HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

How to hire a primary school tutor in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register lists primary school tutors. Here is the vetting to ask for, how to judge experience with young children, and the terms to agree.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a primary school tutor in five steps

  1. Say what your child needsReading, writing, times tables or confidence — and the year group. A primary school tutor plans for one child, not a syllabus.
  2. Vetting firstBefore lessons at home with a parent nearby, or online for older children, see the enhanced DBS, PVG or AccessNI certificate that fits your nation.
  3. Ask about young learnersHow many primary-age children they teach now, and in which year groups. Secondary experience is not the same.
  4. Book a single lesson firstJudge a primary school tutor on one lesson before paying for a half-term block.
  5. Write down the termsSession length, what happens if your child is ill, and the notice to stop, agreed in writing with the primary school tutor.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

None of the four UK nations licenses or registers primary school tutors; no qualification is needed to tutor primary reading, writing and maths at home with a parent nearby, or online for older children. Subject knowledge, teaching record and vetting are things you ask to see, not entries you can search.

Ask for the qualification and where it was gained, plus a reference from a current learner.

Vetting for lessons with a child

Regulated activity in England and Wales starts when someone teaches or instructs a child on more than three days in a 30-day spell, or overnight; a primary school tutor teaching for half an hour or so each week after school passes that easily, so the enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list is the one to ask for. Since 1 September 2026, being supervised by someone else no longer takes a primary school tutor out of that rule. Scotland's system is the PVG scheme — mygov.scot lists tutors and instructors engaged by a parent among the roles to check — and Northern Ireland's is an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list, which a self-employed primary school tutor gets through an Umbrella Body.

Ask a primary school tutor to show you the certificate before the first lesson, and write down its date — there is no official expiry. PVG proof in Scotland; the AccessNI certificate from their nidirect account in Northern Ireland. gov.uk →

Primary teaching qualification and teaching record

Qualified teacher status (QTS) is recorded by England's Teaching Regulation Agency, but its check-a-teacher's-record service is for employers, so a parent cannot search it. QTS with primary experience, or years teaching the early stages of reading and maths, is what to look for.

If a primary school tutor says they are a teacher, ask where, and which specifications they have taught since last September. gov.uk →

Your rights when paying for a half-term block

A primary school tutor is a trader in law, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 term of reasonable care and skill applies to every lesson. Agree lessons online, by phone or in your home and you have 14 days to change your mind under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 — less whatever teaching you asked to have before then. Most arguments with primary school tutors are about sessions that ran short or were moved at the last minute.

Ask for session length, what happens if your child is ill, and the notice to stop in writing, and keep the message, before a half-term block changes hands. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Primary tuition is exempt from VAT when the primary school tutor teaches personally as a sole trader or partner, reading, writing and maths being ordinarily taught in schools; a tuition centre company or its employees are standard-rated. A tutor working alone under the £90,000 registration threshold does not charge VAT and has no VAT number to give.

Ask whether you pay the primary school tutor directly or a tuition centre; a sole trader under £90,000 adds no VAT. gov.uk →

“Will you show me your DBS, PVG or AccessNI certificate?”

A good answer: A straight yes. A primary school tutor who works with children at home with a parent nearby, or online for older children expects to be asked.

“How do you teach reading to a child this age?”

A good answer: A clear method — phonics for early readers — and books matched to the child's level, not just harder ones.

“How long should sessions be?”

A good answer: Thirty to forty-five minutes for most young children; a primary school tutor who sells an hour to a six-year-old is selling time.

“Where will lessons happen, and can I be in the house?”

A good answer: At your home or theirs, or online — and yes, a parent nearby is normal with a young child.

“How will you link with what school is doing?”

A good answer: Asking to see school reports and homework, and working on the same methods the class uses.

“Can you support a child with additional needs?”

A good answer: An honest answer about training and experience.

“What happens if you cancel a lesson, or we do?”

