How our online tutors are checked and matched
One-to-one online tutoring in Maths, English and Science, for GCSE and KS3. Here is how you get started, what the portal does for you, and how we choose the people who teach your child.
Getting started
- 1. A free call
Tell us where your child is now, what they are aiming for and how long they have. It takes 15 minutes and there is no obligation.
- 2. We propose a tutor
We recommend a tutor for your child and tell you their hourly price. Nothing starts until you say yes, in the portal.
- 3. Lessons begin
You and your tutor agree a time, weekly or just once, and your child joins from home.
See how our prices work.
One portal for everything to do with lessons
Once you have accepted a tutor, you have a single login for the lot. The portal is for parents and guardians: children do not have their own login.
- Booking
Your tutor suggests a time, or you do. Nothing is booked until you have both agreed, and times show in your own time zone.
- Lessons
Your next lesson is the first thing you see when you sign in. Lessons take place on Microsoft Teams, and the Join button goes live 15 minutes before the start. Lessons are not recorded.
- Messages
All contact with your tutor stays in the portal, and you can read every message. Phone numbers and email addresses are hidden automatically. Sophwick can read messages to keep everyone safe, and each time we read a conversation, it is logged.
- Progress reports
Your tutor writes a short report after each lesson, and it appears on that lesson's page.
- Payments
One bill twice a month, showing each lesson. Pay by card, or save a card and we charge it three days after the bill. Question any line first, and a saved card is not charged for that bill until we have answered.
How we check every tutor
No tutor can see or contact a family until every step is complete and recorded, and our Designated Safeguarding Lead has approved them.
- Enhanced DBS check, with the Children's Barred List
The certificate must be under three years old or on the DBS Update Service. With the tutor's permission, we check Update Service status online at least once a year.
- Identity
We check photo ID against the name on the DBS certificate.
- Right to work
Checked and recorded before approval.
- Qualifications
We check copies of the relevant qualifications.
- References
At least two, obtained directly from the referee, and at least one about the tutor's work with children.
- An interview
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead interviews every applicant. We ask different questions of each one, to test their subject knowledge, how well they can break a topic down for a student, and how much they can help a student develop. We also ask about safeguarding and why they want to work with children. Applicants get active feedback during the interview, to help them improve.
- Our Safeguarding Policy
Every tutor reads our Safeguarding Policy and code of conduct, and agrees to follow them.
The checks do not stop at approval. If a tutor's DBS record stops being current, the portal stops new bookings with them until it is put right.
Read our full Safeguarding Policy.
How we train our tutors
- Sophwick enrols every tutor on a recognised online safeguarding course (Level 1 or equivalent) before they teach, and keeps a copy of their certificate; the course is refreshed at least every three years. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead also runs a safeguarding seminar for every tutor, as extra training on top.
- Our team also runs training days for tutors, on topics such as making content modular, knowing when you are losing a student's attention, resetting, and cognitive load.
- The next, at the start of December 2026, covers active and passive recall, and how coming back to something after a week, then two weeks, then a month can help to solidify knowledge, with the papers and scientific research behind it.
Are your tutors qualified teachers?
Our team includes experienced, qualified teachers, alongside experienced tutors who are not. Every one goes through the same checks. If you would prefer a qualified teacher, tell us on your free call.
Questions parents ask
Are lessons recorded?
No. Lessons are not recorded, and transcription and attendance reporting are not switched on.
Can my child message their tutor?
No. The portal is for parents and guardians, and your tutor speaks to your child in lessons. Tutors must not contact students outside them.
What if the tutor is not the right fit?
Tell us and we will recommend another. You choose whether to accept them.
What if the tutor cancels or does not turn up?
You are not charged, and your tutor offers a replacement lesson at a time that suits you. If a tutor does not join, you can tell us through the portal.
Who do I tell if I am worried about a child?
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. Otherwise email our Designated Safeguarding Lead at safeguarding@sophwick.com, or use Report this message on any message in the portal.
For lessons, cancellations and payment in general, see our FAQs page.
Begin with a free 15-minute call
Tell us where your child is now, the grade they are aiming for and how long they have. We will propose a tutor, with their hourly price, and give you our honest recommendation.