Specialist Tuition & Learning Support
Learning differently deserves teaching differently.
Specialist, engaging support for children and young people who learn differently. Our teaching is structured, multisensory and individualised, helping learners develop the skills they need while building confidence and greater independence.
A Different Kind of Tuition
Specialist tuition at The Learning Arc is about much more than extra practice or repeating what has already been taught at school.
Teaching follows established, structured programmes and evidence-informed approaches, adapted to the individual learner. New skills are introduced gradually, practised and revisited so that learning becomes secure.
Sessions are multisensory, practical and engaging. Games, movement, visual resources, technology and hands-on activities can all form part of teaching. We want children and young people to be active participants in their learning — and to enjoy it.
Mistakes are part of learning too. Sessions provide a supportive space where learners can try things differently, experience success and gradually become more confident in their own abilities.
Progress is monitored so that teaching can continue to respond to the learner's needs.
Early Literacy Intervention
Building strong foundations from the beginning
Early intervention is for younger children who are beginning to experience difficulty with reading, spelling or writing, or who need additional help securing their early literacy skills.
Sessions can focus on phonological awareness, phonics, early reading, spelling patterns and writing, identifying and addressing gaps in knowledge before moving on.
Teaching is carefully paced and highly interactive. Games and multisensory activities are used alongside structured teaching so that children can practise important skills without sessions feeling like another lesson at school.
The aim is to build secure foundations while helping children experience themselves as capable and successful learners.
Specialist Dyslexia Tuition
Structured teaching, tailored to the individual
For children and young people with dyslexia or persistent literacy difficulties, specialist tuition provides targeted teaching using established, structured and multisensory dyslexia programmes supported by research and specialist practice.
Sessions may focus on reading, spelling, phonological awareness, writing and literacy skills according to the individual learner's needs.
Teaching is cumulative, meaning skills are introduced in a carefully considered sequence and regularly revisited. Learners are given opportunities to practise and apply what they have learned in different ways, helping skills become increasingly secure.
Games, practical activities and multisensory resources are incorporated throughout. Specialist tuition shouldn't feel like an extra hour of school at the end of an already demanding day.
The aim is not simply to help a learner complete today's work. It is to give them skills, strategies and confidence that they can carry forward.
Specialist Dyscalculia & Maths Support
Making sense of maths from the foundations up
For some children, maths can feel confusing even when concepts have been taught many times. Difficulties with early number skills can make it increasingly hard to access maths as they move through primary school.
Specialist maths support focuses on helping children develop a secure understanding of the foundations of number, rather than simply practising calculations or trying to keep pace with classroom work.
Sessions can support areas such as number sense, place value, counting, number relationships, the four operations, times tables, fractions and mathematical vocabulary, depending on the individual child's needs.
Teaching is structured, multisensory and practical. Children use concrete materials, visual representations, games and hands-on activities to explore mathematical ideas and understand why something works before being expected to remember a method.
Support is suitable for primary-aged children with dyscalculia, persistent maths difficulties or gaps in their mathematical understanding. A diagnosis of dyscalculia is not necessary.
The aim is to help children build stronger foundations, develop useful strategies and begin to feel more confident and less anxious about maths.
Study Skills & GCSE Support
Helping young people discover how they learn best
As young people move through secondary school and towards GCSEs, the demands placed upon them change considerably. They are expected to manage multiple subjects, absorb increasing amounts of information, complete longer pieces of work, revise independently and prepare for examinations.
Simply telling a young person to “revise more” doesn't teach them how to revise effectively. Study skills sessions help young people explore practical approaches to learning and discover which strategies work best for them.
Support can include revision techniques, effective note-making, organising ideas, planning and structuring written work, approaching extended answers, breaking larger tasks into manageable stages, organising revision, preparing for examinations and developing more independent study habits.
Sessions are particularly suitable for young people with dyslexia, ASC and other learning differences, although a diagnosis is not necessary.
This is not subject tutoring or supervised homework. The focus is on helping young people develop a toolkit of strategies they understand and can increasingly use for themselves.
Home Education & Alternative Provision
Learning doesn't have to look like school.
Children and young people who are home educated or accessing alternative provision may benefit from a more flexible approach to learning. Sessions can be designed around the individual rather than recreating a traditional classroom lesson.
Learning might incorporate games, projects, technology, practical activities and the young person's own interests, while still providing purposeful opportunities to develop literacy, study skills and independent learning.
For learners with dyslexia, ASC or other neurodivergent profiles, this flexibility can provide an opportunity to engage with learning in a way that feels more manageable and meaningful. Support can be regular or designed around particular learning goals, with the content and pace shaped around the individual.
Flexible Tuition Options
Support that works around the learner
The same specialist approach can be delivered in different ways depending on the learner, family and circumstances.
- 1:1 Specialist Tuition: Individual sessions designed around one learner's particular needs and goals.
- Paired Tuition (1:2): Two learners with similar needs can learn together. Paired sessions can provide opportunities for games, interaction and shared learning while still allowing for specialist teaching.
- School-Based Tuition: Sessions can take place within the learner's school. Where appropriate, support can be coordinated with school so that specialist teaching complements the child's wider education.
- Home Tuition: Face-to-face sessions can take place in the learner's own home.
- Online Tuition: Specialist tuition can also be delivered online, using interactive resources and activities to create engaging sessions from home.
Sessions are generally one hour, although school-based tuition can be divided into shorter sessions where this is more appropriate for the learner. Some schools may also allow pupils to leave slightly early to attend specialist tuition, making an early-afternoon session possible rather than adding another commitment at the end of a long school day.
Finding the Right Support
Not sure where to start?
You don't need to know which type of support your child needs before getting in touch. We can talk about what they are finding difficult, the support they have received so far and what you would like them to achieve. From there, we can consider the type of specialist tuition or learning support that may be most appropriate.