A classroom asks a child to sit still for an hour and filter out thirty other people. For a student with ADHD that is close to the hardest possible arrangement, and how they perform in it says very little about what they can do in a different one.

How does ADHD affect learning?

Happy and energetic teenager playing the drums at home
Smiling teen reading

Two students, and what changed

One student could not work at a desk but did well when allowed to move, so the pacing and the problem-solving happened at the same time. Another spent hours on creative building games and avoided written work entirely, until a tutor used the building as the way into the writing.

Neither student needed to try harder. They needed the work presented differently. Our tutors are matched for subject expertise and for whether they can read attention in the moment: recognising when a student has stopped taking anything in, and changing tack rather than pressing on.

Our tutors know what ADHD looks like in a lesson rather than on a form. We match on rapport as much as on subject, because a student who has spent years being corrected will not work with someone who feels like more of the same.

How we select our tutors
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How we support learners with ADHD

Four things that make the difference in a session.

  • Active & engaging learning

    Attention holds better when the format changes. That might mean practical work rather than a page, or a change of tack the moment a student has visibly stopped taking anything in. Some students do better in short sessions with a finished piece of work at the end. Others do better in long ones that come at a topic from several directions.

  • Structure & predictability

    The tutor says at the start what the session covers, then covers it. Written summaries the student can go back to afterwards. Working out what is expected takes energy that is better spent on the work itself.

  • Executive function development

    Starting a task and planning ahead. These are skills rather than attitudes, and they can be taught directly. We also cover the practical end: using a planner properly, packing the right books the night before, and revising in a way that actually holds.

  • Using hyperfocus and interests productively

    When a student with ADHD is genuinely interested, attention is not the problem. We use the subjects that already hold them as the route into the ones that do not, and where a session is going well we let it run.

A student standing in a study room and looking up at a large wall clock, reflecting the question How Long Does It Take To Prepare For The 11 Plus?
A tutor and student standing by a whiteboard and sharing a high five, representing the progress and confidence that come from Choosing a good 11 Plus tutor.

Twice-exceptional

The term describes a student who is exceptionally able in some areas and significantly behind in others. Schools tend to average the two out, which means the ability goes unnoticed and the difficulty gets read as not trying.

We teach both ends at once. That can mean working a year or two above the school year in the subject where a student is strong, and going right back to basics in the one where they are not, in the same week, without either being treated as the real picture.

Where a student is bored, we set harder work rather than more of it. Boredom in an able child with ADHD looks almost identical to inattention, and it is a far more common cause than schools assume.

Speak with our specialists

"A person with ADHD has the power of a Ferrari engine but with bicycle-strength brakes. It’s the mismatch of engine power to braking capability that causes the problems. Strengthening one’s brakes is the name of the game."

Edward M. Hallowell, ADHD 2.0

"ADHD is, to summarise it in a single phrase, time blindness… People with ADHD cannot deal with time; and that includes: looking back, to look ahead to get ready for what’s coming at you. (…) The now is more compelling than the information you’re holding in mind."

Russell Barkley, Ph.D.
Mother and son smiling

Creating Programmes Where Children Thrive

“The executive function coaching changed everything. My son finally has systems that work for his brain, not against it. He's organised, on time, and actually proud of himself...”

Janet Parent & Former Client, New Malden

Frequently asked questions:

  • How do you match a tutor to a student with ADHD?

    We ask what has worked before and, more usefully, what has not. A student who thinks best while moving needs a different tutor from one who hyperfocuses in silence. The match is made on temperament and shared interests as much as on the subject.

  • Do your tutors have ADHD training?

    Our specialist tutors hold SpLD qualifications and have taught students with ADHD for years. Several have training in executive function coaching. We select for recognition rather than certificates: knowing that fidgeting is often helping concentration rather than disrupting it.

  • What if my child has had a bad experience with tutoring before?

    Common, and usually a matter of the wrong match. Restlessness gets read as rudeness, and a neurotypical attention span gets assumed. A tutor who has taught ADHD students before does not make either mistake.

  • How do you keep a student engaged during a lesson?

    By changing the format when attention drops rather than repeating the instruction. Practical work, and connecting the material to something the student already cares about. One of our tutors teaches chemistry through cooking.

  • Does ADHD affect academic performance?

    It affects how a student demonstrates what they know more than what they know. Difficulty starting work and sustaining attention in a classroom can hide real ability for years, which is why so many diagnoses come late.

  • Do you diagnose ADHD or advise on medication?

    No. Diagnosis and medication are clinical matters and sit outside what we do, in line with NICE guidance. We can point you towards the referral route and to organisations such as ADHD UK, and we work from an educational psychologist’s report once one exists.

  • Can you help with school selection and EHCPs?

    With the educational side, yes. School selection, and the reports an annual review needs. We are not lawyers and do not represent families at a SEND tribunal. IPSEA gives free advice on appeals.

  • What is ADD, and how is it different from ADHD?

    ADD is the older term for what is now called ADHD, predominantly inattentive presentation. The medical term has covered all presentations since 1987. Our support covers the full range, including students with no hyperactivity at all.

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