Out of the Box Teaching provides specialised tuition and home schooling for children and young people aged 7 to 22 who are experiencing barriers to learning. We have been educating children in Bristol and South Glos since 2010.

We cater to children of all abilities, with a particular focus on those who have received a diagnosis of autism or ADHD, as well as those who have experienced trauma.

We offer:

• Assessments – to identify gaps in learning and offer a bespoke educational plan
• Short-term packages – support for up to 10 weeks to bridge specific learning gaps
• Long-term packages – support for up to 24 months focusing mainly on interest-led projects and exam preparation
• Educational coaching for parents and children – promoting resilience, self-advocacy and confidence to express themselves freely
• Building Blocks to Effective Learning programme – Weekly confidence and well-being sessions using the arts and movement, to build a strong foundation for meaningful learning

Recent quotes from clients:

Why Choose Out of the Box Teaching?

What Type of Tuition Does My Child Need?

Unsure about the type of tuition your child needs? At Out of the Box Teaching, we offer a free consultation where we discover which of our tutoring services would be the best fit for your child. We provide personalised learning experiences through carefully crafted lessons and flexible packages, and these are tailored to meet each child’s unique needs and preferences. 

Tutoring Services:

Standalone assessment: A one-off assessment for when your child attends school or is homeschooled and you’d like to assess their current level of progress.

Short-term package: A set of 5 to 10 weekly sessions to bridge learning gaps, whether due to absences at school or falling behind in a topic. Also great for boosting exam preparation in the short term.

Long-term package: Tailored for those seeking interest-led learning experiences or long-term exam preparation.

All our lessons and packages include elements of educational resilience coaching and confidence and well-being coaching. Sessions focusing only on these aspects can also be booked.

We also offer distance or hybrid learning options, including parental consultations and the creation of educational packages for independent learning without a tutor.

Every child’s situation is different.To learn more about how we can support your child’s educational journey, book a consultation today.

Why People Homeschool

Many parents ask, ‘Is homeschooling better than traditional schooling?’, but the answer depends on the child. Homeschooling offers unique learning experiences, allowing students to learn at their own pace and explore topics deeply. It nurtures a closer bond between parents and children, and enables tailored education to suit each child’s unique needs and interests.

Some people have always known that they will homeschool their children, but for many the need for homeschooling has emerged gradually.

The reason parents give when embarking on this journey is almost always the same: to give their child the best possible chance of a consistent and engaging education.

As parents embrace the process and experience the advantages of home education firsthand, they rarely look back.

The benefits include the freedom to choose the curriculum, flexibility, tailored one-to-one sessions, interest-led projects, a flexible timetable, increased self-esteem, and more time for creativity and outdoor activities.

Our blog posts provide firsthand accounts of people’s experiences with homeschooling:

Lucy and her son

Sally and her daughter

How You Can Create a Supportive Homeschooling Environment 

Dedicated home-schooling parents prefer to use the term ‘home educate’ because there is no school at home.

Many choose learning environments that differ from traditional classrooms, often opting for outdoor settings as their primary learning space.

If you are learning at home, a peaceful, decluttered space with visual prompts is recommended. 

A few hints on how to teach:

• Actively listen: validate children’s feelings and enjoy hearing them express themselves in their own way
• Give children the space to pause and identify their own stressors or misconceptions about learning
• Create a calm space to relax, reset, and create a new self-image as a student
• Give choices and progress in small steps. Children often have difficulty letting go of the idea that they are bad learners. Progressing in steps and acknowledging small achievements help them overcome this resistance. It subtly conveys that it’s OK to change for the better
• Be mindful when praising. Our blog ‘How to encourage with empathy’ demonstrates how mindful praise fosters your child’s growth: https://outoftheboxteachingcouk.onyx-sites.io/2020/02/17/how-to-encourage-with-empathy/

Why Hire a Private Home Tutor?

Children can have specific issues, such as anxiety, that often go unrecognised in schools. When these are identified, you would expect learning to become easier. This does not always happen. Here, specialised home tutoring can help enormously and hiring the right tutor, even for as little as one hour per week, can make a real difference. 

Whether in school or homeschooling, a private tutor can help with:

• Catching up with the UK curriculum and accessing formal learning
• Creating interest-led projects and exploring alternatives to traditional learning
• Developing confidence and a strong foundation for learning
• Creating an educational plan and discussing your choices

Our blogs offer real case studies of people whose children benefited from our work:

Helping a child develop a positive self-image

Building effective and enjoyable learning

How to stop struggling and start enjoying learning

How Do I Find a Qualified and Reliable Homeschooling Tutor For My Child’s Needs?

Establishing criteria before beginning the search helps ensure that you’re focused on what truly matters to you. 

Is it qualifications and experience, the tutor’s values, flexibility, knowledge, emotional maturity, innovative ability to teach, or something else? What is negotiable, and what isn’t?

Following the first lesson, explore your answers to these questions:

• Did the tutor demonstrate genuine effort in understanding my child?
• Was there a noticeable connection and positive learning dynamic established between the tutor and my child? 
• Did any concerns arise that require attention?
• Did my child actively participate and engage during the session?

Get in touch with us to find a tutor for your child’s needs:

After you make the initial contact, book a free no-obligation tutoring consultation to explore how our work could benefit your child. Email info@outoftheboxteaching.co.ukor call 07786 628820 to book your free consultation.

The tutor can either:

• lead delivery of the sessions
• participate actively in sessions but also guide the parents to become an independent educator: the tutor would then gradually step back and take on more of a coordinating role

If it turns out that more support is needed than expected, the tutor can be flexible. The main goal is to work together to awaken and nurture the child’s desire to learn and explore the world.

How Many Tutoring Hours Do I Need?

It varies based on your individual circumstances; however, our goal is to maximise effectiveness. We firmly believe that even with just one hour of home tutoring per week, your child can experience significant benefit.

The benefits you and your child will experience:

• A safe environment to pause and change the learner’s self-image and to allow your child to be his or her unique and authentic self

• Additional support from a caring home school tutor or mentor who believes in your child’s potential

• Accessing the expertise of our tutors while saving parents’ time

• Post-lesson consultations with genuine engagement in addressing any concerns

• Proven teaching strategies and perspectives. These are based on research and years of experience, while always respecting the desire for autonomy

• Highly personalised sessions tailored to your child’s needs, featuring thematic interdisciplinary projects that can be extended throughout the week and completed independently as homework

• Read about Sally and her daughter’s journey

What is Flexi-schooling?

A flexi-schooling arrangement is where children split their time between attending school and learning at home. It is becoming popular among families seeking a balanced educational approach. This route is not widely supported by schools but is becoming increasingly more available. Some schools even praise parents’ desire to be involved in the child’s education, rather than passing the full responsibility onto a school.

Children who benefit from flexi-schooling often fall into several categories:

• Those with illnesses or conditions that make full-time school attendance challenging
• Those gradually reintegrating into school after an extended period of absence
• Those experiencing school-related anxiety
• Some families choose flexi-schooling to facilitate part-time homeschooling, allowing parents to actively participate in their child’s education while ensuring the child still benefits from social interaction at school
• Children who may require intervention but refuse extra help, or those showing signs of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) can significantly benefit from even a single afternoon spent at home with one-on-one sessions with a parent or qualified tutor