The student is a lovely young man – polite, well mannered and articulate, if a little shy and awkward in the way that is often the case for 13-year-old boys. He is hard working, academically ambitious, inquisitive and bright, but suffers from a range of overt neuro-developmental difficulties which include significant symptoms of ADHD, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and OCD. He also presents with diagnostic features of Autistic Spectrum Disorder. In addition, he has recently been diagnosed as a type 1, insulin dependent diabetic, and must regularly inject insulin to ensure his blood sugar levels remain stable.

Putting his inquisitive nature and OCD to good use, the student has thoroughly researched his condition and is adept at managing his diabetes. Aside from one notable incident earlier in the year, he has an unblemished record with his injections. Having said that, the one occasion when he overdosed on his insulin has resulted in being directed to the NHS mental health care systems and listed on their registers, which has subsequently led to psychiatric care and regular visits to a psychiatrist. Happily, these visits have uncovered some underlying issues with his education which the family, with the help of a Tutor, are now in a strong position to fix.

The student currently attends a prestigious senior boys’ school. Although the staff are understanding and supportive of his medical absences and his various learning differences, it has become clear that they are simply not equipped to cope with his range of needs. The school and family have found themselves caught in a downward spiral in which the student cannot cope with the demands of full-time schooling, but that the support he is given while at home is not enough to keep him on par with his peers. While the school doesn’t want to overburden him, he views the lack of home support as a mark of the school’s indifference to his education, and yet he is not in a position in which he can return to full-time education. His therapists are keen to prevent the oscillation between the highs and lows of wanting to be back in school, but being unable to cope with the reality of being in school, and are keen to explore ways of preventing this.

The student’s parents are amicably separated. They are both kind and respectful of each other and their children, already involving the boy in family decision-making processes. They are both high achievers and academically able. Their desire for knowledge has been passed on to their children, and it is clear that the student has a healthy interest in the world around him. His favourite school subjects are Spanish and Geography, but beyond this, he has an interest in people and society – it is likely that his future studies will lie in the field of Philosophy, Sociology, Anthropology, Politics or other similar subjects. For now though, it is important that he concentrates on getting his core subjects back on par with his cohort. His long absences have particularly impacted his Mathematics skills.

In the short term, a Tutor is sought for a position which will be part home-schooling, part after school support and possibly part working directly alongside the student while he attends school.

The student will continue attending his current school for the duration of this academic year, although at the time of writing this Specification he has been signed off school until early December. It is envisaged that the Tutor will take an active support role, co-ordinating with the school and helping to ensure that the student catches up with his peers as much as he can. The Tutor must understand that his or her role may be seen as threatening to the school’s full time teaching staff and he or she will therefore need to discuss any concerns or suggestions they might have in a sensitive, appropriate and professional manner. With this in mind, it is important that the Tutor is flexible and adaptable in their working style, able to build and maintain good working relationships with the staff at the school. They should be equally effective taking full control of the student’s education as they are when supporting and extending the work set at school.

From September 2016, the student will be home-schooled full time. Whatever the future holds, the Tutor in this short-term role will need to supplement a full curriculum that encompasses all the school subjects that he currently studies in school. Fluency in Spanish would be beneficial.

The student is an intelligent boy, and will benefit enormously from one-to-one tuition from a teacher who has experience with SEN, although he or she may not be a specialist SEN teacher. As with many students who present with learning differences, there is nothing of concern with the student’s level of intelligence; rather it is his learning pathways that require additional, specialist support. With this in mind, the Tutor should be someone who is able to explain concepts simply and effectively, targeting the student’s weak areas and helping to plug gaps in his knowledge. They should also be comfortable introducing study techniques such as mind mapping, which will help the student to study more effectively right through to his university education and beyond.

The Tutor must be someone who can nurture a trusting relationship with the student to help to motivate him and encourage him to put in the sustained effort required to get up to the level of his peers. He suffers from low self-esteem, so the Tutor must also seek to build up his confidence both academically and socially. It will be important to reward the time spent on projects and the effort that is put in rather than the outcome itself. Ideally, the Tutor will be able to reignite in him a passion for learning those subjects which he has previously found challenging, making them relevant to his world, and utilising the advantages of his learning differences to channel these traits in a constructive manner.

The Tutor should be eloquent, knowledgeable and able to inspire the student with his or her enthusiasm for any given subject. They should be an exceptional role model, and diplomatic, polite and friendly at all times. It is essential that the Tutor speaks and writes impeccable English, has demonstrable experience with SEN students, and holds a recognised teaching qualification. The Tutor should be organised, kind, fun, inspiring, efficient and flexible in their work.

The Tutor should expect to work an average of about 40-50 hours per week with preparation time in addition. It is likely that the student will keep regular school hours, but there may be some deviation for the periods where he is home schooled, for example, lessons may start a little later in the morning than a school timetable usually allows.

The Tutor will be entitled to two consecutive days off each week, though these will not always fall on the weekends. Any untaken holiday entitlement that has accrued will be compensated for at the end of the contract.

The Client will provide separate, furnished accommodation in Buckinghamshire or a stipend for accommodation if the Tutor is already based within a commutable distance. A room in the family home will be made available solely as the student’s school/study room.

The Tutor is responsible for his or own meals except for any that occur during tutoring time. Meals that occur during tutoring hours may be taken with the student, and indeed the planning and preparation of them may form part of the tutoring instruction.

The majority of the contract will take place in Buckinghamshire.

However, there may be opportunities for travel within this role, and when these occur, the Tutor will likely accompany the student to ensure his schooling is uninterrupted; travel-related period of instruction may also be planned by the Tutor if agreed with his parents. These periods of travel should be viewed as an opportunity to enrich the curriculum, and should be incorporated in the lessons as much as possible. During any periods of travel the Client will be responsible for all the Tutor’s travel and accommodation expenses, and for all meals for any periods where the Tutor is accommodated in a hotel.

A car will not ordinarily be provided for the Tutor, but public transport or mileage compensation as per the Terms will be claimable by the Tutor for use getting to and from the Client’s home. If any circumstances do merit the use of a car by the Tutor, this part of the contract will be adjusted as needed at a later date.

It is essential that the Tutor is a non-smoker, is fit and physically active and leads a healthy lifestyle.

The Client is aware that there may be additional expenses involved in a Tutor making him or herself available at such short notice for this position. They have generously offered to ensure that any losses, such as for rental deposit, relocation expenses, storage, cancelled vacations or for termination of existing contracts, will be made up to the Tutor. Any expenses arising out of such events such as these will obviously not be subject to Tutors International’s margin. Any expenses sought under this offer must be agreed in writing with Tutors International in advance, and the Tutor must be able to provide receipts or other proof of the genuine nature of amounts sought.