A recent mock result may tell you that extra maths support would help. It tells you much less about which tutor to choose or what the first lesson should cover. Start with the exam your child is preparing for and a few examples of their working. Those make tutor conversations much more useful than a target grade alone.
This guide focuses on choosing support for GCSE maths. If the course is an International GCSE or another qualification, use its own specification and assessment details rather than assuming the same arrangements apply.
Confirm the course before comparing tutors
Ask the school for the qualification’s full name, exam board, specification code and current tier. Write down the exam series your child is preparing for, any recent feedback, and whether the tier is settled or still being discussed.
For example, AQA’s GCSE Mathematics specification distinguishes Foundation and Higher tiers and sets out a non-calculator paper and two calculator papers. Use your child’s own board’s specification to check the details; do not assume a practice book with “GCSE maths” on its cover matches every need.
If you are unsure about the entry, Ofqual’s student guidance directs students to their school or college. A tutor can discuss learning evidence, but should not promise a different tier or an exam entry on the school’s behalf.
Turn a broad concern into a starting question
“They need a better grade” describes the desired outcome. It does not identify the teaching task. Try to find out what happens when your child attempts a question.
Do they understand the topic but make calculation errors? Can they complete a familiar exercise but struggle when the wording changes? Do they leave questions blank because they cannot choose a first step?
Bring a small sample: one question completed confidently, one with an error, and one left unfinished. Include the working and any teacher comments, not just a score. Ask your child which part felt difficult. Avoid sending an entire folder before the tutor has explained what would be useful.
A pupil who repeatedly expands brackets incorrectly needs a different starting point from one who can expand brackets but cannot recognise when that step helps solve a problem.
Ask about teaching, not just subject credentials
Ask a prospective tutor how they have supported pupils on the same qualification and tier. Then ask what they would do with the examples you have brought.
Useful questions include:
- How would you check whether an earlier skill is causing this difficulty?
- What would my child do while you explain a worked example?
- How would you check that they can use the method on a new question?
- How would you connect tutoring with the topics currently taught at school?
Listen for a clear process rather than a guaranteed grade. An impressive maths background is useful, but it does not tell you whether an explanation will make sense to your child.
For a child, also use your normal tutor suitability checks. Agree how a parent can contact the tutor and how lesson arrangements will be communicated.
Use the first lesson to observe the learning process
A useful first lesson should give the tutor a starting point and your child a chance to experience the teaching. Ask whether it can include a short conversation, a few attempted questions and one explained example.
Consider a pupil solving 3(x + 4) = 21. After expanding the bracket, they write 3x + 4 = 21. A tutor could show why each term inside the bracket is multiplied by three, then ask the pupil to correct the equation:
- Expand to get 3x + 12 = 21.
- Subtract 12 from both sides, leaving 3x = 9.
- Divide both sides by 3, giving x = 3.
- Substitute into the original equation: 3(3 + 4) = 21.
The important next step is a different example. Can your child explain the bracket expansion and check their answer without copying? That reveals more than watching a tutor solve several questions correctly.
Agree a manageable practice routine
Ask what should happen between lessons. A short set of questions chosen around the lesson can be more useful than a long worksheet that your child cannot finish or check.
Agree what to do when they get stuck. For example, they could record the last step they understood, mark the uncertain step and bring the working next time. That gives the tutor something specific to discuss.
Keep track of three kinds of error: not knowing a method, choosing an unsuitable method, and making a calculation or reading mistake. They need different responses. Repeating the same exercise without identifying the cause can hide the problem.
Tell the tutor about school homework and other commitments so the extra practice remains realistic.
Set a review point before lessons become a habit
Agree when you will review the arrangement and what evidence you will use. Revisit the original skill with unfamiliar questions, including one where your child must decide which method to use.
Look for independent working, explanations in their own words and fewer repeated errors. School feedback can add context. One short topic quiz cannot establish an overall GCSE grade, and a pleasant lesson alone does not show that learning transfers.
Ask your child whether they can say when they do not understand. If explanations remain confusing, discuss an adjustment with the tutor. If the fit remains poor, use the learning notes to explain what different support should provide.
Choose a tutor who understands the course, can locate the next learning step and helps your child practise independently. Those are concrete things you can assess before relying on promises about the final result.