Deniz is student of the year at the Gateshead Low Fell study centre

11-year-old Deniz is student of the year at the Gateshead Low Fell study centre and is an exemplary student who is excelling both at school and within the Kumon programmes. Kumon has boosted his confidence in his abilities and has allowed him to develop transferable skills that will last him a lifetime. His ability to study advanced work is a result of his daily commitment to Kumon study since he enrolled onto the programmes five years ago.

Deniz’s mother, Jurgita, first heard of Kumon while living in Lithuania. When she moved to the UK, she received positive feedback about the Kumon Method and decided to enrol Deniz onto the English programme. As he lives in a bilingual household, she wanted to ensure he had the best support to become proficient in English. After demonstrating his excellent progress both at school and at home, she concluded that Deniz would also benefit from the maths programme. Jurgita says, “The ethos of Kumon resonates with me. To achieve what you want, you have to work hard. Deniz puts in the effort and because of this, he has developed a variety of skills that have helped him in school, such as being able to concentrate for longer periods of time and persevering even when he is faced with a challenge. He has also developed a positive attitude to learning; he has become more curious, willing and excited to learn new things, and always has a new book in his hand!”

His confidence has grown so much so that he applied for a drama scholarship at his independent secondary school whereby he had to perform in front of a panel. Jurgita says “this is something he wouldn’t have thought he could accomplish before, but his boosted confidence has opened up new doors for him.” His self-confidence also led him to start to learn how to play both the violin and the trumpet a couple of years ago.



















This year, Deniz and his family travelled to Sorrento and Crete where he managed to find a balance between Kumon study and exploring the coasts. Jurgita believes that through daily Kumon study, even during the summer break, he has developed a strong work ethic that has allowed him to become self-disciplined; “He knows when it’s time to study and when it’s time to have fun. He takes the initiative to do work without me having to prompt him. In fact, every summer he visits and stays with his grandmother without me, and he manages to get on with his daily Kumon work on his own. As he’s been taking ownership of his learning for so long, he has become independent.”

She also believes that the guidance that Deniz received from Instructor, Liz Burrin, has impacted him in many ways; “Liz has built a comfortable environment for the students. This was great for Deniz as the centre felt like home for him. He had a hard time at his old school, but at the centre he felt that he belonged. He was acknowledged for the great work he was doing and he was able to surround himself with people just like him. Now he is happier and more confident in his abilities.”