How to Know If Your Child Needs Tuition: 6 Warning Signs Parents Shouldn’t Ignore

educaretutoringsg
Jun 4
3 min read

In Singapore’s fast-paced academic environment, it’s common for parents to ask themselves:

“Does my child really need tuition, or should we wait it out?”

The truth is — many learning struggles don’t show up as outright failure. Sometimes, the signs are subtle but telling. At Educare Tutoring, we help parents catch these signals early so students can receive support before their confidence dips or their grades suffer.

Here are six signs it may be time to consider tuition.

Educare Tutoring helping students overcome learning struggles through personalised support in Singapore

Your Child's Grades Are Slipping — But Not Failing

A drop from an A to a B3 or from 85% to 72% may not seem alarming — but it’s often a red flag. It could signal:

Knowledge gaps building up
Difficulty adjusting to new syllabus demands (e.g. P5 jump, Sec 3 subject split)
Reduced motivation or confidence

Educare’s Approach:

We identify whether the issue is content-related, pace-related, or due to poor study habits — then tailor support accordingly.

Homework Takes Too Long (or Never Gets Done)

If your child is:

Spending hours on what should take 30 minutes
Constantly “stuck” or giving up easily
Avoiding schoolwork altogether

… it’s likely a sign they don’t fully understand the material or lack strategy.

Educare’s Approach:

We teach students how to break down tasks, manage time, and approach problems with the right methods — not just answer questions.

Frequent Frustration or Resistance Around Schoolwork

Is your child becoming unusually emotional, resistant, or anxious about certain subjects? Do they avoid eye contact when you ask about test scores?

These emotional signs often come before poor results — and reflect low confidence.

Educare’s Approach:

Our tutors act not just as academic coaches, but also as mentors who build student confidence through small, achievable wins.

Feedback from Teachers Shows Repeated Struggles

Teachers may use phrases like:

“Needs more time to grasp concepts”
“Not participating in class”
“Incomplete assignments”

This feedback suggests your child might be overwhelmed or unclear about foundational skills.

Educare’s Approach:

We work with parents to address school feedback directly and build the specific skills your child needs to catch up — or keep up.

Exam Performance Doesn’t Reflect Revision Effort

Does your child seem to study hard — but still underperform? This may point to issues like:

Ineffective revision strategies
Weak question analysis skills
Exam stress or misinterpretation of question formats

Educare’s Approach:

We explicitly teach exam techniques, timing, and structured answering — not just content revision.

You’re Doing Most of the Teaching at Home

If your evenings look like this:

You’re re-teaching school content
You’re helping with every homework question
There’s tension between parent and child during study time

…then tuition may be a healthier and more effective solution — for both of you.

Educare’s Approach:

We relieve parents of this pressure and ensure that learning happens in a structured, neutral space — led by trained tutors.

Final Thoughts: Catching the Signs Early Matters

Many parents wait until after poor exam results to seek tuition — but early intervention can make all the difference. Tuition shouldn’t be a last resort. It should be a strategic tool to: