Dyslexia tutoring is one-to-one teaching in which a tutor works on the reading, spelling and writing skills that dyslexia makes harder, in structured sessions that build on each other week by week. The NHS describes dyslexia as a common learning difficulty where the brain works differently to most people, mainly affecting reading, writing and using numbers, and it does not affect intelligence. A parent weighing up a dyslexia tutor for a child in England usually wants to know what a lesson contains, how it differs from school, and where it sits alongside the support the school already gives.
What does a dyslexia tutor work on?
A dyslexia tutor works on the reading, spelling and writing skills that dyslexia makes harder, together with study skills that apply across school subjects. The British Dyslexia Association describes dyslexia as a specific learning difficulty which primarily affects reading and writing skills, and the areas of work follow that pattern. Tutors usually draw on the following, depending on the child's age and what the school has identified.
The NHS lists signs in children such as reading below the expected level for age, slow and hesitant reading aloud, messy written work with many spelling mistakes, difficulty remembering the order of things, and trouble planning and organising schoolwork. A parent who recognises some of these can use them as a starting point for a conversation with the tutor about which areas to prioritise.
- Phonological awareness and phonics
- Reading accuracy and fluency
- Spelling patterns and rules, practised in writing
- Written expression, from planning to structuring longer answers
- Study skills such as note-taking, memory strategies and organisation
- Subject work and exam preparation, practised with any access arrangements the school has agreed
How is a one-to-one dyslexia lesson structured?
A one-to-one lesson is usually structured, cumulative and multisensory, with each skill taught explicitly, practised until secure and revisited in later sessions. Multisensory teaching uses sight, sound and movement together. Because sessions build on each other week by week, the sequence of skills follows what the child has already secured, and each session opens from earlier work before adding the next step.
The balance shifts with age. At primary school, work usually concentrates on phonics, decoding and spelling, with short frequent sessions and plenty of review. At secondary school, the focus usually moves to reading speed, written expression, revision and exam technique across subjects.
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Enquire about this tutorHow do one-to-one sessions differ from classroom teaching?
A one-to-one session gives a child more time with one adult on the skills school support has identified, paced and structured around how that child learns. Classrooms are busy places, so the skills a child's needs make harder tend to be taught in tuition in shorter steps, with more practice and review. The NHS lists learning in smaller groups or 1 to 1 sessions among the support available at school, so the format will often be familiar to the child from school as well.
Can assistive technology help with reading and writing?
Assistive technology such as text-to-speech is one of the study skills a tutor can teach, so the child can practise using the tool in lessons with an adult beside them. Technology also appears in school support: the NHS lists visual aids or technology among the help available at school, and the SEND Code of Practice says support should, where necessary, use specialist equipment or software. A parent can ask the school's SENCO which tools the school already uses, so that practice with a tutor matches what the child meets in class.
How does tuition fit alongside school SEN support?
Tuition runs alongside the support the school already provides and any specialist or health input, with the tutor's part being regular, well-paced teaching that carries the strategies in an SEN support plan or EHC plan into weekly practice. A tutor cannot set statutory provision. The NHS describes a support plan agreed with the school's special educational needs coordinator (SENCO), and an EHC plan from the local authority if needs cannot be met in a mainstream school.
In the SEND Code of Practice, SEN support is a four-part cycle of assess, plan, do and review, and the class or subject teacher remains responsible for the pupil even where interventions involve group or one-to-one teaching away from the class. Parents should be fully aware of the planned support, schools talk to parents regularly and include the pupil's views, and plans should seek parental involvement to reinforce progress at home. Sharing the plan's strategies with the tutor is a practical way to do that.
Is a diagnosis needed before a child starts tuition?
A diagnosis is not required before tuition starts. A GP cannot diagnose dyslexia, so the usual first step is to ask the school's SENCO, who can arrange a screening test. An educational psychologist or a specialist teacher usually carries out a full assessment, and most families pay for it. Diagnosing a need or assessing for access arrangements is outside a tutor's remit.
The SEND Code of Practice describes dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia as conditions that fall under specific learning difficulties, and says identification exists to work out what action the school needs to take. It also notes that children often have needs that cut across areas and that these change over time, so support should rest on a full understanding of the child's strengths and needs and use well-evidenced interventions targeted at areas of difficulty.
Can sessions take place online or in central London?
Sessions run online for families across the UK and in person in central London, which means a parent outside the capital uses the online format and a parent within reach of central London can choose either. A parent can enquire and receive tutor recommendations matched to the child's age, subjects and needs, and the dyslexia tutors service page is the place to start that enquiry.
What should a parent ask a dyslexia tutor?
Questions about the teaching itself give the clearest picture of what weekly lessons will contain, and a tutor who answers them in terms of the child's age, subjects and needs is working from the same information the school holds. Bringing the support plan, any assessment report and recent school work to the first conversation gives the tutor material to answer from.
- Which areas will the first sessions cover, and which of phonics, reading fluency, spelling, written expression or study skills come later?
- How will each lesson revisit earlier skills before adding new ones?
- How will the strategies in the school's SEN support plan or EHC plan be built into the sessions?
- Which assistive technology, if any, will the child practise?
- How will progress be shared with the parent and the child, and which practice at home reinforces it?
Related guides
- Dyslexia tutors
- SEN tutors
- Exam access arrangements
- SEN support plans in England
- ADHD vs dyslexia
- 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
- Which areas of need does the SEND Code of Practice describe?
- The Code groups needs into four broad areas, which are communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health, and sensory and/or physical needs. It names anxiety and depression among possible underlying difficulties in the social, emotional and mental health area, and lists attention deficit disorder and ADHD among disorders children may have. It describes autistic children as likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction.
- Can dyslexia be cured?
- The NHS states that there is no cure for dyslexia and that it can be managed. A tutor's lessons teach skills in a structured sequence, and no tutor can promise a particular result, so the useful test of a tutor is how clearly the plan for each stage is explained. Reviewing that plan with the child at intervals keeps it matched to what they find hard.
- What can a parent do at home between sessions?
- The NHS suggests building confidence and self-esteem, trying activities the child enjoys and making learning fun. A parent can also ask the tutor which practice tasks match the current topic, so that home activity follows the same sequence as the lessons. The NHS lists these among the things that help at home, alongside the support a child receives at school.
- Can the school bring in specialists at any point?
- The SEND Code of Practice says schools may involve specialists at any point in the SEN support cycle, so a parent can raise the question of specialist input with the SENCO whenever concerns arise. Tuition can carry on throughout, and any new advice the school shares can be passed to the tutor so that weekly lessons reflect it.
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