We turned down 42 of our last 150 tutor applications
Anyone can call themselves a tutor. Nothing stops it. So the only question that matters is what sits between an application and your child — and here is ours, in full.
What we actually check
Every application is read by a person. Not scored by a filter, not auto-approved on a completed form. Of our last 150 applications we declined 42, and only one is still waiting on a decision — we do not leave applications sitting.
DBS status is shown on every profile. Each tutor carries one of three labels: verified by us, meaning we have seen the certificate ourselves, on file, meaning they have given us the details and we have not yet checked them, or not provided. You can see which before you book.
Contact stays on the platform. Sessions run in our own video room and messages go through us, so there is a record. Attempts to move a student onto a personal number or a private messaging app are blocked automatically, and flagged for review.
Recording only with consent. A session is never recorded unless consent has been given. Concerns go to a named designated safeguarding lead — that is Archie, who founded Sessioned and reads every one.
What we do not claim
Almost every tutoring site in the UK tells you that all of its tutors are DBS-checked. It is worth asking what was actually checked. Very often it means a tutor ticked a box during signup and nobody looked further.
We do not make that claim, because we cannot make it truthfully about everybody. What we do instead is show you, tutor by tutor, whether we have seen the certificate ourselves or whether the tutor has told us they hold one. A per-tutor answer is less comfortable to write than a blanket one. It is also the only version you can act on.
If a platform will not tell you which of its tutors it has personally verified, that is worth noticing.
What a DBS check does and does not tell you
A DBS certificate records whether someone has relevant criminal convictions at the moment it was issued. It is a genuine and necessary check. It is not a prediction, it does not expire on a fixed date, and it says nothing at all about whether someone can teach.
That is why it is one of four things we look at rather than the only one. We have written about what the different levels of check actually cover, and where the gaps are, in our guide to DBS checks.
If something goes wrong
Your first session is guaranteed. If it is not the right fit, we will rematch you and refund it. No argument.
Anything can be reported from inside a conversation. Reports reach a named person, not a queue.
Our full safeguarding policy — including how concerns are handled and who is accountable — is published at sessioned.co.uk/safeguarding.
Ready to find someone?
Tell us what you need and we will match you with tutors who take bookings now. Getting matched is free, no account is needed to see who we would suggest, and your tutor sets their own rate and keeps all of it.