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Become a better tutor · Module 4: Parents as partners

Parents are stakeholders: map who needs what

Your client is the student. Your sponsor is usually the parent. Both need different things from you, and the balance changes with age.

Written by the Brainhub Editorial Team Cites published research Updated 13 Oct 2026 6 min read

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Key takeaways

1. Who’s who

Consultants map their stakeholders: who decides, who is affected, who needs to be kept informed. Tutoring has the same cast. Mapping it stops you neglecting the parent who is paying, or talking over the student who is learning.[1]

Stakeholder
What they want from you
How to serve them
Student
To understand it, feel capable and not be embarrassed
Good lessons, choices, honesty
Parent
Confidence their money and their child’s time are well spent
Clear plan, regular updates, early warnings
School teacher
Usually unaware of you, but sets the curriculum
Follow their scheme of work and exam board
Brainhub
Happy families and great outcomes
Notes, reliability, and raising concerns early

2. The involvement curve

A large review of parental involvement found that for secondary-age students, the most helpful thing parents did was “academic socialisation”: talking about the value of education, linking schoolwork to future goals and planning together. Direct help with homework was less consistently helpful.[2]

The Education Endowment Foundation’s guidance for schools says something similar: support parents with practical strategies and encourage positive conversations about learning, tailored to the child’s age.[3]

Stage
Parent’s role
Your updates
Primary and 11+
Hands-on: short practice at home, reading together
Weekly, with one thing to practise at home
GCSE
Sponsor and encourager: routines, goals, mock dates
Fortnightly, plus a progress check every few weeks
A-Level
Kept informed: the student leads
At milestones; the student owns targets and messages

3. Agree the channel

Ask at the start: how would you like updates, how often, and who should get them? Some parents want a short message every week; others only want to hear at milestones. Write it in the agreement. Then the parent never has to chase you, which is one of the fastest ways to lose trust.

Try this: For each student, write one line: “Parent’s role at this stage is…”. Share it with the parent so they know how to help.

Try it now

Test yourself on this page

Answer in your head first, then check.

  1. 1. In consulting terms, who is usually the sponsor in tutoring?

  2. 2. For secondary students, what type of parental involvement helped most in the review?

Your next steps

  • Map the four stakeholders for one student.
  • Agree an update rhythm with every family.
  • Give each parent one practical, age-appropriate way to help.

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Sources

  1. Block, P. (2011). Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used (3rd edition). San Francisco: Pfeiffer (Wiley). designedlearning.com
  2. Hill, N. E. and Tyson, D. F. (2009). Parental involvement in middle school: a meta-analytic assessment of the strategies that promote achievement. Developmental Psychology, 45(3), 740–763. doi:10.1037/a0015362
  3. Education Endowment Foundation (2021). Working with Parents to Support Children’s Learning: guidance report. educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/supporting-parents

This lesson is general professional guidance for tutors. Always follow Brainhub’s safeguarding policy and use your own professional judgement.