A good answer: A rule you can live with, in writing — and fairness both ways: if a primary school tutor cancels, the lesson is rescheduled or refunded.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and whether after-school or Saturday slots cost more
  • The minimum booking — often 45 minutes for a young child — and what happens if your child tires early
  • What each side brings: the school reading book, a quiet table, the tutor's phonics cards and games
  • The focus agreed before the first hour: phonics, times tables, SATs, reading confidence
  • ID checked and the rating, the vetting certificate, and a parent nearby during lessons

Walk away if

  • No criminal record certificate for regular lessons with your child, or "it isn't needed for primary reading, writing and maths"
  • Promised grades: no honest primary school tutor guarantees a reading age by a set date
  • They object to a parent being in the house during lessons
  • They push entrance exam preparation you did not ask for
  • No refund rule for a half-term block, or one that changes after you pay
LOW
£20
TYPICAL
£27
HIGH
£35

What a primary school tutor costs: £20–£35 per hour

Primary school tutors charge by the hour, often for shorter sessions with young children. Primary School Tutor price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Primary school tutors near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. Meet the childA relaxed first session to find the reading level and maths confidence.
  2. Small stepsEach lesson builds on one skill — a phonics sound, a times table — with lots of success.
  3. Practice at homeA few minutes of reading or tables a day, set clearly for parents.
  4. Link with schoolMethods matched to the class, so the child is not taught two ways.
  5. ReviewA short note to parents each half term on what has moved.

Phonics
Teaching reading by the sounds letters make.
Key Stage 1 and 2
The primary years in England, Year 1 to Year 6.
SATs
The national tests at the end of Year 6 in England.
Times tables check
The Year 4 multiplication check in England.
P1 to P7
Primary year names in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Reading level
The difficulty of books a child can read on their own.

AFTER

When the job is done

File what you were givenKeep the reading record and the invoices, with the written terms.
Test the progressEvery half term, listen to your child read or do a few sums with you. Fluency and confidence are the signs.
Know what is promisedNobody honest promises a reading age by a set date. Hold the primary school tutor to the lessons agreed, taught with care.
Leave the reviewReview the primary school tutor once the block ends; if it went wrong, the make-it-right step gives them the chance to fix it first.

STEP 1Write to the primary school tutor firstName the lessons that fell short and the remedy you want; with primary school tutors, it is often sessions that ran short or were moved at the last minute. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask a primary school tutor to repeat what fell short, or for part of the money back if that cannot be done.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyLeave under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the primary school tutor first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers primary school tutors, so a consumer complaint goes to Trading Standards through your nation's helpline: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeSmall claims handle a dispute with a primary school tutor without a solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales (small claims track), £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland. Keep the reading record and the invoices as evidence.

Hiring a primary school tutor: questions people ask

Not by default. Regular teaching of a child is regulated activity in England and Wales, though, so the enhanced DBS check with the barred list is the one to see; Scotland uses PVG membership and Northern Ireland an enhanced AccessNI check.

The law in all four nations is silent on who may teach primary reading, writing and maths. Primary teaching experience or QTS is what to ask about, with references from families with children the same age.

£20–£35 an hour, with £27 typical; a qualified primary teacher visiting your home costs most. The primary school tutor price guide breaks it down; search your town above to see primary school tutors who work near you.

Not from a primary school tutor working as a sole trader or partner: primary subjects are taught in schools and that tuition is exempt. A tuition centre company or its employed tutors are standard-rated and add VAT once over £90,000.

For a specific gap — reading, times tables, confidence — a term of short weekly sessions often helps. For general worry, talk to the class teacher first.

Young children usually concentrate better with the tutor at the table; online suits older primary children.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in lessons & tutoring

How to hire: GCSE TutorHow to hire: A-Level TutorHow to hire: Maths TutorHow to hire: English TutorHow to hire: Science TutorHow to hire: Physics TutorHow to hire: Chemistry TutorHow to hire: Biology TutorAll 701 hiring guides →

Primary school tutors near you

Primary school tutors in LondonPrimary school tutors in ManchesterPrimary school tutors in BirminghamPrimary school tutors in GlasgowPrimary school tutors in BelfastAll primary school tutors on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk (DBS) — regulated activity with children
  2. gov.uk — change to the definition of regulated activity with children from 1 September 2026
  3. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  4. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  5. gov.uk — check a teacher's record (England)
  6. gov.uk — Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30)
  7. gov.uk — statement from the qualification regulators on GCSEs, AS and A levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
  8. gov.scot — school leaver attainment in National Qualifications (SQA)
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  11. Citizens Advice — deciding whether to make a small claim (England and Wales)
  12. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — guide to simple procedure
  13. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  14. Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30) — 6.1 The treatment of private tuition
  15. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  16. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register