Explore Learning Reviews

Perfect experience

Teachers are very good and helpful

We have been using EL now for two months. In general, the whole organisation runs well, and this branch seems to be managed particularly well. We had a good opening meeting before signing up and got to look at their programme. My two children took to the setting very well and the staff are always smiley and child friendly to make the learning fun. My two are 8 & 9 and the younger one is doing their English and Maths programme. The elder one is working on the 11+ programme. There appears to be good measures in place for safeguarding reasons when the children arrive and leave. The programme itself you have log in details for and includes unlimited practice at home. The system builds the child up slowly with levels to maintain confidence. It obviously has algorithms that record every question that is answered and gives you a guide of strengths and weaknesses. This then allows you to focus on what needs more practice. We have already had a parent meeting to discuss progress and points for us as parents and the centre to focus on. I believe these are held quarterly. It’s worth noting that you can use childcare vouchers to pay for subscription which helps with the cost particularly if you have multiple children. In all I would definitely recommend this centre for your child’s development because it’s a fun place to learn and the system is very good to allow you to work with your child also from home to give them that boost.

This may be for some, but the below is based on our experience as parents who wanted to get our child some specific tuition support for the 11+ grammar school entry exam, we can't speak for anyone who needs other exam support or a "revision club." Based on 11+ prep over most of Year 4 and Year 5, our experience was that the tuition was not at all individualised or differentiated for our child's abilities. It was insufficient for addressing gaps, challenges, or producing any advantage that could not have been received by simply practising at home and using a generalised online tool. The service lacked an understanding of our specific school entry (despite claiming this early on), continuously said good progress was being made and failed to raise the issue that our child had fallen severely behind the required standard. We provided our child with a practice paper, and the ~40% grade highlighted that despite enrolling our child early enough to avoid pressure over the summer before exams, that is what we would need to subject them to in order to pass. We have since found that much of the issue is the topics and teaching style due to standardisation (both in-person and online), which were completely mismatched with the required school paper. An example of this is our child spending weeks writing articles when this is not a requirement of our specific school entry paper. The saddest part is our child was given a false impression of their progress and chances, we believe in highlighting the positive but being honest about development areas. This service failed at this. The facts... Centre-based, good for childcare, poor for addressing challenges: - The centre manager seemed to know what they were doing but left the organisation - The remaining staff were junior, non-professional and appeared to be "between jobs" (though bright and dedicated) - Plan was based on a fixed calendar; if you missed a lesson, you missed the topic - Online support is based on answering questions with a helpful description, but this is limited to a text explanation and is not highly effective at teaching (lacking video or interactivity) - Our child dedicated large amounts of time to online practice but was getting stuck - Class setting is less than ideal, and our child received minimal direct support/attention; the best sessions tended to be when the other kids were on holiday - We flagged gaps, and the response was to practice online - Due to several alarming gaps, we switched to online only so that our child would receive 1:1 differentiated support Online: - Very nice and engaging tutors - Plan for our child was presented at the beginning, and areas of concern were shared by us - Weekly reports from tutors were positive and flagged no gaps - For a large period of time we were unable to access progress in the online tool - After ~5 months of work, a number of gaps remained (in the online tool) but weren't being shared by the tutor - Following flagging the gaps, the response was "Here's the areas she can practice online" (rather than that this would be resolved by the tutor) - After flagging our child's need for differentiated support (as we were promised when we switched), we were simply told they were working through a schedule and would "get to practice areas" - Our decision was to immediately remove our child On balance, what they did do well: - Safe, clean, bright open centres - Surrounded by children who mean well - A good way to spend time after school in a productive way - A low pressure-entertaining way to engage with education Edit: I'm aware of the response below; I highlighted my concerns at a number of points, spent more money, was reassured that things were on track and steps were being taken. I was wrong. For parents, If you're considering a course (ANY course), be clear on your target school needs, ask direct, specific questions, then validate with external evidence rather than relying purely on tutor feedback (but this goes with any solution).

Very good with children always get updates and feedback

Teacher is very engaged and thoughtful in her approach

Very helpful, friendly and professional.

Happy with the service so far.

Good stuff very helpful

My daughter's confidence has sky rocketed since joining Explore Learning! After a few months with Explore she would come home after school telling me how confident she felt answering questions to her teacher and how her grades were increasing and how it was all because of her lessons with Explore. A parent could not ask for more!

Benjy and the team are fantastic!

The are very professional people and helpful.

My son has been attending Explore Learning Ashton-under-Lyne for almost a year. He enjoys the work, the social engagement, and has significantly improved his maths and English. The staff are always friendly, affable, and professional which all contributes to the success of their educational programme.

The staff at the Preston branch are absolutely amazing! The tutors are always so helpful and supportive. The managers are very welcoming too and will always go above and beyond.

my child was not doing the best before may and many tutors were not making any difference for her then we decided to take her to explore learning where we saw a genuine improvement in not only her grades but her attitude towards her maths. Kasia, Hyma and the whole team of tutors were so helpful and supportive. we wish we decided to sign up years ago!

My son attends the Crayford branch and from the moment he first walked in, they have gone above and beyond to help meet his needs. He has a great relationship with his group tutor and I am always given regular updates on his progress and exercises he enjoyed/didn't enjoy. I am given useful insights into how he learns and ideas for us to use at home. The whole team have really helped him make so much progress and he absolutely loves attending his weekly sessions. Cannot recommend this branch enough!

My daughter has been having tutoring sand swoons with Feyi for about a year now. Feyi has been amazing. She has helped her understand and has worked with her to build her confidence up. She is an absolute credit to your team. Thank you so much Feyi.

Both my children have online classes with Explore Learning and my son has been undertaking GCSE Maths for the past year. Daniel, his tutor who is currently doing a degree in Maths, has been fantastic throughout the process. My son is shy, but Daniel’s relaxed, easy going nature and motivation has put my son at ease and made him feel comfortable in his presence. My son has found the sessions very beneficial and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Daniel for all the support, encouragement and assistance he has provided.

Explore learning Coventry(Warwickshire Business Park) sets the standard for tuition small group/one to one learning. The staff here are so brilliant they excelled my expectations of what tailored learning would be. The learning plans are well structured and bespoke to my child’s needs and are effective because the dots are joined between the plan and execution of the plan by these brilliant and dedicated staff. The price is also very reasonable. I have no hesitation in recommending Explore Learning Coventry to any one who wants to further their child’s education and put them ahead of the curve.