him to see if he is capable of more. She is also helping him with his relationships with his peers. Although funding allows for one-to-one tuition outside school during the holidays, the young man would not consider this at first. He was also reluctant to go outside the classroom for individual tuition and preferred to be with his classmates.
He also has an external speech therapist who visits him twice a week for an intervention.
Outcomes:
With Kelly’s support, the student has become more willing to attend school and is now on time every day. His mother finds it easier to get him out the door in the mornings. The school has also noted that he is more willing to engage with the curriculum. In addition, he is growing in confidence with his peers and has started to navigate the teenage social-scene and pick up on nuances – previously, he hadn’t been interested in these aspects of school life.
His mother is thrilled at the progress he has made and believes her son’s confidence has grown exponentially. She is astonished at what has been achieved in such a short time. The student now often asks Kelly to work with him on non-tuition days and enjoys engaging in banter with her.
Academically, his reading and spelling has improved and he now writes full pages, using paragraphs and appropriate vocabulary. In maths, he can perform written calculations and work with fractions, and perform entry level two problem solving skills.
The student plans to stay at his current school until Year 11 after which he may attend an independent sixth-form.
Case Study 5
Client:
Brantwood Specialist School and Sheffield Local Authority
Needs and diagnosis of young person :
Complex needs, including ASD, PDA, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Anxiety, Depression and DCD
Specialist
SEN teacher :
Background:
Tutor Phil was commissioned to help a Year 7 student transition to a full-time, residential placement at Brantwood Specialist School. The student had been out of school for a number of years as none of the establishments he’d attended could meet his needs. To start with, the student attended the school for three days a week during term time and was home-educated by Phil for the remaining two days.
The student has complex needs, including ASD, PDA, dyslexia, dyscalculia, anxiety, depression and DCD. Although quite academically-able, he initially displayed poor engagement at his new school. Because of this, school staff were unable to assess his levels in any subject.
Specialist Tutoring:
Now in the final stage of the transition process, the student attends school for four days a week and is home-educated by Phil one day a week. Under direction from the lad’s mother, Phil formed a good working-relationship with the student, focusing on maths, English, history and ICT.
Phil has been able to reengage the student in his learning to the point where he is now preparing to take his functional skills Entry Level 3 assessments. The school have relied on the tutor’s input on attainment levels for the student and for evidence of whether he is capable of entering exams.
Outcomes:
The student is now engaging more with his schoolteachers and participating in lessons. This means he will finally progress to attending school full-time from September 2023.
Case Study 6
Client:
Harrow Local Authority
Needs and diagnosis of young person :
Specialist
SEN teacher :
Background:
The student was referred to SENsational Tutors for five hours of weekly English language tuition by the London Borough of Harrow in 2020. The student – who was seventeen at the time – had an ASD diagnosis and had previously been home-tutored and hadn’t been within a school setting for many years.
He had problems with focus and concentration as well as anxiety – which needed to be understood to minimise potential for dysregulation during sessions.
Specialist Tutoring:
Tutor Jane initially worked with the student for four lessons per week during term-time, providing advance lesson plans to the local authority. The goals were for the student to study Level One Functional Skills in English and also to be able to write in formal and informal formats such as letters, e-mails, reports and articles. The aim was also to increase his concentration.
It took a couple of weeks for the lad to settle into the routine and to build a rapport with Jane but once this was established, they worked well together. The student had a habit of diverting any questions to his favourite topic and talk about that instead. Jane realised that he needed to do this to self-regulate. Allowing him to talk about his topic for a limited amount of time, she found he was more able to focus on the actual lesson.
Outcomes:
Although the student found learning English challenging, he persevered for a year, mostly staying regulated. Even so, he has made progress in many areas – his spelling has improved and he can better-understand differences in formal and informal language and fact and opinion. He can also find information from a piece of text, write an e-mail, appreciate different tones in conversation, use synonyms, antonyms and literary techniques, and understand the meaning and usage of many idioms and common phrases.
