Finding out that your child is falling behind in English can feel alarming — especially if exams are approaching. But a gap in English performance is almost always recoverable with the right support, and identifying the nature of the gap is the first step to closing it. Here’s how to think about it.
First: Identify Where the Gap Actually Is
“Falling behind in English” can mean several very different things. Is it reading comprehension? Writing quality? Vocabulary? Analytical essay skills? Exam technique? Motivation and engagement? The support that helps with each of these is different, and treating them as the same problem leads to generic interventions that don’t land.
Ask the teacher specifically: what is my child doing well, and what specifically needs to improve? A vague “needs to work on their writing” is less useful than “they struggle to structure analytical paragraphs and their quotation analysis is underdeveloped.” The more specific the diagnosis, the more targeted the support can be.
Don’t Wait for the End-of-Year Report
By the time an annual report signals underperformance, several terms of a gap may already exist. If you notice your child struggling with homework, avoiding reading, or expressing frustration about English class, that’s worth investigating sooner rather than later. Early intervention is much easier than crisis management in the term before exams.
Address Confidence Alongside Skills
Children who’ve fallen behind in English often carry a story about themselves — “I’m just not good at English” — that can be as much of an obstacle as the skills gap itself. Any intervention that improves skills without also improving confidence will only partially work. The confidence comes from earned success: small, specific, genuine improvements that the child can see and recognise.
What Doesn’t Help
Putting pressure on without providing support. Making English a source of family conflict. Generic online resources without targeted feedback. And doing the work for them — which masks the gap without closing it. What helps is specific feedback, regular practice, and a gradual rebuilding of confidence through genuine achievement.
What Does Help
A specialist tutor who can identify the specific gap and work on it systematically. Regular reading — any reading, in any genre, but consistent. Writing practice with feedback, even short pieces. And patience — English skills develop more slowly than content knowledge, and the progress is cumulative.
Thorogood English works with students at all levels — including those who’ve fallen behind and need to rebuild both skills and confidence. Join the waiting list for January 2027.
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