SLT’s Approach to Wellbeing
Building a student’s mental wellbeing is central to everything we do at Simply Learning Tuition. It is equally important to students who are just taking an hour’s tuition as those who are taking full time home schooling. So many factors – from an unsupported SEND (Specific Educational Need or Disability) to low self-confidence and an inflexible school system – can harm student wellbeing, leading to worsening academic outcomes and an unhappy child.
SLT’s approach to wellbeing is professional, caring and personal, helping to ensure that nothing stands in the way of your child flourishing psychologically, socially and academically.
What is wellbeing?
We believe that to ‘be well’ means that you are comfortable in your own skin, free of anxiety and mentally and physically equipped to engage with the challenges of life. Our resident Coach and Mentor, Lloyd Miller, suggests that the biggest challenge for parents is balancing the demands of their own busy life with understanding and accepting the developmental needs of their child. The biggest challenge for children is responding to the many and varied demands of educational and parental expectation, while also growing and developing as a child in a healthy way. Problems arise when these two expectations are in competition and may become overwhelming.
Adapting to your child’s needs
Children often fail to receive the attention and support they need in group classes. Teachers move classes along according to the demands of the curriculum and the understanding of the ‘average’ student – meaning if your child finds a topic particularly easy or difficult, the class does not move at the right pace for them. Many children will find it hard to admit in class when they don’t understand, exacerbating the problem. In a one-to-one setting, children receive teaching that is tailored precisely to their strengths and preferred learning styles. For children being home schooled, that might mean starting lessons later in the day or taking longer breaks than school allows. All of this contributes to a learning experience with the child’s wellbeing at the centre, allowing their academic abilities to blossom.
Bringing learning to life
Families who have chosen to home school often worry that their child will be cooped up at home, missing out on the social side of education. SLT home schooling programmes regularly take the child out of the house and into a thrilling encounter with the object of their studies – whether it’s guiding the A Level Art student around the National Gallery or the budding GCSE scientist around the Science Museum. This brings the learning to life, embedding a genuine love for education, in a way that just isn’t feasible in full-time school. Our tutors can even recommend extra-curricular clubs and projects to get involved in, so your child has every opportunity to socialise with their peers.
Boosting confidence
Time and again, one of the biggest obstacles to children excelling in their education is a lack of self-confidence. A bad grade or a misjudged comment from a teacher or peer can leave a child feeling hopeless and disempowered, leading to a negative spiral of disengagement and worsening results. All of the tutors we work with are natural mentors whose ability to build a child’s belief in their own abilities is frequently transformative. You can read more about our mentoring approach here. If your child is a particularly anxious learner, you may find this piece from SLT tutor and wellbeing counsellor Meredith Husen a useful resource.
The highest standards of safeguarding
Families rightly want to know that they are in safe hands, and with SLT, they truly are. Our safeguarding standards are industry-leading. All tutors sign up to SLT’s Code of Conduct and have an Enhanced DBS that is checked every four weeks. Every tutor who works with us is met by at least two members of our team and is interviewed in person before they start. We ask for two references, which we always follow up. We are approved partners of the government’s National Tutoring Programme, showing that we meet the highest national standards for safeguarding.
Professional support and expertise
For so many children, a SEND, behavioural or mental health challenge can harm their wellbeing if it is not understood and catered for adequately at school. At SLT, we are part of a network of practitioners who we believe really excel in their professional fields of Executive Functioning, Occupational Therapy, Education Psychology, Coaching and Mentoring. SLT families can call on the expertise of these professionals whenever they are needed, ensuring there is nothing standing in the way of your child fulfilling their extraordinary and unique potential.
We are renowned for the quality of our Home School Programmes. If you would like to see how Home Schooling with SLT could benefit your child please get in touch. Our experienced team will listen carefully and provide solutions to ensure the best possible outcome.