Case Study 7
Client:
College funded by Herefordshire local authority
Needs and diagnosis of young person :
Specialist
SEN teacher :
Background:
The student is seventeen and started working with tutor Krista almost two years ago. He has a diagnosis of dyslexia and when he first came for tuition, his reading age was significantly below average. The primary goal was to help him to overcome his dyslexic challenges, improve his reading ability, and help him prepare for his English exams with the assistance of a reader and scribe. The tuition is funded by the student’s college and the local authority.
Specialist Tutoring:
The student has worked diligently to improve his reading skills and has made significant progress. The young man’s mother is very satisfied with his lessons and progress and regularly liaises with the tutor.
Outcomes:
Tuition has had a hugely positive impact on his overall language skills and has taken his reading age from the age of five to approximately eight or nine. He has passed his functional skills English exams and is currently preparing for his GCSE English language exams. Unfortunately, there has been little direct communication from the boy’s college.
Case Study 8
Client:
Learning Centre and Borough of Hillingdon
Needs and diagnosis of young person :
Diagnosis of ASD, ADHD, Anxiety Disorder and Homeostatic Sleep Pattern
Specialist
SEN teacher :
Background:
The student is aged fifteen, in Year 11 and was referred for tuition by the borough of Hillingdon. He has a diagnosis of ASD, ADHD, anxiety disorder and homeostatic sleep pattern and although he is of average cognitive ability, he struggles with attention, concentration, self-regulation and social communication. He has had prolonged periods of non-attendance at school due to sleep difficulties and anxiety.
Specialist Tutoring:
Tutor Iain has been working with the lad for a couple of months, focusing on maths, science and relationship-building within a stress-free environment to allow learning to take place.
The young man has previously struggled because of the pressure of thinking about future goals so the sessions allow him to learn out of curiosity rather than necessity.
Iain has used scientific experiments provided by MEL Science and followed the student’s lead in discussing and researching what comes up as a result of these. The student has a good background knowledge in science so the tutor has allowed him to explain what he knows and reference it to source materials.
Outcomes:
By fostering a positive, calming and respectful relationship and allowing the student to take the lead where possible, Iain has reduced the student’s anxiety and overwhelm and moved him from just one lesson a week to two. It is hoped that this increase in confidence will encourage the young man to work with a range of other tutors across the timetable.
It has proved important to minimise pressure on the student by not focusing on goals, qualifications or the possibility of going to mainstream school. Instead, Iain is helping the student to understand what he has learned and how he might apply it in future.
Case Study 9
Client:
Private, Online Sessions
Needs and diagnosis of young person :
Specialist
SEN teacher :
Background:
The student was referred to SENsational Tutors at the age of twelve for weekly private tuition in English and maths. The tutor, Jane, was advised that the young man had suffered a bleed on his brain at the age of three and since then had been under the care of GOSH. Their prediction was that it would take approximately eight years until his education could re-start, which turned out to be an incredibly accurate estimate.
Jane realised that tuition would need to be very gentle and not only child-centred but somewhat child-led, especially to start with. She recognised that it would take time for the student to develop trust and that she would need to ‘think on her feet’, getting a feel for the rhythm of his learning pace and adapt activities as she went along.
Lessons were to take place online in a ‘hands on’ style – keeping to thirty minutes so as not to overwhelm or tire the child – and focusing on reading, speaking, listening, writing, drawing and maths as well as building confidence and independent learning.
The young man’s mum was highly instrumental during this initial process and has been ever since as the tutor has continued to learn more about him and adapt activities accordingly.
Specialist Tutoring:
Jane has found the student to be engaging and interactive, extremely polite, well-presented and despite some shyness at first, he has always displayed a huge zest for conversation and learning. Initially he was understandably a little introverted at first and his concentration-span seemed to last about twenty minutes. As time has gone by, Jane and the student’s mum decided it would be helpful to incorporate toys such as Lego into lessons.
It also became clear early on that the vocabulary used in lessons needed to be ‘stripped back’. Since then, lessons have featured colourful images of the ‘character of the week’, along with associated words (up to about ten) in bright, large, coloured font. Jane would show the boy the matching words and discuss the images and then present a word on the screen. Words would be revealed slowly, sound by sound, so that the student could absorb the concept of learning phonemes, then graphemes and then the early stages of blending.
