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 14-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, he 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 have advised that he should be educated at home.

Clearly, the run up to the student’s GCSE years has been less than smooth, and a Tutor is currently being sought for a remedial role working with his school to help to bring him closer to the standard of his peers. From September 2016, however, he will leave formal education and instead be home-schooled full time. This specification pertains to this long-term role which will potentially take him right through his GCSE (or equivalent) exams and prepare him for future study pathways.

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.

While the focus of this role is undoubtedly the boy, there is also the possibility that the Tutor may be required to work with his younger sister to help her develop techniques to become more adept at reading. By the time this appointment starts, there will be a formal assessment by an Educational Psychologist to try to identify if this reading block is dyslexia and, if so, how it is characterised.

The student is an intelligent boy, and will benefit enormously from one-to-one tuition from an educator with SEN experience. As with many students who present with learning differences, there is nothing inherently wrong with his level of intelligence, but rather it is his learning pathways which 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 and tricks such as mind mapping, which will help him 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 the student a passion for learning those subjects which he has previously found challenging, making them relevant to his world and tapping into his OCD tendencies to channel this trait in a constructive manner.

Being home-schooled allows far greater freedom in terms of subjects covered, and while the Tutor must be able to deliver the core subjects to a high standard, there is certainly room to explore other subjects at an appropriate level. The student has already developed an interest in the human side of subjects such as Geography – it may be that adding subjects such as Sociology, Philosophy, Politics and Anthropology would be of more interest to him than, say, Business Studies at GCSE level. Through the subjects that the student enjoys, the Tutor can then interweave the core subjects so that the pathway to a broad spectrum of good GCSE results falls within the student’s interests to the greatest extent possible but without omitting the important qualities that come with being able to use good English skills, being competent with maths and its applications, and the sciences.

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. Fluency in Spanish is very important for this long term role, since that is clearly the student’s favourite subject.

Since the Tutor will be in charge of designing and delivering a full curriculum, it is essential he or she is highly organised, has excellent record-keeping skills, and is aware of options beyond traditional GCSE subjects. For example, it may be that the student would benefit from studying some American courses through the National University Virtual High School (NUVHS) or other such programs because the international perspective that this could bring to his interest in geopolitics would be unachievable through locally available courses for his age group. The Tutor should be aware of programs, open to working with Tutors International regarding these approaches, and have the skills necessary to research them and determine which would be the most appropriate mix for the student.

While home-schooling a child, it is as important to ensure their social life does not suffer as it is to ensure their academic work continually improves. It will be up to the Tutor to seek out opportunities for the student to mix with people of a similar age and with similar interests to him. For example, he has expressed an interest in the theatre, but not to be on stage. Working backstage in lighting or stage management with a local drama group would enable him to access the world of theatre without the pressures of performance. Other groups or societies such as board game clubs for backgammon, chess or scrabble would also provide the student with opportunities to socialise, as would relaxed sports clubs such as swimming, hiking, or using a drone to make a film record of places visited. The Tutor should be willing explore these options fully and to be the kind of person who is continuously striving to find and develop such new opportunities.

This full time role may also include supporting the student’s younger sister, aged 10. She is another bright, engaging child who is displaying signs of dyslexia which, to date, have not been formally diagnosed. As with her brother, it is hoped that the Tutor will be able to help her put in place study techniques and mechanisms to help her learn to manage her learning difference.

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 her own meals except for any that occur during tutoring time. Meals that occur during tutoring hours may be taken with the student.

The majority of the contract will take place in Buckinghamshire. However, there may be opportunities for travel within this role, and indeed this may be an area of the job that brings the best from the student. Studying geography and politics from textbooks and discussions in and around London does not compare with experiencing where and how major world events took place. Any such periods of travel should be viewed as an opportunity to enrich the curriculum, and should be incorporated into 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.