Key Facts
| When ADHD usually starts | Usually before age 12. Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/ |
|---|---|
| Task length suggested by the NHS | Short slots of 15 to 20 minutes. Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/ |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
ADHD tutoring in England usually means one-to-one sessions built from shorter tasks, clear routines and planned breaks, run alongside the support the school already provides and any specialist or health input the family has. The tutor's part is regular, well-paced teaching that carries the strategies in an SEN support plan or EHC plan into weekly practice, giving the child more time with one adult on the skills school support has identified. Diagnosis, statutory provision and specialist care sit elsewhere.
What does the NHS say ADHD is?
The NHS describes ADHD as a condition that can affect how you focus, one that usually starts before age 12 and affects attention, energy levels and impulse control. Those three areas shape the support the NHS lists, which centres on structure, pacing and clear instructions, all of which a one-to-one session can carry into regular practice. Questions about whether a particular child meets that description belong with ADHD specialists.
The SEND Code of Practice, the statutory guidance for England from the DfE and DHSC, names attention deficit disorder and ADHD among the disorders children may have within its social, emotional and mental health area, where anxiety and depression are named as possible underlying difficulties. That placement describes where the Code lists the disorder, and says nothing about any individual child.
What are the two symptom groups of ADHD?
The NHS sorts ADHD symptoms into two groups, inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive. Inattentive symptoms include being easily distracted, struggling to follow instructions and forgetting everyday tasks, while hyperactive-impulsive symptoms include high energy, fidgeting, restlessness and finding it hard to wait turns. Most children show symptoms of both groups, though some show only one. Girls may be recognised less often because inattentive symptoms can be harder to spot, so a parent who notices quiet difficulties with instructions or forgotten tasks can raise them with the SENCO.
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Enquire about this tutorWhat school and home adjustments does the NHS list?
The NHS lists talking to the SENCO as the first step, because the SENCO can advise on support in the classroom or with homework. For school and home it also lists praise or reward charts, regular physical activity, good sleep and regular mealtimes. A parent can ask the SENCO which of these the school already uses for lessons and homework, and share what works at home so that school and family follow the same approach.
How does a one-to-one tutor structure a session?
A one-to-one tutor usually builds a session from shorter tasks, clear routines and planned breaks, paced and structured around how the child learns and in line with the approaches the NHS lists for school and home. Skills that a child's needs make harder in a busy classroom are taught in shorter steps with more practice and review. Within each session the tutor gives simple instructions one at a time, uses to-do lists to track the tasks and offers praise as each is completed. A parent can ask the tutor to share the routine, so the same order of tasks and the same breaks can be used at homework time.
What can one-to-one tuition not do?
One-to-one tuition cannot diagnose a need, set statutory provision or assess a pupil for exam access arrangements, and it does not replace specialist care. Those responsibilities belong to the school, the SENCO and ADHD specialists, with tuition running beside them as regular practice. A useful first step is to ask the tutor what a session will cover and to ask the SENCO what the school records about the child's needs, so each adult can work from the same information.
What roles do the SENCO and ADHD specialists play?
An assessment for ADHD is carried out by one or more ADHD specialists, such as a paediatrician or a child and adolescent psychiatrist, and a GP or the SENCO can help arrange a referral. ADHD medicines must be started and monitored by an ADHD specialist. The assessment and medicines roles therefore sit with specialists, and the day-to-day support sits with the school.
School support follows the graduated approach, a four-part cycle of assess, plan, do and review. The class or subject teacher remains responsible for the pupil even where interventions involve group or one-to-one teaching away from the class, and schools may involve specialists at any point. Parents should be fully aware of the planned support, and plans should, where appropriate, seek parental involvement to reinforce progress at home.
What exam arrangements, such as supervised rest breaks, can a school put in place?
Supervised rest breaks are the arrangement JCQ guidance asks the SENCo to consider first where a candidate has anxiety or attention difficulties, before applying for extra time, as they may be more effective. The school or college makes the application, so the route for a parent runs through the SENCo. Arrangements must reflect the candidate's normal way of working, so a parent can ask the SENCo early which supports the child already uses in lessons.
Are sessions online or in central London?
Sessions run online for families across the UK, and in-person sessions are available only in central London. A parent can enquire and receive tutor recommendations matched to the child's age, subjects and needs. Before enquiring, it helps to gather the subjects the child needs help with and the SENCO's advice on classroom and homework support, so the recommendation reflects the needs as the school understands them.
Related guides
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- Catch-up tutoring
- ADHD vs dyslexia
- SEN support plans in England
- Managing exam anxiety
- Study skills and executive function
- JCQ access arrangements: extra time, readers and scribes
SEN tutoring with Taylor Tuition
Families who come to us alongside SEN support at school, an EHC plan or an access arrangements application usually want one-to-one tuition that fits around the support the school already gives. More than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status and around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools.
Sessions run online for families across the UK and internationally, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject. There is no registration fee. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check and families receive progress reports after sessions.
Read more about our SEN tutoring, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
- Can CBT help with ADHD?
- The NHS says talking therapies such as CBT may help, and it names them separately from the classroom and home adjustments it lists. A GP or an ADHD specialist is the person to ask whether one suits a particular child. Weekly tuition can run alongside any health input the family arranges, and the tutor can be told about it when sessions are planned.
- How does the SEND Code of Practice group special educational needs?
- The Code groups needs into four broad areas: communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health, and sensory and/or physical. Specific learning difficulties affect one or more specific aspects of learning and cover conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. An autistic child is likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction and may also find language, communication and imagination harder.
- Does an identified need fix the support a child receives?
- The Code says the purpose of identification is to work out what action the school needs to take. Children often have needs that cut across areas, and those needs change over time, so support should rest on a full understanding of the child's strengths and needs. Tuition planned around that understanding can be adjusted as the child's needs shift.
- Will my child's views be taken into account?
- The Code says schools talk to parents regularly and should include the pupil's views. It also says support should use well-evidenced interventions targeted at areas of difficulty and, where necessary, specialist equipment or software. A parent can ask the SENCO how the child's views are gathered and which interventions the school uses, and a tutor can then plan sessions around the answers.
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