Shadow teacher vs LSA vs SEN tutor

Shadow teacher: in the mainstream classroom during school hours, supporting one child, usually hired and paid by the family, follows the school's plan for the child.

Learning support assistant: the same classroom role, employed by the school, sometimes shared between children, allocated by the inclusion team, paid through tuition or a support fee.

SEN tutor: outside school hours, at home or in a centre, teaches academic content or specific skills, hired by the family, sets their own programme in consultation with the parents and sometimes the school.

The shadow teacher's value is presence: someone beside the child every lesson who knows the child's triggers, simplifies what the class teacher says, and keeps the day moving. Because the family hires them, the family chooses the person, sets the hours and can change them. The school still has to approve them and add them to its staff list. Read the full role description in what is a shadow teacher.

When a school says it can provide an LSA, ask three questions: is the assistant one-to-one or shared, for how many hours a day, and what is the additional fee, if any. A shared assistant for part of the day suits a child with mild needs; a child who cannot cope in class without an adult usually needs one-to-one support, which many schools cannot staff themselves. Our LSA page explains how schools typically arrange this.

A tutor with special educational needs training works on skills: reading, writing, maths, language, study habits. Sessions are typically one to two hours, a few times a week, after school. Tutors are useful when the child is behind academically and the school's in-class support has not closed the gap. They are not a substitute for classroom support, because they are not there when the difficulty happens.

Tutors charge by the hour, and rates in the UAE vary widely with qualifications. A tutor working from the same targets as the school's plan is worth more than one working from a generic programme, so share the plan.

Start with where the difficulty shows. If the problem is in the classroom (staying in the room, following instructions, behaviour, peers), the answer is in-class support: an LSA from the school if available and sufficient, otherwise a shadow teacher you hire. If the problem is an academic gap and the child copes in class, a tutor may be enough. If both, combine an in-class adult with targeted tutoring, and make sure the two are working on the same goals.

Where the child's needs relate to a specific condition, the school may have a view on which background matters most. Our condition pages, for example autism support in Dubai and ADHD support in Dubai, list teachers by specialty.

A school-employed LSA is either included in fees or charged as a monthly support fee. A shadow teacher hired directly is paid a monthly salary or an hourly rate agreed between you; the cost page shows the brackets verified teachers on this platform ask for. A tutor is paid per session. Families sometimes assume the tutor is the cheaper route because the hours are fewer, but when the child also needs an adult in class, the tutor is an addition rather than an alternative.