Written by a qualified teacher with classroom and educational leadership experience. Rethinking Mindsets is a Sydney, NSW-based online tutoring provider supporting families nationwide.

ADF Education Assistance Scheme tutoring may assist when a posting leads to a school change and a child needs additional educational support. Families arrange tutoring approval directly with Defence before enquiring about funded sessions with Rethinking Mindsets. Defence determines eligibility, funding limits, timeframes and claim conditions.

Once tutoring funding is approved, the next consideration is how teaching will respond to your child’s academic needs at their new school. This article explains where tutoring may fit, what individually planned teaching can involve and which arrangements families should confirm directly with Defence.

When EAS Tutoring May Apply

The Education Assistance Scheme recognises that a posting-related school change can disrupt a child’s education. Tutoring assistance may be available where additional educational support is required, subject to Defence’s requirements and approval. A connection to Defence or a school move does not by itself confirm approval for tutoring.

Families should use the official Defence Education Assistance Scheme guidance to confirm current requirements and obtain application assistance. Rethinking Mindsets does not determine eligibility, approve funding or guide or manage applications.

Understanding Academic Needs After a School Change

A student may understand a subject well but encounter content taught in a different order at their new school. Classroom language, assessment formats and expectations for independent work may also be unfamiliar. These differences can make it harder to show existing understanding while adjusting to new routines.

Other students may need explicit teaching to strengthen foundations that current schoolwork relies on. Educators need to distinguish unfamiliar expectations from gaps in understanding, using relevant school information, discussion and observation during teaching. The response should reflect the individual student’s needs rather than assume every school move requires the same support.

Our article on tutoring after changing schools explores how clear expectations and structured teaching can support students during this adjustment.

What Individually Planned EAS Tutoring Looks Like

At Rethinking Mindsets, experienced, qualified teachers provide one-to-one online tutoring in English and mathematics for students in Years 2–9. Educators use curriculum knowledge and classroom experience to plan sessions and adapt teaching to reflect individual school expectations within the scope of approved tutoring.

Teaching may involve explaining an unfamiliar concept, modelling a strategy or revisiting knowledge needed for current classroom work. Guided practice gives the educator opportunities to check understanding and adjust explanations before asking the student to apply their learning more independently.

Where relevant to the student’s needs and approved tutoring, educators may also teach planning, organisation and self-monitoring strategies. These might include identifying the first step in a task, checking whether an answer makes sense or recognising when further explanation is needed. Our approach to tutoring explains how individual planning and professional judgement guide this work.

Supporting Confidence Alongside Academic Challenge

Unfamiliar schoolwork can bring academic pressure or anxiety about schoolwork for some students. Parents may notice hesitation, frequent reassurance-seeking or excessive time spent trying to make work perfect. These observations can help an educator understand how the student approaches learning, but they do not by themselves establish eligibility for EAS funding.

Educators respond through clear explanations, manageable steps and guided practice while retaining meaningful academic challenge. A consistent educator relationship provides time to understand when a student needs further teaching, encouragement to attempt a task or greater independence. Progress varies, and tutoring does not guarantee particular academic or personal outcomes.

Tutoring may support confidence and student wellbeing alongside academic learning, but it is not a clinical service. Where concerns extend beyond learning or significantly affect everyday life, families should also speak with their school or an appropriate health professional.

Funding, Timing and Session Arrangements

Families should confirm approved subjects, funding limits, timeframes and claim conditions directly with Defence. Approval should not be assumed to cover additional sessions, a different subject or tutoring outside the approved period. Holiday tutoring or changes to session arrangements also need to fit the relevant funding conditions and educator availability.

Teaching can adapt as understanding develops, while funded sessions remain within the approved arrangements. Before tutoring begins, RM clarifies session fees, how proposed sessions fit the approved funding and any costs payable by the family. Funding approval does not reserve a tutoring place or guarantee availability.

Choosing Funded or Private Tutoring

Once EAS tutoring funding is approved, families can explore our ADF tutoring service and enquire about suitability and available sessions. We take time to understand the student’s strengths, current academic needs and school expectations before discussing arrangements.

Defence families may also choose private tutoring when funding is unavailable, approved sessions have finished or they prefer to proceed privately. Private tutoring can address ongoing academic needs or provide extension for students ready for greater challenge, subject to suitability and educator availability. It is a separate choice from funded assistance.