Outcomes:
Now, nearly a year on, the student is in Year 1, aged thirteen, and is thriving. Sessions are still 30 minutes in duration as the student becomes tired after concentrating all day at school.
He has become more confident over the year and continues to be a joy to work with. He no longer needs his mum to be close to him in lessons, although she is still nearby. Play makes up 80% of most lessons. Cuddly toy ‘Teddy’ is a constant presence who often needs the young man to explain the learning to him! Seeing Teddy make mistakes, the student has become less anxious about getting things ‘wrong’.
The boy’s literacy, reading and vocabulary has improved using tailor-made stories with high-frequency words and simple verbs. In maths, he is flourishing, and enjoys tackling many topics including times tables, counting, shapes and number bonds.
Case Study 10
Client:
Private parent in Manchester
Needs and diagnosis of young person :
Specialist
SEN teacher :
Gayle
Background:
The student is a four-year-old girl with an EHCP who attends a mainstream primary school. She is in the process of transferring to a more specialist school which will better meet her complex needs. Her parents were concerned with her lack of progress particularly in terms of her engagement, interaction and communication. They were also worried about her lack of language and felt her true potential was not being achieved.Â
Specialist Tutoring:
Tutor Gayle has been working with the student for seven months, focusing on building trust and encouraging communication. Initial targets were to communicate using words, gestures and vocalisations, to work on an activity together for five minutes and to make a choice between two objects.
Because the student struggles with engagement and joint attention and has sensory issues, Gayle has found it necessary to provide multi-sensory activities centred around the young person’s interests. Discussions with parents have assisted with this. Gayle has also used intensive interaction techniques to nurture the relationship and has liaised with speech and language therapists to facilitate all aspects of communication. Patience and a nurturing calm approach coupled with flexibility and creativity are key skills that are constantly in use.
Gayle has found the student and her family a delight to work with and regularly shares progress reports and ideas with the parents.
Outcomes:
Gayle, the family and the school have noted an increase in verbal and non-verbal communication in the student as well as improved eye-contact. The young lady has also shown increased interest in other children. She still struggles with attention but is now able to engage in an adult-directed task for more than ten minutes.
Although academic learning was not an initial goal, the student has begun to show a real interest in writing and alphabet work. Parents and school are thrilled by the progress in this area.
Case Study 1
Client:
School and Hampshire Local Authority.
Age, needs and diagnosis of young person:
Anxiety, ASD (Autism/ ASC), Language Disorder, Limited Interaction and Attention Skills,
Verbal Dyspraxia
Specialist SEN teacher:
Background:
The referral for this student initially came from the school as the student was still on the register, despite having never attended. Because of severe anxiety, he had struggled to leave the house and hadn’t received any formal education for three years.
The student has a diagnosis of ASD with associated language disorder, moderate speech difficulties, and his attention and social skills were not yet fully-developed. He also has moderate to severe difficulty with expressive language. He had speech and language therapy input in 2014-15 due to a severe speech-sound disorder, language difficulties and feeding difficulties and was diagnosed with verbal dyspraxia.
Specialist Tutoring:
Working online, tutor Rebecca has focused on building a positive relationship with the student, increasing his communication skills, and getting a ‘feel’ for his preferred learning-style and the level he is currently working at. Together, they have been working on maths and English with a history element. His mother is on-hand to help with any communication issues.
Outcomes:
Rebecca has established a good working relationship and the student has attended every session, gaining confidence, despite still finding communication a challenge. Both the school and Hampshire County Council are happy with the support that the student is receiving. Likewise, the boy’s mother is also very pleased with the tutoring and how well her son is engaging (previous tuition had been unsuccessful).
Because the young man is not currently aiming to go back to a mainstream setting, the sessions will continue, possibly adding another weekly session to increase the amount of work covered.
Case Study 2
Client:
Hackney Local Authority, London
Age, needs and diagnosis of young person:
Specialist SEN teacher:
Background:
The student was born with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), which can disrupt thinking processes, concentration, and memory. Typically, a FASD child will also present with social and emotional difficulties, including difficulties with impulse control, hyperactivity, and social interaction. These may coalesce to make learning in a social learning situation challenging to the student, other learners, and teachers.
