We tried a tutor and nothing changed. What should I ask next time?

In short: Before choosing tutoring, ask how they'll find out what your child is missing, how they'll show you progress, and what happens in the first few weeks. If the answer is "we'll just go through the topics", keep looking.

Why tutoring sometimes doesn't work

A lot of tutoring repeats what school is doing: this week's topic, more practice, more worksheets. If the real problem is a gap from two years ago, extra lessons on new topics just build on top of it.

Five questions to ask

1. How will you find out exactly what my child is missing?
2. What will the first four weeks focus on?
3. How will I know it's working, and how often will I hear from you?
4. Is the teacher qualified, and DBS checked?
5. What happens if my child misses a lesson?

If the answer is "we'll just go through the topics", keep looking.Mrs Bukky

What good answers sound like

Good answers are specific. "We start with a diagnostic check, focus the first weeks on the gaps it finds, and send you a progress update every week" is a plan. "We'll see how it goes" isn't.

It's not you, and it's not your child

If tutoring didn't work before, it doesn't mean your child can't improve. It usually means nobody found the real problem.