About the centre

Kumon involves a 'little and often' approach. Students complete a manageable amount of work each day typically taking between 10 to 20 minutes. This is enough to make a difference to the student's progress but not too onerous for the student.

How do I begin?
Initially, the student and their parents attend an enrolment meeting. This can take place at the parent's home or at the centre and lasts about an hour to ninety minutes. At this point, I run through the Kumon programme to make sure parents and student are happy with what they have to do to enable their child to get the best possible experience out of their Kumon study. The enrolment involves a diagnostic test to establish the correct level for the student to start the Kumon programme. This is individualised, based upon ability and does not depend on their age. I set goals for the student to show their likely progress.

All students start the programme at an easy starting point to build confidence and concentration. This also gives students the opportunity to fill any gaps they may have in their knowledge and allows them to develop their study skills. The easy starting point helps the student build solid foundations and assists progress through the Kumon programme.

In the centre there is an area for the students to swap over their completed work for the new work for the week. We like students to do this for themselves to build up a sense of ownership of the work and to build independence. On the student's first visit to the centre they will be assisted by a member of staff.

The Kumon week
Students attend the centre once a week. They will be there for around 30 minutes per subject. During this time they will do that day's Kumon. English students will do some oral reading, maths students may complete the number board. We will see the students whilst they are in class, observe them working, discuss their progress and monitor time targets. When the students have completed their work they have to correct any mistakes that they have made. This is important for the students to do as it helps their learning.
In the centre there is a maximum student to staff ratio of 5 at any time. Generally, however, the ratio is as low as 2 or 3.

Motivation
Students receive certificates whenever they successfully complete a level of work. If they are working on advanced material, known as the Advanced Student Roll (ASR), we award certificates to celebrate their progress in June and host a prize giving event in December.
We have established a tradition of holding an annual prize giving event in December with the Mayor of Sandown presenting the students' medals and certificates. The last event was reported by the Isle of Wight County Press. Have a look at the last ASR prize giving on the News and Events section.