He began his secondary education at a large, comprehensive school in Hackney. His parents became concerned about his increasingly erratic behaviours at home, while there was little evidence of successful learning taking place at school. There were also concerns about safeguarding. Parents and the school, supported by an educational psychologist who observed and assessed the young man in situ, came to the view that the school was unable to meet his needs.
Specialist Tutoring:
SENsational Tutors was asked to provide tuition until a more appropriate educational setting could be found. Tutor John worked with the lad for six months, for six hours per week, focusing on literacy skills, as part of a specialist tutoring team.
The student’s academic, social and emotional development had been negatively impacted by his experiences at mainstream school. To counter this, John devised a bespoke and highly-detailed scheme of work to address the young man’s language difficulties – including reading, spelling and ‘coding’ and ‘decoding’ words, among many other things. They also worked on matching sounds and symbols, word-building and syllables.
John allowed the student some control over what was studied and the pace at which he proceeded, taking the boy’s interests into account. Because the texts they studied were tailored to the young man’s interests and capabilities, John was able to ‘stretch’ him beyond his comfort-zone, expanding his social skills and critical thinking at the same time. Together, they also worked on improving executive function, cognitive flexibility, retrieval practice, and processing information.
Outcomes:
John found that the student did want to learn, and that he responded positively in a one-to-one situation when the work he was given was presented in a way that was manageable and appropriate.
The youngster responded well to a multi-sensory approach and was prepared to try some strategies beyond his strengths. When looking at the work he’d completed during his last session, the student remarked that when he’d been at mainstream school, the only thing he’d done was to write the date at the top of the page.
Case Study 3
Client:
Wokingham Borough Council
Age, needs and diagnosis of young person:
Specialist SEN teacher:
Background:
The student was referred to SENsational Tutors by Wokingham Borough Council due to not attending school for a year and spending most of his time in isolation when he was there. He is sixteen and has a diagnosis of ASD, DLD, trauma, emotional and mental health issues, and had exhibited violent and aggressive behaviour at school. The primary concern was to re-engage him in education while addressing his specific needs.
Specialist Tutoring:
The tuition has been ongoing for one year and eight months. The main targets have been to build the boy’s self-esteem, fill gaps in his KS2 and KS3 learning, and build his independence and ability to communicate.
The main barrier was his low self-esteem and lack of trust towards teachers. Krista has overcome this by building a trusting relationship, actively listening, and allowing the student to self-advocate. External agency involvement included an occupational therapist and a speech and language therapist.
Outcomes:
The tuition has had a significant, positive effect on the young man’s learning, communication, and general wellbeing. Thanks to Krista’s ability to build a rapport with the student, he went from complete non-attendance to 98% attendance after eighteen months. The local authority has remarked on these improvements.
He has now filled in most of his gaps in the KS2 curriculum as well as many from KS3 and has begun to think about what he might be interested in studying at GCSE level. Currently, he is still being home-schooled but is looking to move to a post-16 setting when a suitable place becomes available.
Case Study 4
Client:
Hertfordshire County Council
Age, needs and diagnosis of young person:
Specialist SEN teacher:
Background:
Hertfordshire County Council referred the student to SENsational Tutors. Although he was attending a specialist SEN school, he hadn’t been making the progress his mother felt he was capable of. The young man has autism and sensory processing issues but had initially been misdiagnosed with developmental delay, which was later retracted.
The family had challenged the local authority at a number of tribunals. The school was doing its best to cater for the boy’s academic ability but together with his mother, they agreed to employ a one-to-one tutor to shadow him in school and work alongside his class teachers to progress his attainment.
The student was thirteen and in a mixed Year 9 class when he started working with Kelly. He had an EHCP which had to be reviewed by tribunal and it was this that led to the funding for the tutor to be placed in school.
