To whom it may concern

I found this tutor in 2022 via your website for private homecare tutoring for my daughter who was in yr 2 at the time. I took on the lady called Sonali ( who I just blocked on here tonight). Sonali has been registered with your agency since 2015. To be clear I was a floundering single parent (most likely undiagnosed dyslexic as well) with no teaching experience. My initial telephone call with Sonali was very positive discussing my daughter who had very low self confidence at the time with her academic learning. I was largely very happy with the weekly input and online lessons. Concerns started to arise when over hearing some of the communications online. Sonali would make comparisons saying to Jasmine that her younger year group had already grasped what she was teaching Jasmine and Jasmine should already know it, if not pick it up easily. To be clear we had been wondering if Jasmine might also be suffering from dyslexia so I did not feel this way of addressing Jasmine was useful. Over the two/three years I have had personal communications with Sonali on the phone or via text about Jasmine or money and have found she addresses me rather than a parent, like a child, talking to me in a rather rude and patronising manner. I have put these concerns aside because I wished to keep some stability to Jasmine and her learning. I also avoided communicating with her. We did look last year for another tutor but I choose to stick with Sonali for Jasmine to have continuity. Tonight however, Sonali crossed a line that she has previously, but it was the straw that broke the camels back, so to speak. I am separated from Jasmines father and Sonali is saying to Jasmine 'say hello to your dad for me'. This is not the first time she has done this, but things are not great in our family dynamics atm so it it is completely inappropriate (as it always has been) and nothing to do with my daughters learning. Sonali has met my ex partner online when I have had to work on some occasions and Jasmine has had to have her lessons at another abode. I pay Sonali for the lessons and am the one who employs her. After Sonali had an initial lesson with Jasmine at my ex partner's flat ( online), she added him into her feedback emails with me which I promptly asked her to revert back to sending the emails to just myself as her employer. (She never added Jasmines grandfather after meeting him online for the first time). This request to take Jasmines father out of the email communications resulted in a discussion with Sonali where she disclosed she was also a single parent and understood the complications. Tonight however she is sending her greetings via my daughters lessons to Jasmines father ? This is not the first time I have overheard this but it will be the last as it feels completely inappropriate and tbh her interest feels slightly flirtatious. This may all seem benign to read or perhaps even accusative, but from a family fraught with conflict it highlights to me Sonali has no concept of family dynamics with separated families and no concept of how to address an adult parent without belittling there wisdom of life. Sonali is a knowledgeable teacher for juniors but considering the other aspects of her behaviour I feel the need to report her communication and social skills. Sonali needs some additional training to be able to work with families privately.

Yours sincerely

Tara McGuinness