What realistic progress looks like
Most parents hope to see a jump in school grades. At six weeks, that is often too soon. School reports in England, for example, only have to come once a year, and many schools report termly. A child can be improving well before it shows on paper.
What you should see at six weeks is narrower and more specific. The teacher should be able to name two or three skills your child could not do at the start and can do now. Not "maths is better", but "she can now add fractions with different denominators without help", or "he plans a paragraph before writing it".
| Where to look | Realistic at six weeks | Worth raising with the teacher |
|---|---|---|
| Specific skills | Two or three named skills improved, with examples | The teacher cannot say what has changed |
| Lesson reports | Clear notes on what was covered, how it went and what comes next | Reports that read the same every week, or no reports at all |
| Schoolwork | Fewer of the same mistakes in exercise books and homework | The same errors repeating, with no plan to fix them |
| Confidence | More willing to try, ask questions or attempt homework alone | Dreading lessons, or saying the teacher goes too fast |
| Test scores | Small gains on topics the tutoring has focused on | Expecting a large jump in overall grades this early |
Signs in the lesson reports
Good reports are the best early evidence you have. Read the last six together, in order, rather than one at a time. You are looking for a story.
- Did the teacher start by finding out what your child could and could not do? Guidance for schools in England says good tutoring depends on ongoing diagnostic assessment, so the teacher knows exactly where the gaps are.
- Do the topics follow a plan, or jump around? A plan might be: place value, then column subtraction, then word problems using both.
- Is there a link to school? The best tutoring is tied to what your child is doing in class. The reports should mention school topics, homework or upcoming tests.
- Do problems come back until they are fixed? If a report says "struggled with commas in lists", a later report should say whether that improved.
Signs in schoolwork and at home
Ask to see your child's exercise books or online homework, and look at the work from before tutoring started and the work from this week. You do not need to be an expert. Look for the mistakes the teacher said they were working on, and whether they still appear.
- Homework started with less arguing, or finished with less help from you.
- Your child uses words from the lessons, such as "numerator" or "topic sentence", without being prompted.
- The class teacher mentions something positive at parents' evening or in a message.
- Your child talks about the tutor by name and does not need dragging to the laptop.
Confidence is real progress, not a consolation prize. A child who was too nervous to answer in class and now puts their hand up has changed something that will carry into every subject.
If you see no progress at all
Guidance for schools on tutoring says programmes should be monitored and adapted, and that there should be planned points to step in if a pupil's progress stalls after several sessions. The same applies at home. Do not wait six months hoping it improves.
- Talk to the teacher first. Ask three questions. What gaps did you find at the start? What has improved? What is still in the way? A good teacher will answer clearly and will not be offended.
- Check the basics. Were lessons missed or moved often? Is the session at a time when your child is tired? Is the internet connection stable on both sides? Any of these can quietly undo good teaching.
- Look at the goal. Sometimes the tutoring is working on the right thing, but the goal was too big for six weeks. Agree a smaller target for the next four weeks that you can both check.
- Make sure it connects to school. Share the class topics, recent tests and the teacher's comments. Tutoring that runs in a separate world from school tends to do less.
- Change the teacher if the relationship is not right. Some children simply do not click with a particular teacher. That is not a failure on anyone's part, and it is better to change early than lose a term.
It is also worth being honest about whether tutoring is the right answer. If your child is struggling across every subject, or you suspect something like a reading difficulty, speak to the school as well. A tutor can help a lot, but should not replace the school's own support.
How Masani helps you judge
Masani lessons are one to one with carefully vetted Nigerian teachers, and only the top 3% of teachers who apply are accepted. You get a written report after every lesson, and progress is tracked skill by skill in your parent portal. With your consent, lessons are recorded, so you can watch one back yourself. If the fit is not right, you can change your child's teacher at any time, free, no questions asked. If you want to talk it through first, book a free 15 minute call.
Quick answers
How long does tutoring take to work?
You should see specific skills improve within about six weeks of regular sessions. Changes in overall school grades usually take longer, often a term or more.
What should a tutor's lesson report include?
What was covered, how your child did, what they found hard, and what comes next. Over several weeks the reports should show a clear plan and problems being fixed.
Should I change tutor if my child is not improving?
Talk to the teacher first and check the basics, like missed lessons and timing. If the relationship or teaching still is not working, changing early is better than losing a whole term.