More choice for learners
More choice for tutors

A parent recently asked the question: ‘Who should I listen to – the tutor or the teacher? The teacher says my child should be held back from sitting an upcoming exam; the tutor says my child is more than ready for the exam. Both have been teaching my child for the same length of time.’

The answer given was that the parent should listen to what the teacher says since the teacher spends more time with the child and therefore knows the child better.

There is also that implied hierarchy of authority and responsibility that the teacher has over the child and the environment in which the exam is to be sat.

That said the tutor also knows the child fairly well having provided teaching in a setting where there is less chance of the child’s individualisation becoming lost among the other 25 or so pupils. It would seem such a shame that a child could miss out on an opportunity due to a misunderstanding of what he or she is truly capable of.

But perhaps we should ask our own question: Are the teacher and tutor roles the same? Or two: Does the difference come down to setting, or is there more to it?

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