Welcome to Westcountry SEN as a tutor. We are all really pleased to have you within our team and hope you feel at home and a part of our organisation right away.  

This online course is more like an online handbook, there are no quizzes and essays, unlike our other courses, as we hope you will be able to refer to this course multiple times with anything you are unsure of or need to remind yourself of.  

The ‘Induction for Westcountry SEN Tutors’ course contains all the policies, procedures and regulations that form the framework of Westcountry SEN, however this handbook does not concern what happens inside your tutoring lessons. Further courses provide all the guidance and training.  

What Exactly is Westcountry SEN and What Does it Do? 

• Westcountry SEN provides tuition for children who have SEN needs, typically dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism, Asperger’s, low confidence, anxiety and or Mental Health issues.  
• Westcountry SEN also provides training in all the above areas for tutors and organisations.  

Westcountry SEN is one of the few education providers that feel strongly that all tutors should be taught how to work on a 1:1 basis with students, especially students who may be struggling within a 1:1 dynamic, as this is something that is never taught within conventional teacher training.  

In most other professions; social work, counselling, psychology and health professions, practitioners are taught the differences between working with groups and individuals and have training to work with either groups (families) or individuals.  

However, within our UK education system, teacher training is only concerned with working with groups (classrooms), and qualified teachers lack a lot of training and skills when it comes to 1:1 tutoring. Westcountry SEN is a huge advocator that all tutors who work with students who have a vulnerability, should have further training regarding the impact of working on a 1:1 basis.  

As you progress with this course and all the following courses, you will begin to see that a lot of regulations and ways of working are enveloping this 1:1 relationship and providing support and guidance on how to maximise the benefits from every single tutoring session.  

This course was written with you in mind. Every policy, procedure, and framework attempts to explain ‘why’ it’s needed. Never should this course just give rules and regulations without an explanation of why it is needed. As you read this course, if you don’t fully understand why a framework, policy or procedure is in place and the reason isn’t clear for you, do get in touch and let us know your concerns.  

[email protected]  

The above email is the one to use if you are ever unsure who, what or how to ask questions.

We strongly believe that once a person knows and understands the ‘why’ something is like it is, then everything after just becomes common sense. Importantly, our organisational frameworks are also an organisational process; everyone is encouraged to contribute to this handbook and offer suggestions. Your voice will always be heard.