A Carlisle study centre has been helping children return to the classroom with confidence.
Education franchise Kumon welcomed students back to its centre in Cooper Way, Kingstown, this month, having conducted all sessions online during the coronavirus lockdown.
With many children in the region having missed large periods of the last two school terms, the supplemental English and Maths programmes taught at Kumon are helping put them back on track.
Kumon Carlisle owner and instructor Lesley Winter says: “Our programmes are for children of all ages and abilities, and complement the school curricula lessons.
“Right from their initial assessment, children start their self-study on work that is at the ‘just-right,’ level for them, which creates a solid foundation for study with which children can independently develop their academic ability.
“The instructors continually challenge children to make progress by gradually increasing the difficulty of the worksheets they assign, and through The Kumon Method they develop the confidence to expect to be able to get the correct answer.
“They feel positive about themselves and their learning which spurs them onto their learning the following day and instils a joy and satisfaction in learning which carries over into other aspects of their lives.”
Established in Japan in the 1950s, Kumon develops children through the acquisition of critical thinking skills, rather than teaching in the conventional sense, allowing them to learn independently.
Mrs Winter opened the Carlisle centre – one of 650 across the UK – in November last year.
The coronavirus crisis presented its challenges, but the students have been able to continue their tuition via video calls. The study centre reopened at the start of September ahead of the new school year.
“The instructors observe the children working and guide and support so that the children come to the answer for themselves. There is nothing more empowering for a child than working the answer out themselves.
“We make a study projection for a calendar year, showing what the children should achieve by the end of that year if they do their Kumon daily self-study. They move on at their own pace and so it is very possible at the end of their first year of study to be working above school year level in the topics covered within our Maths and English programmes,” says Mrs Winter.
The approach has been praised by mum Dr Vivian Thomas whose son Joel won a gold award in the UK Mathematics Trust Junior Maths Challenge.following the help he got at Kumon.
She said: “Kumon really helped Joel in improving his skills in maths by regular practice. He achieved the gold medal in the UK Maths Challenge Test earlier this year.”
Registration for Kumon costs a one-off £40 fee, and then £65 per month for each of the English and Maths programmes.
To find out more, visit www.kumon.co.uk/carlisle or www.facebook.com/carlislekumon and to discuss the Maths and English programmes at Kumon Carlisle Study Centre, contact Lesley Winter on 07821 120876 or [email protected]
