Tutor / explore learning

[movingforward2016]

My daughter is in year five and needs help with maths, I have put her into explore learning but it's very costly £145 per month and we find it difficult to attend the two classes every week I'm not sure if it's worth it.

I'm wondering if a tutor would be better and what's the best way to find a good one? I think she would do better with one on one help.

[movingforward2016]

Any ideas?

Also would be interested to hear others experience of explore learning.

[iwantavuvezela]

I do not have direct experience with explore learning, but have visited one of their sites. I have recently got a tutor for my daughter to help her with her maths (also Y5) She has an hour individual lesson a week at our house and that is £30 a session. For me this is much better value as my daughter gets direct one on one session and help with what she needs.

[Bluepowder]

Either ask around or there are plenty on Tutor Hunt and other tutoring websites.

[flowersandsunshine]

What a rip off - £145 per month for a class! Your dc will make far better progress with a tutor 1-1. There are numerous tutor websites - Tutorfair is another one. Or ask people you know, probably many others can recommend tutors.

[movingforward2016]

Thank you for the replies, the tutors I have found online are £40 per hour, I will keep looking but I really do think 1-1 will be much better than explore learning!

[movingforward2016]

I want - have you noticed a good improvement in your dreams maths?

[iwantavuvezela]

Yes, she gets a chance to re go through the work she is doing at school, she is firming up her knowledge, the tutor is working on gaps with her. I am happy with her progress, as I was worried that she was not really understanding the different methods she was doing. I think around £40 is the going rate, but even 3 one on one sessions at that price a month I think is still better than a group based, computer driven tuition. But as I said I have no direct experience so I stand to be corrected. For me I like the individual work, and my DD going at her own pace, and making sure she is understanding the maths content.

[EatonGate]

I don't have personal experience with Explore Learning, but from the criteria they have on their website for recruiting tutors, which is just a B in English and Maths GCSE, and the fact that it's group-based, that seems like a lot of money. Private tutors will often have teaching qualifications, and will almost certainly have a degree in a relevent subject to that which they are teaching.

If cost is an issue, you could ask for a session once a fortnight rather than once a week, or club together with someone else with a child the same age to share the price of the sessions.

In my experience as a tutor, teaching two children at once can be even more effective than one-on-one. The tutor can really walk a student through a topic but then can then give them an opportunity to have to try it on their own and check they understand while working with the other student, overcoming the only real downside of private tuition which can be student overeliance on having someone there holding their hand while they work.

[flowersandsunshine]

£40 is quite a lot - you can get cheaper tutors than that.

If you want to try computer-based classes, you can sign up to online courses like www.themathsfactor.com/ which one of my dcs used with some success, or uk.mathletics.com/ (haven't used but well thought of).

Or there are free platforms - search this site as discussed previously, eg Khan Academy etc.

You can do anything a tutor would do using simple books available from WHSmiths and Amazon eg www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/KS2-Maths-Study-New-Curriculum-CGP-Books/1847621848/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478968341&sr=8-1&keywords=ks2%20maths&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 and www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/KS2-Maths-Question-Book-New-Curriculum-Books/1847621856/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1478968341&sr=8-9&keywords=ks2%20maths&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 or www.amazon.co.uk/KS2-Maths-Targeted-Study-Book/dp/1847621929/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1478968341&sr=8-11&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

Provided your maths is up to GCSE standard, you shouldn't have any difficulties coping with maths for 9-year-olds.

[3asAbird]

Looked into explore in year 2.
Fact it was computer based put me off lots of computer based maths tuition cheaper ie ixl maths and Carol maths factor both around £10-15 a month

We now year 6 and with kip mgraph learning.1 1 hour 20mins session costs £32.

Plus follow up weekly online home work.
Qualified teachers .
Works out around £24 an hour co parcale lots 1 to one tutors.

But kip is groups of 5 or less with some one to one.

They do maths and english.

It's £128. Month so not much difference to what you paying now but in pleased I woukd struggle give up 2 evenings due to sports clubs and 3 kids.

[Shaistaali]

Hi just wanted to know if I'm too late to put my ds on private tution for science went to his parents evening on Thursday and he's really gone down below so we've decided to put him on for a bit of extra help he's yr 11 and 5 months to go for gcse I want extra help on maths and a bit of English who can I go to for them is kumon good or am I too late for that thanks people for listening I've been stressed he was doing so well..

[Shaistaali]

Has anyone got any ideas thanks

[Shaistaali]

Thanks for ur advice janice much appreciated.

[Sixisthemagicnumber]

The teachers at explore learning usually have no teaching qualifications and very little teaching experience. I wouldn't pay £145 per month to have somebody teaching my children when they are not suitably qualified or experienced to do so. They might not even be educated beyond a 'D' in A levels.

[Sixisthemagicnumber]

shaist like explore learning, most kumon teachers are not qualified in teaching. I wouldn't risk kumon for somebody so close to GCSEs.

[PurpleDaisies]

I thought you needed a tutor for your children janice?

[PurpleDaisies]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/2786905-Tutoring-in-London?msgid=65063505#65063505

[theaveragewife]

Kumon is horrific, like torture for children and with no real help or teaching whatsoever - a waste of time and money.

Agree with above posters, a 1-1 tutor is the way to go!

[Shaistaali]

Thanks for advice theaveragewife he's got a free assesment soon for maths they will tell if he needs it will take it from their

[PettsWoodParadise]

The Explore Assessment will only tell you he will benefit from their course, remember their business is to sell slots on their courses. They won't give you data on who got offered places or not as they say they are all inclusive unlike some tutors who pre-select. Go in with your eyes open and careful about the hard-sell. We tried it for eleven plus and ended up ditching as it was chaotic and noisy. We ended up home tutoring and it worked very well for us even though I work full time).

[Shaistaali]

Thanks 4 the advice but I'm really struggling to find a maths private tutor for him cause it's his last year

[PettsWoodParadise]

Sorry Shaistaali, I was replying to the OP about their original question about Explore Learning - I have no knowledge of tutors for older children. It may be better to start your own thread as your question is quite different. Good luck to your DC with their GCSEs