What is Kumon?

Kumon offers much more than tutoring and differs from traditional teaching in the classroom. Rather than preparing children for a particular test or assessment, Kumon empowers students to learn for themselves, through individualised instruction and carefully developed worksheets.

As well as developing key skills in maths and English, each Kumon student will work towards building their independent learning skills and confidence in their own abilities. This means that a Kumon student will not be dependent on – or limited by – the skills and knowledge of others.

Both, and every child in between. This is because of our individualised approach to education, which always asks the question: "What is best for this individual child?" Following a diagnostic test, a study plan is set to develop the ability of the child and to progress them beyond the Kumon International Standard (an international approximation of their school level) regardless of their starting point. Kumon welcomes students with special educational needs, gifted and talented children, and all those who believe they can achieve more and fulfil their potential.

Kumon study is not designed to follow any school curricula or prepare for particular exams. However, regular Kumon study over time will equip your child with all the tools they need to excel academically. Our students often find they have developed skills and experience through their Kumon study that help them to perform well in a variety of exams, as Kumon study builds confidence and independence, as well as maths and English skills and transferable skills that help across many subject areas. Students also become very used to test conditions from the end of level assessments that they complete in their Kumon study.

A small amount of daily work is set for Kumon students because completing an appropriate amount of work on a regular basis is simply more effective than longer study sessions with extended breaks – they will learn more efficiently and make faster progress as they apply what they have learned. This routine also encourages effective study habits and a positive attitude to study.

Fluency is integral to mastering a topic; this means not only being able to complete work accurately, but also quickly. Finding the answer to 8x7 is one thing, being able to recall the answer immediately is quite another. Fluency, as well as accuracy, is key to enabling your child to tackle more challenging work successfully.

Kumon is a self-learning programme with each student receiving regular support from their Instructor. The carefully developed worksheets teach students how to find the answer for themselves, whilst their Instructor offers guidance when necessary. The key role of each Kumon Instructor is to observe their students working, either in the centre or their online class, making sure that work is set at the right level and that they are developing at the right pace.