Shine Learning's new tutor program booming as parents pick up kids learning difficulties during lockdown

Ms Donald, who for years has run the Sounds Write literacy program for children with dyslexia and diagnosed learning problems, has seen a massive increase in parents inquiring about the program and more general tutoring to help children catch up or re-engage with their school work.

"What's happening is that since home schooling began, a lot of parents have recognised their child is not a good reader or can't spell and write. When a child is not at home that may slip through the cracks, or the parent assumes they are doing well," she said.

In response many parents have had their children assessed, leading to a big jump in numbers of students with diagnosed learning problems.

As a qualified teacher Ms Donald also recognised the challenge in keeping children enthusiastic and engaged in remote learning.

"Kids are losing enthusiasm, falling behind, losing that rhythm of learning and how it can be fun. It's pretty hard to make it fun sitting on Zoom on your own."

She said upper primary and lower secondary school levels seemed to be where most problems were being identified.

"Around grade four problems start to appear, and there's a lot of need from early high school in year seven and eight with that adjustment to high school particularly over the past 18 months or so," she said.

Ms Donald said the increased demand for Sounds Write and general tutoring led her to set up Shine Learning in Sebastopol which offers general tuition in maths and English as well as the specialist spelling and reading program.

Qualified teachers and teaching students make up the team of tutors, who mainly work with children from grade four to year eight but other levels are also available.

Ms Donald said the Sounds Write program could be used from grade one right through to adults.

"When students are not in that class environment and being helped by their peers, or being carried along to some extent, those holes and cracks appear ... and parents are generally more aware because of the home schooling, because it's been in their faces."

Along with more formal tutoring she hopes to establish homework clubs in Sebastopol and Buninyong where children can come in to a relaxed environment and complete their homework with guidance from a teacher.

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She also plans to offer arts and crafts activities and even school holiday activity sessions.

Ms Donald said some parents seemed to just want 2021 over with and were keen to enroll their children next year to catch up on the past two years of disruptions, admitting term four was probably "not the best time" to start a new tutoring business but inquiries were strong.

It comes after the state government this week committed a further $230.4 million to its school-based tutoring program which has seen 6400 tutors employed at government and low-fee paying independent schools since the start of the year.

The tutoring initiative will now continue through 2022 allowing retired teachers, teachers on leave, pre-service teachers and other education professionals to continue helping struggling students to catch up to their peers.

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