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the child a couple of hours a week after school, I’d say at least 50 per
cent of your job is empathy. It’s understanding why that child isn’t
accessing the curriculum or why they’re not doing their homework.
Why they’re not succeeding in their academic goals. You can’t just go
in there and be like everyone else in their lives, like the teacher or the
parent. You’ve got to have a bit of an older brother or sister relationship.
They’ve got to look up to you, and they’ve got to think you’re quite cool.’
In that spirit, a tutor wouldn’t necessarily silo the child’s learning
into maths, then English, then French, explains McCullagh. ‘You could
have a lesson about horses during which you learn all about physics, all
about history, all about English, but it’s built on this project of a horse.
‘The tutors are very creative educators, they don’t have
to follow the rules of a classroom. They create their own rules.
And they can create a classroom by the polo field, in the
apartment, by the swimming pool. There’s ultimate flexibility.’
Nick Wiles employed a tutor for his son Luke, so that Luke could
progress his polo in Argentina: ‘The support of a well-organised tutor
has allowed Luke to go to Argentina during the second half of the
fall term, while keeping up with his school work. A combination
of this tutor support with some hard work from Luke has provided
the opportunity to play some good tournaments during the
important Argentine season.’
Finding the right tutor is no mean feat, however, even at the enquiry
stage, McCullagh’s agency is, in his own words, ‘a pretty bespoke
process.’ He continues, ‘Some parents will be very happy with a phone
call, but quite often we fly out to meet them. A more complicated
version might be that the parents are in London, we have a couple of
meetings, we meet the children, and we do a full assessment of the child.
‘We bring in an academic consultant who works out exactly
what makes the child tick, where they’re weak, where they’re strong.
We might bring in other professionals such as an education
psychologist, possibly a behavioural specialist.’
So, regardless of whether the families are in the polo world
or not, what would be his one piece of advice for parents?
‘Get a tutor,’ jokes McCullagh. ‘No, my one piece of advice would
be “Do not be afraid of robustly challenging a child’s teacher”. Don’t
harass them, because they’re doing their best, but don’t be afraid of
pushing a little bit. Say, “I think my child needs a bit of extra help
here or here, what can I do to help them?” Not what can the teacher
do, what can the parent do. Ask, “Can you give me some homework,
can you give me some advice? What can I do to help?” The key thing,
I would say, is to ask for help and to listen to your child.’
After all, a polo handicap might be a passport to the world, but
education is the passport to the future.
Left
A tutor introduced by SLT
helps a student with her A-levels.
Below:
SLT team members
supporting one of their charities.
Opposite:
Nathaniel playing polo
PA U L M A C N E I L P H OTO G R A P H Y, I M A G E S O F P O LO
