Home-School Tutoring Devon & Somerset

Home-School Tutoring Devon & Somerset I am Vicky, a qualified teacher with specialist dyslexia qualifications and a MEd in SEND. I am the area director for Devon and Somerset.

Home-School Tutoring Devon and Somerset provides bespoke, private tutoring across a wide range of subjects and ages.

16/09/2026

What makes one-to-one tutoring different?

One-to-one tuition offers something that can be difficult to provide consistently in a busy classroom: time focused entirely on one learner.

A tutor can:

• work at the child’s individual pace
• revisit areas they haven’t fully understood
• explain something in a different way
• spend longer on the topics that need it
• adapt sessions to the child’s strengths and difficulties
• build confidence through achievable progress
• give immediate feedback and encouragement

The aim isn’t simply to do more schoolwork.

Good tutoring should help a child understand more, feel more capable and become increasingly independent in their learning.

At Home-School Tutoring Devon & Somerset, we match families with experienced tutors according to their individual needs.

If you’re looking for one-to-one support for your child, please get in touch.

📍 Devon & Somerset
💻 Online and in-person tuition available

09/09/2026

When should you consider a tutor?

There isn’t one right answer, and tutoring isn’t only for children who are falling behind.

Parents often look for extra support when a child:

• is losing confidence in a subject
• has gaps in their understanding
• finds homework increasingly stressful
• would benefit from additional challenge
• is preparing for an important exam or transition
• needs some focused one-to-one support
• understands the work but struggles to show what they know

Sometimes a relatively small amount of targeted support can make a big difference.

At Home-School Tutoring Devon & Somerset, we take time to understand what each family is looking for and then match them with a suitable tutor.

If you’re wondering whether tutoring might be right for your child, please get in touch for an informal chat.

📍 Devon & Somerset
💻 Online and in-person tuition available

02/09/2026

🍎 A new school year, a fresh start

September brings new teachers, new routines and, for many children, new challenges.

It can also be a good time to put support in place.

You don’t need to wait until a child is struggling or has fallen behind before considering tutoring. The right support can help a young person:

📚 strengthen skills and fill any gaps
✏️ get to grips with new or more challenging work
💡 build confidence and independence
🎯 work towards their individual goals
😊 start the school year feeling supported rather than overwhelmed

At Home-School Tutoring Devon & Somerset, we match families with experienced tutors according to each child’s individual needs, subject and stage of education.

We support pupils across primary, secondary and post-16 education.

If you’re considering some extra support for the new school year, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss what you’re looking for.

📍 Devon & Somerset
💻 Online and in-person tutoring available

26/08/2026

Should Children Have Tutoring During the School Holidays?

Parents often ask whether tutoring should continue during the school holidays.

The honest answer is that it depends on the child.

Some children need a complete break. Others feel more confident if they keep a little structure and continue practising important skills.

A break may be particularly helpful if a child is tired, anxious or has found school overwhelming. Children need time to rest, play, spend time with family and do things they enjoy.

Rest is not wasted time.

Play, hobbies, trips, outdoor activities and everyday conversations all support children’s development in different ways.

For some children, though, a small amount of holiday tutoring can be useful.

This may be the case if they have gaps in basic skills, are preparing for an entrance exam, need to get ready for a resit or tend to lose confidence during a long break.

Some children also cope better when they keep a familiar routine.

Holiday sessions can be a good chance to revisit a difficult topic without the pressure of school homework or an upcoming deadline.

The key is to keep it balanced.

Tutoring should not take over the holiday. One short session a week, or a few carefully planned sessions before the new term, may be enough.

The focus should be clear and realistic. It might be reading practice, multiplication facts, handwriting, one area of maths or preparation for a new school stage.

It is worth asking what you want the tutoring to achieve.

Trying to push a child ahead for the sake of it is not always helpful. The aim should be to support confidence and make learning feel more manageable.

At Home-School Tutoring Devon and Somerset, holiday tuition can be adapted around the child and family.

For some children, regular sessions work well. For others, a few focused lessons are all that is needed.

The best approach is the one that allows the child to return to learning rested, supported and confident.

19/08/2026

Why Vocabulary Matters in Every Subject

Vocabulary is not just important in English lessons.

It affects almost every subject a child studies.

A child may understand the maths needed to answer a question, but still get stuck because they do not understand words such as difference, product, estimate or consecutive.

The same happens in science with words such as evaporation, organism, variable and photosynthesis.

Sometimes a child appears not to understand the subject when the real problem is that they do not understand the language being used.

As children move through school, questions become more wordy and subject vocabulary becomes more important. They need to understand the question before they can show what they know.

Reading regularly helps children come across new words, but seeing a word once does not always mean they understand it or will remember it.

When reading together, it can help to stop now and again and talk about one or two useful words.

What do you think that word means?

Can you think of another word that means something similar?