Specialist Tutoring:
Kelly has been working with the student for just over a year, supporting him in class to complete his work but also stretch him to see if he is capable of more. She is also helping him with his relationships with his peers. Although funding allows for one-to-one tuition outside school during the holidays, the young man would not consider this at first. He was also reluctant to go outside the classroom for individual tuition and preferred to be with his classmates.
He also has an external speech therapist who visits him twice a week for an intervention.
Outcomes:
With Kelly’s support, the student has become more willing to attend school and is now on time every day. His mother finds it easier to get him out the door in the mornings. The school has also noted that he is more willing to engage with the curriculum. In addition, he is growing in confidence with his peers and has started to navigate the teenage social-scene and pick up on nuances – previously, he hadn’t been interested in these aspects of school life.
His mother is thrilled at the progress he has made and believes her son’s confidence has grown exponentially. She is astonished at what has been achieved in such a short time. The student now often asks Kelly to work with him on non-tuition days and enjoys engaging in banter with her.
Academically, his reading and spelling has improved and he now writes full pages, using paragraphs and appropriate vocabulary. In maths, he can perform written calculations and work with fractions, and perform entry level two problem solving skills.
The student plans to stay at his current school until Year 11 after which he may attend an independent sixth-form.
Case Study 5
Client:
Brantwood Specialist School and Sheffield Local Authority
Age, needs and diagnosis of young person:
Complex needs, including ASD, PDA, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Anxiety, Depression and DCD
Specialist SEN teacher:
Background:
Tutor Phil was commissioned to help a Year 7 student transition to a full-time, residential placement at Brantwood Specialist School. The student had been out of school for a number of years as none of the establishments he’d attended could meet his needs. To start with, the student attended the school for three days a week during term time and was home-educated by Phil for the remaining two days.
The student has complex needs, including ASD, PDA, dyslexia, dyscalculia, anxiety, depression and DCD. Although quite academically-able, he initially displayed poor engagement at his new school. Because of this, school staff were unable to assess his levels in any subject.
Specialist Tutoring:
Now in the final stage of the transition process, the student attends school for four days a week and is home-educated by Phil one day a week. Under direction from the lad’s mother, Phil formed a good working-relationship with the student, focusing on maths, English, history and ICT.
Phil has been able to reengage the student in his learning to the point where he is now preparing to take his functional skills Entry Level 3 assessments. The school have relied on the tutor’s input on attainment levels for the student and for evidence of whether he is capable of entering exams.
Outcomes:
The student is now engaging more with his schoolteachers and participating in lessons. This means he will finally progress to attending school full-time from September 2023.
Case Study 6
Client:
Harrow Local Authority
Age, needs and diagnosis of young person:
Specialist SEN teacher:
Background:
The student was referred to SENsational Tutors for five hours of weekly English language tuition by the London Borough of Harrow in 2020. The student – who was seventeen at the time – had an ASD diagnosis and had previously been home-tutored and hadn’t been within a school setting for many years.
He had problems with focus and concentration as well as anxiety – which needed to be understood to minimise potential for dysregulation during sessions.
Specialist Tutoring:
Tutor Jane initially worked with the student for four lessons per week during term-time, providing advance lesson plans to the local authority. The goals were for the student to study Level One Functional Skills in English and also to be able to write in formal and informal formats such as letters, e-mails, reports and articles. The aim was also to increase his concentration.
It took a couple of weeks for the lad to settle into the routine and to build a rapport with Jane but once this was established, they worked well together. The student had a habit of diverting any questions to his favourite topic and talk about that instead. Jane realised that he needed to do this to self-regulate. Allowing him to talk about his topic for a limited amount of time, she found he was more able to focus on the actual lesson.
Outcomes:
Although the student found learning English challenging, he persevered for a year, mostly staying regulated. Even so, he has made progress in many areas – his spelling has improved and he can better-understand differences in formal and informal language and fact and opinion. He can also find information from a piece of text, write an e-mail, appreciate different tones in conversation, use synonyms, antonyms and literary techniques, and understand the meaning and usage of many idioms and common phrases.
