Specialist Tuition (“Workshops”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Specialist tuition is available at our Centres (which we call “Workshops”) to help pupils with

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Study Skills.

What do they cost?

See here for specialist tuition fees

When and Where

See here for Term and Holiday dates

One-hour specialist teaching sessions are held weekly in term-time at Worcester, Hereford and Bromsgrove Workshops. There are three teaching sessions each week at Hereford and Worcester, and two sessions each week at Bromsgrove.

Bromsgrove
Friday evening specialist tuition sessions are held at The Wendron Centre (Connect Bromsgrove), Chapel Street, Bromsgrove B60 2BQ (behind the old fire station on Windsor Street)

See what’s been happening or share news and photos about Bromsgrove Workshop here.

Hereford
Saturday morning specialist tuition sessions are held at Belmont Community Centre, Belmont Library, Eastholme Community Centre, Eastholme Avenue, Belmont, Hereford HR2 7UQ

Worcester
Saturday morning specialist tuition sessions are held at Worcester Woods Country Park, Wildwood Drive, Worcester, WR5 2LG.

See Specialist Tuition Centre location maps here.

In certain circumstances pupils may be taught privately, perhaps while waiting for a Workshop place to become available. Such tuition is by private arrangement between the parent/guardian and the individual tutor.

Specialist Tuition Aims

The aims of the specialist tuition workshops are to give help specially tailored to each pupil’s needs. It is, of course, part of our aim to help a pupil achieve improved grades in national formal tests and examinations. But this is not our sole aim – the difficulties faced by our pupils do not simply disappear over time – there is no “cure” for dyslexia – but we believe that pupils regularly attending our Specialist Tuition Workshops will develop skills and strategies that will help them throughout their lives, while in education, at work and beyond.

Specialist tuition workshops and private sessions last approximately one hour.

Literacy – Children assessed as dyslexic by a suitably qualified person may be accepted. The assessment will be used as the basis for tuition. Advice on assessments is available from the Senior Tutor / Administrator at each Specialist Tuition Centre. Pupils without a formal assessment who are experiencing similar difficulties may be accepted: the Senior Tutor will use her skill and experience, perhaps supported by a brief, informal assessment to assess whether a child might benefit from our tuition and to determine the most appropriate pairing for the child alongside another pupil already atttending.

Mathematics – Children experiencing difficulties with maths and seeking tuition will be considered by the Workshop Senior Tutor / Administrator, to assess whether our teaching methods are likely to be of benefit.

Study Skills – Study Skills tuition is provided for pupils during the two years before sitting GCSE examinations (Years 10 and 11). Usually, pupils who have been receiving our specialist tuition when younger then progress into a Study Skills group. Where appropriate, pupils can receive tuition in literacy or mathematics in addition to receiving study skills tuition.

All teaching sessions comprise:

  • individual attention from a trained dyslexia specialist in groups (usually in pairs).
  • learning techniques based on a structured, cumulative, multi-sensory approach with considerable over-learning.

Literacy sessions include:

  • spelling, based on a structured phonic approach. Letters and letter groups are firmly associated with their own sounds and a vocabulary of letter/sounds associations is built up at the pupil’s own pace.
  • reading, through a carefully graded choice of material with attention to the child’s own interests and ability.
  • practice in handwriting, using a fluent joined style consistent with school policy.
  • organisational skills, to improve planning, vocabulary, and writing sentences, paragraphs, free-writing, essays and assignments.
  • comprehension and reading-for-meaning.

Maths sessions include:

  • all National Curriculum topics using a structured, multi-sensory approach.
  • concrete resources (including games) to explain and reinforce fundamental abstract mathematical concepts to ensure a sound basis to support curriculum topics.

The Study Skills syllabus has been planned to have regard to all subjects on a GCSE curriculum and to acknowledge the demands of any assessed coursework component of the examination.  Our Study Skills course includes help with the following:

  • Self-organisation
  • Note taking
  • Finding out information
    • using libraries
    • using books
    • using computers
    • using internet
  • Effective reading
  • Planning and preparing essays
  • Writing and checking essays
  • Report writing
  • Revising for examinations
  • Tackling examinations

The group will continue to cover specific problems with spelling and handwriting.

Pupils will also have the opportunity to practise verbal communication skills, which include listening skills, interview techniques and participation in discussion groups.

Key to our teaching is the maintenance of a friendly confident atmosphere in which pupils can gain self-esteem, build on their success and be confident that mistakes and failures are not criticised but seen as a necessary path to self-improvement.

Thinking about tuition?

Enquiries about tuition should be made to the relevant Workshop Senior Tutor / Administrator.

For administrative reasons all parents/guardians will be asked to join the Hereford and Worcester Dyslexia Association. See details of membership here.