Online Tutoring Platform

Support that fills a gap in learning. You will define the learners you serve and pick one launch format, giving the tutoring service a focused scope and a clear first-month measure of success.

• Types: homework help, exam prep, skills, language.
• One-to-one or small group.
• What works: goals, practice, feedback.
• Gaps and strengths first.
• Define who you serve, such as ages 11 to 14 needing maths support, and write down what a successful first month looks like, for example two sessions a week with a short progress note.
• Compare one-to-one and small-group formats on cost, attention and scheduling, and choose a single format to launch with rather than offering everything at once.
• Visit a tutoring session as an observer, with permission, and note what the learner did.
• Write the safeguarding policy in plain language that parents can read.

Activity. List five learner needs and best formats.

Standard to meet. Build a table with reasons.

Common mistake. Starting with price instead of learner need.

Check yourself. What gap did you find?

Protect learners before everything. You will write a safeguarding policy and communication rules for tutors and parents, so every session has protections in place before any child is taught.

• Checks and references for tutors.
• Parent consent and clear rules.
• No private messages or meetings.
• Reporting route and records.
• Write a short safeguarding policy covering recorded or open sessions, who may contact children, and what a tutor does if a worry arises, and make every tutor read and sign it.
• Require parents to be reachable during lessons for younger learners, keep communication inside the platform, and never allow tutors to share personal accounts or private numbers.
• Check that only approved tools and accounts are used for lessons.
• Record sessions only where parents have agreed in writing.

Activity. Write a safeguarding policy.

Standard to meet. Confirm with the mentor that it matches local rules.

Common mistake. Skipping checks.

Check yourself. What checks did you do?

Quality tutors make the service. You will run a structured tutor application with a sample lesson, references and orientation, which helps you admit only tutors who are ready for learners.

• Skills test and sample lesson.
• Training on the platform and rules.
• Code of conduct.
• Ongoing observation.
• Use a structured application with a short sample lesson of ten minutes, two references and identity and background checks required where local rules apply, before any tutor meets a learner.
• Give new tutors a two-hour orientation with a checklist covering the platform, lesson structure, tone with learners and how to report a concern.
• Give learners a way to report a worry that does not depend on the tutor.
• Keep all tutor documents in a locked place with access logs.

Activity. Design an onboarding path.

Standard to meet. Write a path with check, training, sign-off.

Common mistake. Lenient onboarding.

Check yourself. How do you select?

Short, clear, active. You will plan a 45-minute lesson with one stated learning aim and a closing check question, so each session leaves the learner with a visible gain.

• Goal, warm-up, teach, practice, check, recap.
• Use shared screen and exercises.
• Adapt to age and level.
• Record homework and next step.
• Plan each lesson in three parts: five minutes to warm up, ten to teach, twenty to practise, five to check and five to record homework and the next step.
• Match each activity to a clear learning aim written as 'the learner can...', and end every session by checking that single aim with a short question.
• Set standard lesson plans but allow tutors to adapt them.
• Share a one-page guide for parents on how to prepare.

Activity. Plan three lessons.

Standard to meet. Give each a measurable goal.

Common mistake. Lessons that are all talking.

Check yourself. How much do learners do?

Make booking simple. You will set booking blocks with time-zone display and test the video tools on a slow link, reducing missed sessions and technical stress for families.

• Time zones and reminders.
• Cancellation rules.
• Tool checks before the lesson.
• Backup for tech failures.
• Offer booking slots in fixed blocks, such as 45 minutes with a 15-minute gap, and show times in the learner's own time zone to avoid missed sessions.
• Test your video, shared whiteboard and chat tools on a slow connection before launch, and prepare a fallback such as a phone call for the first ten minutes.
• Test a lesson on slow internet and write the fallback.
• Agree a cancellation and make-up lesson policy.

Activity. Set up booking and reminders.

Standard to meet. Test with a family.

Common mistake. Complicated booking.