Case Study 7
Client:
College funded by Herefordshire local authority
Age, needs and diagnosis of young person:
Specialist SEN teacher:
Background:
The student is seventeen and started working with tutor Krista almost two years ago. He has a diagnosis of dyslexia and when he first came for tuition, his reading age was significantly below average. The primary goal was to help him to overcome his dyslexic challenges, improve his reading ability, and help him prepare for his English exams with the assistance of a reader and scribe. The tuition is funded by the student’s college and the local authority.
Specialist Tutoring:
The student has worked diligently to improve his reading skills and has made significant progress. The young man’s mother is very satisfied with his lessons and progress and regularly liaises with the tutor.
Outcomes:
Tuition has had a hugely positive impact on his overall language skills and has taken his reading age from the age of five to approximately eight or nine. He has passed his functional skills English exams and is currently preparing for his GCSE English language exams. Unfortunately, there has been little direct communication from the boy’s college.
Case Study 8
Client:
Learning Centre and Borough of Hillingdon
Age, needs and diagnosis of young person:
Diagnosis of ASD, ADHD, Anxiety Disorder and Homeostatic Sleep Pattern
Specialist SEN teacher:
Background:
The student is aged fifteen, in Year 11 and was referred for tuition by the borough of Hillingdon. He has a diagnosis of ASD, ADHD, anxiety disorder and homeostatic sleep pattern and although he is of average cognitive ability, he struggles with attention, concentration, self-regulation and social communication. He has had prolonged periods of non-attendance at school due to sleep difficulties and anxiety.
Specialist Tutoring:
Tutor Iain has been working with the lad for a couple of months, focusing on maths, science and relationship-building within a stress-free environment to allow learning to take place.
The young man has previously struggled because of the pressure of thinking about future goals so the sessions allow him to learn out of curiosity rather than necessity.
Iain has used scientific experiments provided by MEL Science and followed the student’s lead in discussing and researching what comes up as a result of these. The student has a good background knowledge in science so the tutor has allowed him to explain what he knows and reference it to source materials.
Outcomes:
By fostering a positive, calming and respectful relationship and allowing the student to take the lead where possible, Iain has reduced the student’s anxiety and overwhelm and moved him from just one lesson a week to two. It is hoped that this increase in confidence will encourage the young man to work with a range of other tutors across the timetable.
It has proved important to minimise pressure on the student by not focusing on goals, qualifications or the possibility of going to mainstream school. Instead, Iain is helping the student to understand what he has learned and how he might apply it in future.
Case Study 9
Client:
Private, Online Sessions
Age, needs and diagnosis of young person:
Specialist SEN teacher:
Background:
The student was referred to SENsational Tutors at the age of twelve for weekly private tuition in English and maths. The tutor, Jane, was advised that the young man had suffered a bleed on his brain at the age of three and since then had been under the care of GOSH. Their prediction was that it would take approximately eight years until his education could re-start, which turned out to be an incredibly accurate estimate.
Jane realised that tuition would need to be very gentle and not only child-centred but somewhat child-led, especially to start with. She recognised that it would take time for the student to develop trust and that she would need to ‘think on her feet’, getting a feel for the rhythm of his learning pace and adapt activities as she went along.
Lessons were to take place online in a ‘hands on’ style – keeping to thirty minutes so as not to overwhelm or tire the child – and focusing on reading, speaking, listening, writing, drawing and maths as well as building confidence and independent learning.
The young man’s mum was highly instrumental during this initial process and has been ever since as the tutor has continued to learn more about him and adapt activities accordingly.
Specialist Tutoring:
Jane has found the student to be engaging and interactive, extremely polite, well-presented and despite some shyness at first, he has always displayed a huge zest for conversation and learning. Initially he was understandably a little introverted at first and his concentration-span seemed to last about twenty minutes. As time has gone by, Jane and the student’s mum decided it would be helpful to incorporate toys such as Lego into lessons.
It also became clear early on that the vocabulary used in lessons needed to be ‘stripped back’. Since then, lessons have featured colourful images of the ‘character of the week’, along with associated words (up to about ten) in bright, large, coloured font. Jane would show the boy the matching words and discuss the images and then present a word on the screen. Words would be revealed slowly, sound by sound, so that the student could absorb the concept of learning phonemes, then graphemes and then the early stages of blending.
