Stevenage student Daniel excels in maths and English

Sixteen-year-old Daniel recently completed the Kumon English Programme at the Kumon Stevenage South Study Centre. This remarkable achievement means Daniel is able to critique advanced literary texts beyond the expectations of his school grade.

Daniel started on both Kumon programmes as a confident, able child whose poor concentration was letting him down.

He said: "I read many books so my spelling and grammar was very good. My mathematical ability was good but I was far too confident in my skills at the same time and therefore made many mistakes."

Kumon study complemented and built upon Daniel's academic ability in order to help him go on to reach his potential.

Commenting on his improved skills, he said: "Kumon increased the speed of my mental maths and algebra. I now have a wider vocabulary and am able to use my skills confidently in everyday situations."

Kumon study requires a student to truly master each topic before moving on to the next, meaning Daniel had to achieve 100% in his worksheets; this requirement encouraged him to develop in accuracy and concentration, skills vital for success. Daniel in turn always relished the satisfaction and pride he felt when obtaining full marks.

Thanks to Kumon, Daniel found completing his maths and English classwork and homework much easier, and liked being ahead of his classmates. His mum, Helen has also been extremely impressed by his progress over the years, and thinks Kumon has been a great help to her son. She enrolled Daniel onto the programmes so he would develop strong foundations in both core subjects; and she believes Kumon has done just that, for he is currently excelling in his maths and English studies.

Whilst Daniel worked extremely hard and showed great commitment in order to complete the English programme, he appreciates the support his mum and his Kumon Instructor, Sarah, gave him throughout his Kumon journey. He said: "The most difficult aspect of the Kumon programmes was ensuring I did my worksheets every day, but I overcame this with the help of my mum who was always there to encourage me. My Instructor also helped me by closely tracking my progress and ensuring I had the right work to do to keep me challenged."

Daniel has spent the last 18 months working alongside Sarah at the study centre, supporting the more advanced students on the higher levels of the programmes. This experience has encouraged him to think about a possible career in teaching, otherwise he would like to put his mathematical knowledge to practical use by entering into the field of computing, specialising in software engineering or games coding.

Sarah said: "When Daniel started his Kumon classes, he was a quiet and shy character. Although Daniel was a very able student, he made silly mistakes through being slightly too confident in his ability. Giving Daniel a sensible starting point ironed out the silly mistakes. He then progressed at a good pace, asking for more repetition when he felt he needed to, thus becoming an independent learner. Regular class attendance and completion of his worksheets led to many certificates.

"Daniel continued to a high level in the maths programme and completed the English programme. As an Instructor, I was very proud to have Daniel as my first Completer. He is still a quiet character but has so much more confidence and now works within my classroom helping others to achieve their goals. Daniel's mum, Helen, was a huge help to Daniel. She always marked Daniel's work and had him do any corrections as well as getting him to class every week. Daniel has just received excellent GCSE results and is aiming to go to university after his A-level studies. Daniel is proof that hard work pays off and I hope he continues to work alongside me until he leaves for university."

Huge congratulations go to Daniel for completing the Kumon English Programme and we wish him well in his future studies.