Check yourself. What is your no-show rate?

Fair to tutors and families. You will calculate cost per lesson, set a price with a sensible margin and publish a cancellation rule, keeping the service fair to families and tutors alike.

• Hourly rate; package; discounts.
• Platform fee; tutor pay.
• Payment through a reputable, regulated provider.
• Refund rules.
• Work out your cost per lesson by adding tutor pay, tools and support time, then divide by lessons delivered, before you choose a price that leaves a sensible margin.
• Set a cancellation rule in advance, such as notice at least 12 hours before, and state it clearly at booking so that both families and tutors know the terms.
• Check payments are through a reputable, regulated provider.
• Collect feedback from learners in a short, friendly way.

Activity. Build a pricing sheet.

Standard to meet. Show a positive margin per hour.

Common mistake. Hidden fees.

Check yourself. What is the margin?

Show learning, not just attendance. You will write short session notes and a before-and-after quiz, giving parents real evidence of progress instead of simply reporting that lessons took place.

• Pre and post checks.
• Parent update after each month.
• Tutor reviews.
• Adjust goals.
• After every session, write a three-line note with what was covered, what went well and the next step, and share a summary with parents each month.
• Use a simple before-and-after check, such as a five-question quiz in week one and week six, to show progress with real numbers rather than impressions.
• Compare progress for different groups of learners to spot gaps.
• Thank tutors with regular, specific feedback.

Activity. Measure progress for 10 learners.

Standard to meet. Calculate the gain.

Common mistake. Reporting attendance only.

Check yourself. What gain?

Keep standards as you grow. You will gather brief feedback, spot patterns in low scores and add tutors in small steps, so growth does not cost you the quality families chose.

• Observe lessons.
• Handle complaints.
• Collect testimonials with consent.
• Plan 90 days.
• Collect a one-minute feedback form from learners and parents after each fifth session, and review the lowest scores within a week to find a pattern.
• Grow only when quality holds: add new tutors in small groups of two or three, observe their first lessons, and compare their feedback with your existing average.
• Review the safeguarding policy every term.
• Write a 90-day plan with a number of learners, tutors and a quality target.

Activity. Report on the pilot.

Standard to meet. Report lists three changes.

Common mistake. Ignoring complaints.

Check yourself. How many complaints?

A tutor messages a learner outside the platform.

Question: What do you do?

Model answer: Stop, report per policy, inform the parent, review the tutor.

A learner misses three sessions.

Question: Response?

Model answer: Contact the parent, adjust times, offer a pause.

On the slide: L1 Basic · Basics of helping learners

Notes: Describe how an online lesson works and what a learner needs to join. Notes: join a free online lesson and list the tools used. Standard: five things needed, from device to quiet space.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Awareness

Notes: Describe good online teaching (short parts, questions, feedback) and the child-safety rules for adults who teach children. Notes: read a public safeguarding guide for your place. Standard: five rules in plain words.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Foundation

Notes: Plan one 30-minute lesson with an aim, three activities and a check for understanding. Notes: teach it to a peer. Standard: the peer can state the aim and passes the check.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Practitioner

Notes: Run three practice lessons with two learners, record attendance and progress, and apply the safeguarding rules. Notes: recordings only with written consent. Standard: each lesson has a log and a progress note.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Specialist

Notes: Pilot an online tutoring service with at least 3 tutors and 10 learners for four weeks, with safeguarding rules, lesson plans, progress measures and finances. Notes: include tutor vetting and a reporting route. Standard: vetting records complete and a progress measure reported per learner.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Advanced

Notes: Run a tutoring platform with quality review, tutor training and a safeguarding audit. Notes: add a complaints log and a monthly lesson-observation sample. Standard: every tutor observed each term and serious reports answered within a day.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Super expert

Notes: Set the lesson-quality and child-safeguarding method for online tutoring and teach the tutors who use it. Notes: hold a safeguarding review of incidents, reports and recordings each term.