Outcomes:
Now, nearly a year on, the student is in Year 1, aged thirteen, and is thriving. Sessions are still 30 minutes in duration as the student becomes tired after concentrating all day at school.
He has become more confident over the year and continues to be a joy to work with. He no longer needs his mum to be close to him in lessons, although she is still nearby. Play makes up 80% of most lessons. Cuddly toy ‘Teddy’ is a constant presence who often needs the young man to explain the learning to him! Seeing Teddy make mistakes, the student has become less anxious about getting things ‘wrong’.
The boy’s literacy, reading and vocabulary has improved using tailor-made stories with high-frequency words and simple verbs. In maths, he is flourishing, and enjoys tackling many topics including times tables, counting, shapes and number bonds.
Case Study 10
Client:
Private parent in Manchester
Age, needs and diagnosis of young person:
Specialist SEN teacher:
Gayle
Background:
The student is a four-year-old girl with an EHCP who attends a mainstream primary school. She is in the process of transferring to a more specialist school which will better meet her complex needs. Her parents were concerned with her lack of progress particularly in terms of her engagement, interaction and communication. They were also worried about her lack of language and felt her true potential was not being achieved.Â
Specialist Tutoring:
Tutor Gayle has been working with the student for seven months, focusing on building trust and encouraging communication. Initial targets were to communicate using words, gestures and vocalisations, to work on an activity together for five minutes and to make a choice between two objects.
Because the student struggles with engagement and joint attention and has sensory issues, Gayle has found it necessary to provide multi-sensory activities centred around the young person’s interests. Discussions with parents have assisted with this. Gayle has also used intensive interaction techniques to nurture the relationship and has liaised with speech and language therapists to facilitate all aspects of communication. Patience and a nurturing calm approach coupled with flexibility and creativity are key skills that are constantly in use.
Gayle has found the student and her family a delight to work with and regularly shares progress reports and ideas with the parents.
Outcomes:
Gayle, the family and the school have noted an increase in verbal and non-verbal communication in the student as well as improved eye-contact. The young lady has also shown increased interest in other children. She still struggles with attention but is now able to engage in an adult-directed task for more than ten minutes.
Although academic learning was not an initial goal, the student has begun to show a real interest in writing and alphabet work. Parents and school are thrilled by the progress in this area.
Case Study 11
Client:
Wiltshire County Council
Age, needs and diagnosis of young person:
Specialist SEN teacher:
Dora
Background:
The student was referred to SENsational Tutors by Wiltshire Council in September 2021 and started working with tutor Dora. The pupil has an EHCP but his condition prevented him from attending school in person.  Attending King’s Inter High online school was an ideal solution, but – considering the SEN diagnosis and gaps in education – it was vital that the pupil should have additional academic assistance.
The young man is a very sensitive child with a vision and an extraordinary passion for learning. Because of this, he needs nurturing and protecting to ensure his optimal emotional and academic development.
Specialist Tutoring:
Tuition initially took place for seven hours per week. The student’s main challenge was his extreme shyness.  Although it was obvious that he was very intelligent and extremely creative (as well as passionate about history and geography), his self-confidence was low, and therefore he required much encouragement and support. Â
Dora adopted a gentle and patient approach, keeping instructions simple and methodical, with the aim of improving sentence structure, punctuation and vocabulary. She also developed a solid working relationship with the young man’s mother.
The main areas of focus for lessons were composition, grammar and sentence structure (applied to work across all subjects) comprehending instructions and paraphrasing, punctuation and vocabulary. Although the student didn’t have a diagnosis of dyslexia at the time, it was clear he struggled with spelling.
Outcomes:
The student’s confidence has grown a great deal since he started working with Dora and together they have built a trusting relationship. He continues to be enthusiastic about learning. His skills in grammar and punctuation have greatly improved in many areas including commas, colons, superlatives, nouns and adverbs. He has strengthened his knowledge by applying it to quizzes and research (which he loves).
Dora keeps in regular contact with the boy’s mother, phoning and e-mailing with updates on a regular basis. In turn, Dora has received positive feedback from the family and the local authority.
