Kumon allows Jayla-Rae to discover her full potential

When nine-year-old Jayla-Rae joined the Kumon Wembley Central Study Centre three years ago, maths was already one of her favourite subjects at school. Her parents wanted her to progress freely in a subject she clearly enjoyed and also develop her English ability. Now, she has not only developed a love for English, but she’s also working three years ahead of her school year level in maths! Now in Year 4, Jayla-Rae has used the time during lockdown to start to prepare for her 11+ exams, alongside studying her Kumon. Although she won’t sit her 11+ exams until Year 6, she’s keen to get a head-start and have plenty of practice. 

Jayla-Rae has remained dedicated to her Kumon studies throughout lockdown. While she would normally have attended the centre twice a week, she now looks forward to attending online Zoom classes with her Instructor, Navaz. Both Jayla-Rae and her parents believe the Zoom classes have been an excellent development to the usual classroom support of students, since they allow the Instructor to observe students’ working techniques closely and to provide personal, direct feedback and guidance.  

We caught up with Jayla-Rae to find out more about her Kumon journey. She said: “Kumon has helped me develop new study skills, such as independent learning, time management and most importantly, problem-solving. Kumon has also enabled me to grasp new topics quickly at school and think logically. I use the Kumon methods to help me solve answers to problems, especially in maths. Sometimes I even complete my classwork before my classmates and now my teachers give me additional, advanced work to do. Kumon has given me a great amount of confidence in my studies.” 

And what about English? “I now really enjoy English and although I have always enjoyed writing I have started to read more, which was something I disliked before joining Kumon. I now try to read a different book every day; one of my favourites being ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’. I also love factual books. The Kumon English Programme has taught me to read carefully and comprehend the text; this has particularly helped me during exams.”

Her parents advocate that Kumon has helped Jayla-Rae build strong foundations, providing her with key, lifelong study skills. Mum, Julie-Ann said: “Jayla-Rae has always done well at school, but I can now see how school studies alone would never have been able to push Jayla-Rae to her full potential. Kumon has done just that. Since joining Kumon, Jayla-Rae has excelled in her academic skills in English and maths, to levels that have her consistently achieving the highest scores within her year group at school. The assessment tests that are carried out by Kumon have also helped Jayla-Rae positively manage any feelings of pressure”.

Jayla-Rae’s Dad, Darae, added: “Since Jayla-Rae joined Kumon, I have not only noticed her maths and English abilities develop, which is reflected in her schoolwork, but the profile of Kumon has risen in the local area and especially in her school, more students are studying the programme. Navaz has done a good job.”

At Kumon, those students who are particularly excelling by studying work above their school year level reach what is known as the Advanced Student Honour Roll (ASHR). Such students are recognised for their achievements through ASHR awards ceremonies. As Jayla-Rae is working three years above her school year level in maths, she has received multiple awards. Mum, Julie-Ann told us: “The annual awards ceremony is a lovely event that celebrates the children’s achievements. When Jayla-Rae received her awards from the Mayor, it encouraged her to work even harder. It was even extra special having her school teacher attend. We look forward to our younger daughter starting the program soon. Thank you so much to Navaz and the whole team at Kumon for their continued support and efforts.”

Instructor, Navaz told us: “When Jayla joined my centre in 2017, I knew instantly that she was going to be a successful Kumon student - she was curious and quick to learn from the very first day she walked in. Very soon, we watched Jayla master column multiplication, then division and before long, she had mastered four operations with fractions. In English, she is now able to interpret complex texts and has accumulated a massive vocabulary bank for a nine-year-old! Next month, she will be two years ahead of school level in her English! 

It has not always been easy to juggle Kumon along with school and her very busy extracurricular activities, such as gymnastics, but she has persevered and managed to have it all!”

Keep up the fantastic work, Jayla-Rae, as you continue to succeed in your Kumon studies.

Well done!