Working with your tutor

Parent–Tutor–School Communication Template

Keep tuition and classroom priorities connected with a short record of goals, evidence, actions and the next review.

Editorial

Lead authorRobin GibbonsFounder & CEO·Latimer Tuition
Reviewed byHeather LatimerTutor Matching & Customer Service·Latimer Tuition

An ongoing communication plan

What you need to know about sharing tuition updates

Use one short record that names the current learning goal, a useful example, what each person has agreed to do and the next review date. Include your child’s view and decide who needs to receive each update. Ask the school and tutor how they can participate before assuming they will exchange messages directly.

This guide is for UK families already using tuition. The wording below is an adaptable suggestion, not a required school form. Copy the template below into your own document. For a first appointment, use our guide to briefing a tutor from reports and mocks.

The EEF’s school-tutoring guidance in England emphasises alignment with classroom learning. That informs the aim here, without creating an obligation for a school to liaise with a private tutor.

Agree who contributes and who receives updates

The pupil: describe the learning experience
Ask what is helping, what still feels difficult and what they want the adults to understand. Let them suggest a goal and, where appropriate, help write the update. Agree how they will see the response; avoid turning them into a messenger between adults.
The parent: bring the information together
Keep the current record, add relevant observations from home and send focused questions through the agreed contact channel. Record a proposed action as a request until the person responsible accepts it.
The tutor: explain what happened in tuition
Ask for a brief account of the task, the support given, what the pupil managed independently and the next teaching step. Agree the format and frequency with the tutor; a detailed written report or school meeting should not be assumed to be included.
The school: provide classroom context where available
Ask the appropriate teacher or school contact which learning priority or method would be useful to reinforce. The school decides how it can respond and what information it can share; the template does not commit staff to extra meetings or weekly reports.

Reusable update record

A parent–tutor–school communication template to copy

When this applies

Use a fresh dated entry for each review. Keep unanswered requests separate from agreed actions.

Suggested wording

Pupil, subject and date: …

Pupil’s own view: What is helping? What would they like to change? …

Current learning goal: One specific task or skill …

Evidence since the last update: Task, date and what was done independently or with help …

Relevant classroom or home context: …

Agreed actions: Pupil … / Parent … / Tutor … / School contact, if agreed …

Questions still awaiting a reply: …

Next review: Date or learning milestone … / Who will start it? … / Contact channel …

Sharing plan: Named recipients … / Purpose … / Material included … / Material to leave out …

Next update: What happened, what changed and the next action …

Why this helps

Keep the goal stable long enough to discuss the agreed evidence. If the goal changes, write why. Someone reading the next update should be able to tell what was attempted and which action still needs a response.

Use the record without creating another homework task

The EEF’s feedback guidance supports specific feedback that helps the learner act towards a goal. Use the steps below to keep each update focused on what your child will do next.

Choose one priority together
Replace “improve English” with a task such as “choose a quotation and explain how it supports an inference”. Ask your child and tutor whether that is the right immediate focus, drawing on classroom feedback when available.
Choose a small amount of evidence
Use one relevant work sample or a short description. Record the conditions: independent, after a hint, or after a modelled example. “Completed the paragraph” says less than “selected the quotation independently but needed a question to explain it”.
Agree a manageable update arrangement
Choose a channel and review point with the people involved. For example, you might propose a brief parent–tutor update after several lessons, with a separate school question when needed. This is a suggestion, not a standard reporting schedule.
Review the agreed actions
At the review point, record whether each agreed action happened, what the learner says and what the evidence shows. Decide whether to continue, adjust the task or ask a focused question. For the wider decision about tuition’s value, see how to tell whether tutoring is working.

Message to adapt

Ask the school for a focused contribution

When this applies

You would like tuition to support a current classroom priority. Use the school’s normal contact channel.

Suggested wording

Hello [name],

[Child] is working with a private tutor on [subject]. They say [brief learner observation]. We would like to reinforce a useful classroom priority without adding conflicting work.

Would you be able to suggest one current skill or point us to an example of the method being taught? We propose sharing [specific feedback or work sample] with [tutor’s name] for that purpose. Please let us know if there are restrictions or a different contact route we should use.

If direct contact with the tutor is possible, what arrangement would work for you? Otherwise, I can pass on the relevant response.

Thank you, [Name]

Why this helps

It asks for a limited contribution and offers to let you pass on the reply. It does not assume the teacher has agreed to a three-way conversation or to share a pupil’s full record.

Example update

Example: a short tutor update

When this applies

Imagine a pupil practising written inferences. Here is how a short update could describe their progress and next steps.

