SEND-Friendly Tutoring: What to Look For

Finding the right tutor for a child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is different from finding a general tutor. Warmth and enthusiasm aren't enough. You need someone who knows what a working memory gap looks like in a maths problem, who can spot the difference between avoidance and overwhelm, and who won't push your child through a "standard" curriculum that was never designed for how they learn.

Here's what to look for.

Signs a tutor genuinely gets SEND

• They ask about your child's diagnosis in detail — the specific profile, not just the label. Two children with the same diagnosis can need very different approaches.
• They ask to see the EHCP, if there is one, and talk about how they'll work within its recommendations.
• They talk about pace and load. A SEND-experienced tutor plans shorter, more focused sessions with clear breaks — not a 60-minute grind.
• They mention specific approaches: structured literacy for dyslexia, visual timetables for autism, movement breaks and single-step instructions for ADHD, precision teaching for maths gaps.
• They talk about wins that aren't academic. "She sat through the whole session today" is a real achievement, and a tutor who knows SEND will celebrate it.

What adjustments actually look like in a session

Real SEND-friendly tutoring often includes:

• Shorter sessions (30 to 45 minutes) with a clear structure the child can predict.
• Multi-sensory materials — physical manipulatives, coloured overlays, read-aloud options.
• Explicit language — no idioms buried in maths questions, no "have a go, it doesn't matter."
• Regulation-first. If a child arrives dysregulated, the tutor starts by helping them settle, not by launching into the topic.
• Repetition without shame. The same concept revisited across several weeks, framed differently each time.

Questions to ask before you book

• "What experience do you have with [your child's specific need]?"
• "How do you adjust your session structure for a child who struggles with attention / processing / anxiety?"
• "How do you handle a session when my child isn't in the right state to learn?"
• "How will you communicate with me about what we're doing?"
• "Are you comfortable working alongside my child's SENDCo, therapist or EP?"

Listen for specific examples from past students (anonymised, of course). A tutor who can't give you concrete examples has probably not worked with SEND long enough.

Credentials that indicate real experience

• QTS with SEND specialism, or a SENCO qualification.
• OCR / Dyslexia Action / BDA-accredited training for structured literacy.
• Precision Teaching, Numicon or similar for maths.
• Long-term experience in a mainstream or specialist setting.

None of these are compulsory — some brilliant SEND tutors are self-taught by years of doing the work — but they're a useful signal.

Red flags

• "I treat every child the same" — this is not a strength for SEND.
• Refusal to shorten sessions or offer breaks.
• Pressuring your child to "just try harder."
• No willingness to communicate with school or other professionals.
• A one-size-fits-all curriculum they run through with every student.

Online, in-person or hybrid?

Many SEND children thrive online: fewer sensory demands, home is familiar, easier to fidget or move around. Others need the physical structure of in-person. There's no universal answer — a good tutor will discuss the trade-offs with you honestly.

How we approach SEND tutoring

Our SEND-friendly tutoring is one-to-one, planned around the individual child's profile, and reviewed regularly with you. Every tutor working with SEND children on our team has specific training and experience, and sessions are structured to reduce load rather than add to it.

If you'd like to talk through what your child needs, book a free consultation. We'll listen first, then talk about what could help.