Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL
What up to date qualifications do your tutors have?
All of our tutors are either qualified teachers or qualified specialists in their subject area. For specific qualifications, please visit our About Page.
What is a multi-sensory approach?
Essentially, it is using the ears for listening, eyes for seeing, and mouth for kinesthetic learning. We may also include items such as a dark pencil for more of a tactile approach when writing, though this is child-dependent.
Why do I have to pay for a diagnostic assessment?
Firstly, we will never assess for the sake of assessing, as it is not fair on the child or the parent. However, the first step in supporting your child is to gather specific diagnostic information, so we know exactly what your child’s strengths and challenges are. You may have had an assessment previously, and this will be useful in guiding us; however, we do require the completion of a Diagnostic Assessment. The information from this assessment enables us to tailor support sessions in a very specific and evidence-based way.
Will you travel to my child’s school?
We are always open to running daytime tutoring sessions at your child’s school. This would involve a conversation with the school to check that they are open to having us work on site and the space available. The best approach here is to email us. Please note, travel fees may apply unless we are supporting multiple learners at the school. We currently support learners at Papamoa Primary, Golden Sands Primary, Te Puke Intermediate, Taumata School and Suzanne Aubert Catholic School.
Can you assess my child for dyslexia?
The short answer is no, as that is beyond our qualifications and scope of practice. We may identify traits during our diagnostic assessment, and we are able to provide recommendations if a full assessment is what you seek.
STRUCTURED LITERACY
What up to date qualifications do you have for teaching students with dyslexia?
Dani is a qualified and fully registered Primary School teacher. She is also completing the Learning Matters Intervention Teaching certification that has successfully attained an Accreditation PLUS level from the International Dyslexia Association.
What Scope and Sequence do you use for reading and spelling?
This depends on the tutor your work with. We have tutors who currently follow the iDeal Intervention Scope and Sequence from Learning Matters and Liz Kane The Code.
What does a structured literacy lesson cover?
During sessions, teaching and learning will include: Phonological Awareness - the ability to hear and perceive sounds in words. Alphabetic Principle - an understanding of letters and sounds, syllable types, spelling rules, morphology and grammar. Fluency - Decoding - development of reading fluency at letter, word, sentence and connected text level. Fluency - Encoding - handwriting, spelling and writing fluency. Vocabulary - development of vocabulary.
MATHS TUTORING
What up to date qualifications do you have to teach maths tutoring?
All of our tutors are either qualified teachers or qualified specialists in their subject area. For specific qualifications please visit our About Page.
Do you follow a maths curriculum?
For our Primary support we follow the Structured Maths Approach. We will refer to alternative texts where needed, for example, to extend the child or to apply learning to problem solving or real-life contexts. Our Secondary support uses a variety of resources to support the learners specific needs.
What does a Maths Tutoring session cover?
During sessions, teaching and learning will include: Basic Facts - focusing on automatic recall. Place Value - checking that the foundations are in tact. Previous Learning - revisit the previous learning for further exposure to the concept. Explicit Teaching - introduction of the new concept based on the child’s individual 6 month plan. Independent Practice - gradual release from explicit teaching to independent practice. Home Learning - set up of follow up tasks to be completed at home.