

For most primary-aged children, the Christmas holidays are now fast approaching. It has been a challenging term for all, and the ‘new normal’ has meant that activities in the run-up to Christmas, such as Nativity Plays and Carol Concerts, have had to be curtailed, done remotely or in some cases cancelled all together. Children have had to get used to social distancing from their peers and teachers and in my experience have done remarkably well, in many cases adjusting much better than adults. There is no doubt that children have earned their Christmas break, and the question I want to address in this blog entry is whether they should be continuing with their tuition sessions whilst on holiday.
I often get asked by parents, “Are you tutoring during the holiday?” and my answer is broadly, “Yes!”. For the most part, the children continue to work very well during the holidays and appreciate the consistency that tuition sessions provide. There is always the potential to be a little more flexible with the timings of the sessions during the holidays, which most families appreciate, such as completing a session during the morning rather than the evening, when the child is a little fresher.
Of course, I always take into account the individual preferences of the child and the parents, and some families benefit from a complete break from work during the holiday season, and in the case of Christmas this can be necessitated by other commitments, such as visits with family members. It is also true to say that there are days when I am unavailable for tuition during the holidays due to family commitments, so the best thing is simple to have a chat, if possible well in advance of time, with diaries at hand, to see what will work best for everybody concerned.
As this will be my final blog entry in 2020, all that is left for me is to thank everybody that has supported Gloucestershire Primary Tutors this year, wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and I look forward to helping many more of you in 2021!