Tutoring for Children with SEND, Dyslexia and ADHD: What to Look For
Finding a tutor for a child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is not simply a matter of finding a subject specialist. A tutor who is excellent at explaining algebra to a Year 9 class may have no training in the structured approaches that help a dyslexic reader, or in pacing a session for a child with ADHD. This guide sets out what parents can reasonably ask, where tutoring fits alongside school support, and what exam boards allow when access arrangements are in place. It does not offer medical or clinical advice; for diagnosis, assessment and treatment questions, the NHS and a child's school are the right starting points, not a tutor.
In short: the school's SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) is the first point of contact for any concern about a child's learning, and tutoring should complement, not replace, the support already agreed at school. When choosing a tutor, ask about their specific training and experience with the need in question, how they will work session to session, and how they will keep in touch with the school. A tutor cannot arrange exam access arrangements; those are applied for by the school through JCQ, but a tutor can help a pupil build the skills those arrangements are designed to support.
The SEND Code of Practice and EHC plans, briefly
In England, support for children with special educational needs is set out in the SEND Code of Practice, statutory guidance that schools and local authorities must follow. Most children with additional needs are supported through the school's ordinary SEND provision, sometimes called "SEN Support," without any formal plan. A smaller number of children, whose needs are more complex, have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, a legal document that sets out the support a local authority is required to provide across education, health and social care. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own frameworks and terminology.
For a tutor working outside school, the practical point is this: an EHC plan, where one exists, often contains detail that is directly useful for planning sessions, such as the strategies that help the child concentrate, or the type of language that works best. Parents are entitled to share the plan, or relevant extracts, with a private tutor, and a tutor who asks to see it, rather than assuming they know what is needed, is generally a good sign.
The SENCO is the first contact, not the tutor
Every mainstream school in England is required to have a SENCO, a qualified teacher responsible for co-ordinating SEND provision. Before or alongside arranging private tutoring, it is worth speaking to the SENCO about:
- what the school has already identified and put in place;
- whether an assessment (for example for dyslexia) is under way or has been recommended;
- what strategies are working in the classroom, so a tutor is not working against them;
- whether the school has any objection to, or useful context for, additional tutoring.
A tutor who is genuinely experienced with SEND will usually welcome this contact. Some are willing to have a short conversation with the SENCO directly, with the parents' permission, which can save a great deal of trial and error.
What to ask about a tutor's training and approach
Specialist experience varies enormously between tutors, and enthusiasm is not the same as training. The table below sets out questions worth asking, organised by need. These are examples of areas to explore, not a checklist that every tutor must satisfy in full; a tutor without formal qualifications can still be a good fit if their practical experience is genuine and they are honest about its limits.
| Need | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Dyslexia and other literacy difficulties | Have you had training in structured, cumulative, multisensory literacy approaches (for example approaches associated with the British Dyslexia Association's accreditation)? How do you introduce new spelling or reading rules, and how much repetition and over-learning do you build in? |
| ADHD | How long are your sessions, and do you build in movement or attention breaks? How do you structure a session so instructions are short and the next step is always clear? What do you do when concentration visibly drops? |
| Autism | How predictable is your session structure from week to week? How do you introduce change, such as a new topic or a change of time? Are you comfortable adjusting eye contact expectations and sensory aspects of the session, such as lighting or noise? |
| Dyscalculia and maths difficulties | Do you use concrete and visual materials before moving to abstract methods? How do you check understanding without relying only on a right or wrong answer? |
| Speech, language and communication needs | Do you check that instructions have been understood before moving on? How do you simplify subject-specific vocabulary without watering down the content? |
| Exam access arrangements (any need) | Have you worked with pupils using extra time, a reader or a scribe? Can you rehearse sessions in the timings and format the pupil will actually use in the exam? |
A tutor who has worked with several pupils with a similar profile should be able to give specific examples of what they do differently, rather than general reassurance.
Coordinating with the school
Tutoring works best when it reinforces, rather than duplicates or contradicts, what happens in the classroom. Useful habits include:
- sharing the school's current targets or the relevant sections of an EHC plan with the tutor, with the family's consent;
- asking the tutor to use the same vocabulary and methods the school uses, particularly in maths, where different methods for the same calculation can confuse a child who is already working hard to follow one method;
- agreeing a simple way for progress to be reported back, so parents are not the only channel of information between school and tutor;
- reviewing after a half-term whether the tutoring is still addressing the right priority, since needs and school provision can both change.
JCQ access arrangements and how a tutor can help
Access arrangements, such as extra time, a reader, a scribe or use of a word processor, are agreed and applied for by the school, following the rules set out by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), the body that co-ordinates arrangements across the exam boards. A private tutor cannot apply for these arrangements and does not decide whether a pupil qualifies; that assessment is carried out through the school, usually with an appropriately qualified assessor. What a tutor can do, once arrangements are confirmed, is help the pupil practise using them: working through past papers in the actual extra-time allowance, practising dictating answers if a scribe will be used, or building the stamina needed for a longer sitting. This kind of rehearsal is most useful once the arrangement is settled with the school, not something a tutor should attempt to influence or predict.
Signs a tutor is a poor fit
Some signs are worth taking seriously even when a tutor otherwise seems capable:
- they offer diagnosis, or firm opinions on medication, therapy or clinical treatment; a tutor's role is educational, not clinical, and this crosses a line;
- sessions leave the child visibly more anxious or resistant over several weeks, rather than settling into a routine;
- the tutor cannot explain, in specific terms, what they are doing differently for this child compared with any other pupil;
- there is no willingness to adjust pace, session length or materials after feedback;
- the tutor is dismissive of the school's or family's existing plan, or insists their approach must replace it entirely.
Changing tutor is a reasonable decision when these signs persist. For general guidance on selecting and vetting any tutor, including DBS checks, see our guide to questions to ask before hiring a tutor and our article on DBS checks; typical costs are covered separately in our article on tutoring costs.
Sources: Department for Education, SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years; NHS, information on autism, ADHD and neurodevelopmental conditions; British Dyslexia Association, guidance on dyslexia and structured literacy approaches; Joint Council for Qualifications, regulations for candidates with access arrangements. This article is general information, not medical or clinical advice; for assessment, diagnosis or treatment questions, speak to the school SENCO, a GP or the NHS.
Frequently asked questions
The school’s SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) is the first point of contact. They can explain what the school has already identified, whether an assessment is under way, and what strategies are working in class, so that any private tutoring builds on this rather than working against it.
Most children with additional needs are supported through the school’s ordinary SEN Support, without a formal document. A smaller number of children with more complex needs have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, a legal document setting out the support a local authority must provide. Both sit under the SEND Code of Practice in England.
No. Access arrangements such as extra time, a reader or a scribe are applied for by the school through the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), following an appropriate assessment. A tutor cannot grant or apply for these, but once they are confirmed, a tutor can help a pupil practise using them.
Ask for specifics: for dyslexia, whether they use structured, cumulative, multisensory literacy approaches; for ADHD, how long their sessions run and whether they build in movement or attention breaks. A tutor with genuine experience should give concrete examples rather than general reassurance.
Warning signs include offering diagnosis or opinions on medication, sessions that leave the child more anxious over time, an inability to explain what they do differently for this child, no willingness to adjust after feedback, and dismissiveness towards the school’s or family’s existing plan.
