It doesn’t seem to matter how many years I’ve been out of school, for me, the new year starts in September – perhaps that’s the eternal student in me, but there is something so exciting about the new school year and all the possibili-ties it holds.

In our inaugural Back to School Guide we talk to Bryony Dodd from Stepping Stones nursery and Karen Frazer from St. Stephen’s Primary school, who give some great tips on how to make the transition from nursery to primary school and primary to secondary respectively — as seamless as possible. We also dive into the world of PTA fundraising — a necessity for most schools nowadays — and compile a great list of fundraising ideas to help increase your PTA’s prof-itability. Lastly, William Stadlen from Holland Park Tuition discusses tutor-ing and how to decide if it’s the right option for your child.

On the website over the next couple of weeks we’ll also be showcasing some great ‘back to school’ ideas for mum too – be sure to check it out regularly.

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer!

Monique McGoey-RaboneContributors

Monique McGoey-RaboneElisa Freeling

Annabelle KingMichael Stadlen

SponsorsActive LearningThe Life Centre

Nannies + UsStamptastic

West London KitchensSwimming Rocks

When in the year should my child have help from a tutor — is tuition only there to help prepare for exams?Children are only ever a couple of years away from an exam, so the majority of

tuition courses are structured with a particular exam or set of exams in

mind,whether it be the 7+ or 8+ entrance exams, A-Levels, the French Bacca-

lauréat, or US SATs.

However, other extra-curricular courses of tuition are increasing in popularity.

Private tutoring in French, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin reflects the influx of

foreign families into London as well as the cosmopolitan nature of modern

London parents. Vocal and instrumental music tuition services also help to pro-

vide a well-rounded education.

What if the tutor’s work conflicts with work done at school?The tripartite relationship between the school, the private tuition agency and

the family is one that requires careful and constant consideration. Private

tuition will only hinder the child if it fails to support the carefully laid founda-

tions of classroom teaching. The best tuition agencies, therefore, seek to make

contact with the child’s school, so as to develop a tailored and comprehensive

course of tuition that will fully reinforce — and not interrupt — the child’s edu-

cation.

My child is ahead of the class, do they need a pri-vate tutor?Not every child requires the support of a private tutor. If your child is lucky

enough to be both enjoying and succeeding at school, then there is no urgent

need for your child to work with a tutor. However, even in these cases, private

tuition can still prove to be extremely beneficial to your child’s education.

Whilst the most common view of private tuition involves children who are

struggling at school, many children who are at the top of their class also use

tutors.

These high-ability children can benefit enormously from the attention of aca-

demic specialists who are able to provide them with the kind of focussed chal-

lenges that the classroom teacher – with the interests of twenty or thirty other

students to manage – sometimes cannot.

How to pick a tutor

The most valuable indication of the reliability of a tuition agency is their “word of mouth” reputation. As with any service provider, the opinions and impres-sions of their clients are highly valuable, so it is worth trying to source testimo-nials regarding any prospective tuition agency. Find out how your chosen pro-vider selects their tutors; this will give a good indication of their approach and the levels of care they offer. And finally, make sure that your tutor has a recent DBS (formerly CRB) check.

William Stadlen is Director and Lead Education Consultant at Holland

Park Tuition & Education Consultants. Holland Park sources private tutors

for all subjects at all ages and levels, and provides educational advice con-

cerning school and university issues via one-to-one consultation.

HAVE A GREATSCHOOL YEAR!