Can you use it in a sentence?

Have you heard it somewhere else?

It is better to explore a small number of words properly than stop at every unfamiliar word and make reading feel like a test.

Conversation is also important.

Children learn a lot of vocabulary through everyday life. Cooking, shopping, travelling, watching television and talking about things that have happened all give opportunities to introduce new words naturally.

We do not always need to simplify the language we use with children. They often enjoy learning a more accurate or interesting word when it is explained clearly.

Older children may find it helpful to keep a simple list of key words for each topic. This could include the word, a short definition, an example and a picture or diagram where useful.

This can be particularly helpful for children with dyslexia, language difficulties or weaker working memory.

Vocabulary is not about using difficult words to sound clever. It gives children the language they need to understand ideas, explain their thinking and access the curriculum with more confidence.

12/08/2026

Preparing Your Child for a New School Year

The start of a new school year can bring mixed feelings.

Some children are excited to see their friends again and meet their new teacher. Others may be worried about a new classroom, different routines, harder work or moving to a new school.

Even children who seem quite confident can have worries that come out in other ways, such as poor sleep, irritability, repeated questions or suddenly saying they do not want to go back.

It can help to talk about the new term before it starts, but without making it feel like an interrogation. Simple questions often work best.

What are you looking forward to?

Is there anything you are unsure about?

What might make the first day easier?

Who could you speak to if you needed help?

Sometimes children do not need us to solve everything. They just need to know that we have listened and taken their worries seriously.

It can also help to bring routines back gradually. Bedtimes often become later during the holidays, so moving them earlier a few days before school starts can make the first week less tiring.

Uniform, bags, shoes and equipment can all be sorted in advance. For children who find change difficult, it may help to talk through what the morning will look like and what will happen when they arrive at school.

There is no need to turn the final part of the holiday into hours of schoolwork.

Reading together, playing games, cooking, shopping, visiting places and talking about everyday things all support learning. A little gentle practice may help a child who has lost confidence, but it should not make the end of the holiday feel stressful.

The main aim is not for children to return knowing everything. It is for them to feel ready to have a go, ask for help and understand that it is normal to need time to settle in.

At Home-School Tutoring Devon and Somerset, we support children who need help rebuilding confidence, filling gaps or preparing for the next stage of their learning.

A calm and supported start can make a big difference.

05/08/2026

What happens in the first lesson?

One question we get asked quite a lot is, “What happens in the first lesson?”

The answer is… it depends on the student.

The first session isn’t about seeing how many questions they can answer. It’s about getting to know them.

We want to understand what they’re finding difficult, what they’re already doing well, how they learn best and what they’d like to achieve.

Once we’ve got that picture, the tutor can plan lessons that are right for that student.

There’s no pressure to know all the answers. The first lesson is simply the starting point.

If you’d like to find out more about tutoring in Devon or Somerset, just get in touch. We’re always happy to answer questions.

29/07/2026

Building confidence to work independently

One of the nicest things parents tell us is that their child no longer needs as much help with homework.

Of course we want students to improve their grades, but we also want them to become more confident and independent.

A good tutor shouldn’t create dependence. They should give a student the skills to tackle work on their own.

That might mean learning how to break a question down, organise revision, check their own work or simply have the confidence to give something a go before asking for help.

Those skills don’t just help in school. They’ll be useful for years to come.

If you’re looking for a private tutor in Devon or Somerset, we’d be happy to talk through the options with you.

22/07/2026

Why one size doesn’t fit all

Every child is different, so why should tutoring be the same for everyone?

Some children need help rebuilding their confidence. Others need stretching because they’re capable of more than they’re achieving in school. Some simply benefit from having someone explain things in a different way.

That’s why we take time to match each student with the right tutor.

Whether your child needs support with primary school, SATs, 11+, GCSEs, A Levels, Functional Skills or has additional learning needs, we look at the whole picture before recommending a tutor.

Finding the right fit can make all the difference.

If you’re wondering whether tutoring might help your child, feel free to get in touch for an informal chat.

📍 Home-School Tutoring Devon & Somerset

15/07/2026

🎒 September Starts Now

Although September may seem a long way off, the children who feel most confident when they return to school are usually those who have kept their minds active over the summer.

Whether your child is:
⭐ Moving into Year 6.
⭐ Starting secondary school.
⭐ Beginning GCSE courses.
⭐ Catching up after a difficult year.

A little preparation now can make the transition much smoother.

Tutoring isn’t just about improving grades. It can also help children build confidence, develop good study habits and reduce worries before the new school year begins.

Every child learns differently, so we carefully match families with tutors who suit their individual needs and goals.

Home-School Tutoring Devon and Somerset provides experienced tutors across a wide range of subjects and age groups.

If you’d like to discuss how we can support your child, we’d love to hear from you.

Address

Exeter

Telephone

+447503191895

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