Suggested wording

Focus: Explain an inference using a relevant quotation.

Pupil’s view: “I can find the quote, but explaining it is harder.”

Today’s evidence: On a new short passage, the pupil selected a relevant quotation without help. After the question “What does that word suggest?”, they explained the inference orally, then wrote a sentence.

Next tutor action: Practise another short example, then invite an explanation without that question.

Pupil action, if agreed: Bring one classroom paragraph they would like to discuss.

Parent action, if agreed: Ask which part of the task felt easier; leave the paragraph for the pupil to write.

School question, if needed: Is there a particular paragraph structure currently being used?

Review: Compare the next example and the amount of prompting at our agreed review point.

Why this helps

The update shows what the pupil did independently, where they needed help and who will take each next step. It describes one task without predicting a grade or assuming the skill is secure in every setting.

Before sending

Share only what the conversation needs

Name the purpose and recipients before forwarding reports, work or email chains. A relevant extract may answer the question without a whole report, medical history or messages about other pupils. Remove unrelated personal details and use the contact channel agreed with the recipient. Ask before adding someone to a group chat or shared document.

Talk with your child about what you plan to share and why, in a way they can understand. If they are uncomfortable, explore the reason and whether a narrower summary would do the job. For an older learner, give them a meaningful part in deciding how routine updates work.

An informal sharing plan records expectations; it is not blanket permission for a school or tutor to disclose information. Each organisation must follow its own responsibilities and procedures. Keep sensitive concerns out of a routine progress thread and raise them with the appropriate contact instead.

The ICO’s UK guidance on sharing children’s information explains that consent is not the only legal basis for sharing. Its guidance on sharing agreements also makes clear that an agreement does not remove an organisation’s responsibilities. These ICO pages are under review following changes to UK data law; use them as background, not as a decision about what a particular school may disclose.

When the arrangement is not working

The school cannot communicate directly with the tutor
Ask whether you can pass on a specific learning priority or already available feedback. Continue a parent–tutor record using the information you have. Do not mark a school action as agreed because a request was sent.
The teacher and tutor describe different performance
Compare the tasks and conditions before deciding one account is wrong. Was the work timed, independent, familiar or completed with prompts? Share one concrete question about the difference rather than forwarding competing judgements about the child.
The pupil is overwhelmed by the combined workload
Bring the school tasks and suggested tutor practice together with the pupil. Ask the relevant adults which task should take priority and record the reduced or revised plan. Do not make the child negotiate conflicting instructions alone.
A concern is urgent, sensitive or about safety
Do not wait for the scheduled update. Use the school or tuition provider’s appropriate safeguarding or concern-reporting channel. A shared progress record is for learning coordination, not a substitute for responding to a safeguarding concern.

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers to the questions people ask most often.

Does everyone need to attend the same meeting?

No. You can keep a parent–tutor update and ask the school a separate focused question. If a joint conversation would help, ask each participant whether it is possible and agree its purpose before arranging it.

Can I use a notebook instead of an online document?

Yes, the same headings work on paper. Keep it somewhere appropriate for the personal information it contains, and decide which parts need to be shared. A private parent note and a message intended for the teacher do not need to contain identical detail.

What if we need a translated or accessible update?

Tell the tutor and school what would help you understand and respond, such as plain language, a different format or interpretation. Ask what each can arrange; avoid relying on your child to translate a sensitive adult discussion.

Official guidance

1.
Data sharing and children
Information Commissioner’s Office
UK organisational guidance; currently under review following legislative changes.
2.
Data sharing agreements
Information Commissioner’s Office
UK organisational responsibilities and purposeful sharing; currently under review.
3.
A 10 step guide to sharing information to safeguard children
Information Commissioner’s Office
UK: information sharing for safeguarding, separate from routine learning updates.

Research and evidence

1.
NEW EEF guide: Making a difference with effective tutoring
Education Endowment Foundation
England: school-tutoring alignment; not a private-tutor liaison requirement.
2.
Feedback
Education Endowment Foundation
EEF evidence on specific learning feedback.
3.
Teacher-Tutor Communication: Continual Updates
National Student Support Accelerator, Stanford University
United States: practical update fields adapted here, not UK school requirements.

Other sources

1.
A parent’s guide to communicating with the school
Parentkind
UK parent guidance on preparing questions, home observations and pupil voice.

A parent–tutor–school communication template to copy

Ask the school for a focused contribution

Example: a short tutor update

Prepare for parents’ evening

Frequently asked questions

Official guidance

Research and evidence

Other sources