Radhika becomes Foyles’ first Kumon English Completer
English enthusiast Radhika was the very first student to join the Kumon Foyle Study Centre in Londonderry, at the age of eight, when the centre opened in 2012. Eight years later and now aged 16, she has not only completed the Kumon English Programme during the lockdown period earlier this year, but also achieved an impressive 11 A*s in her GCSE exam results! Her mother, Sumeeta, who is also the Kumon Instructor at the centre, has always supported Radhika throughout her Kumon journey. As the centre’s first English Completer, Sumeeta couldn’t be prouder of her daughter’s achievements.
We caught up with Sumeeta to find out what prompted her to initially enrol Radhika with Kumon.
“As parents, we wanted to give our child every opportunity to excel academically” she told us. “Before I became an Instructor, I heard about Kumon for the first time when my nephew joined the programme. I liked the format of the programme and felt it offered a good head-start regarding strong academic skills, so I decided to become a Kumon Instructor and subsequently enrol Radhika onto the programme”.
Radhika can recall her early days at Kumon. She said,
“Back in 2012, I was not great at English. I would struggle to sustain my interest in a given topic and comprehension exercises never failed to bore me and strengthen the false belief that studying English was a time-consuming chore.”
Yet, over time, daily Kumon study helped Radhika develop strong study habits and gave her the responsibility to maintain a high standard in her work.
She explains, “I soon started to develop my vocabulary, understanding of a wide variety of texts, and a love for English. The skills I developed at Kumon helped me to sit and concentrate for longer periods and to understand the importance of discipline. Studying the English programme also created a strong foundation for my English GCSE results, since some of the texts in Kumon also appeared in school.”
Kumon offers individualised maths and English study programmes for children of any age and any ability. Students progress through the programmes at their own pace to reach their full potential, becoming independent, advanced learners with a positive attitude to study.
In addition to growing in confidence in English, Radhika has also vastly improved her maths ability by studying the Kumon Maths Programme. She is now able to solve problems faster and concentrate for longer periods, which helped her to succeed in the programme as well as across all subjects at school; so much so, she recently scored 400/400 marks in her Maths GCSE exam, achieving an A*.
So, what has Radhika enjoyed most about studying with Kumon?
“Kumon is a rewarding programme and I can confidently say I enjoyed receiving medals and certificates which celebrated my achievements. I have a particularly fond memory of receiving my ‘Level G in Primary’ award for Maths, which is still displayed in the Kumon Foyle Study Centre to this day.”
Reflecting on her daughters’ developments at school, Sumeeta told us,
“Kumon gives your child the opportunity to shine. Radhika’s strong foundations in education that were developed in the primary years proved to be her lifeline at grammar school. I could see her stress levels were down as her confidence levels were up. She was disciplined and determined to perform to maintain the standards she had set for herself.
“We share a friendly relationship. We share our views with an open mind. She also shares my passion for Kumon and now works for me as my assistant. As her Mum and her Instructor, I wish her all the success in life as she continues with her further education”
Congratulations, Radhika, on completing the Kumon English Programme and achieving outstanding GCSE results! We wish you all the best as you continue with your further education - you’ll continue to take new learning in your stride!