Looking for the best online maths tutor system in the UK? So were we. And we’re pretty sure we found it…
Last summer we took the momentous leap of removing all four of our children out of school to home educate them.
It took a couple of years to take the plunge, and the whole family had to reach a decision before we did the deed.
I’m happy (and relieved) to say it’s been a total success, and for all their four different reasons of removal, all four are thriving at home.
The one area that I’m not afraid to say I was worried about was maths.
I’m no maths teacher, and whilst I sailed through my own maths GCSE, that was a long time ago and not only do I barely remember half of it, I also know that my methods of teaching (*hollow laugh* methods? For ‘methods’ read ‘Explain it once, look at the baffled face, repeat in the exact same way again, look at the still-baffled face, throw my hands in the air and ask “but WHY don’t you understand???”) are never going to get my children ahead in the maths stakes.
So a tutor is clearly needed.
But I have four children, all at different ages – and tutors don’t come cheap.
So I was thrilled when Conquermaths asked if we’d like to trial their online system.
A quick explore around their web site, and I had that excited feeling at the back of my brain that I get when I suddenly find the solution to a persistent problem. Here was everything I needed!
It covers from age 4 through to A level, and everyone can work at their own pace. It provides parental access and grading for me to see how they’re doing, when they’re doing it, and most importantly the bits they’re not so hot at and may need a little extra help.
But of course, the crunch is not what i think of it, but what my offspring think. What suits the 7yr old probably will not at all suit the 15yr old.
So we gave it a go.
Oh my goodness, it’s success in a site!
Every morning at 9, the quiet sound of clicking begins as we set out the 30 minutes of maths a day. They log in, they pick up where they left off, and they work through the syllabus that is perfect for them. They start off at the right age, but can move ahead or drop behind according to their own personal needs.
Each ‘lesson’ begins with a short video – the lovely-voiced Pat Murray uses clearly and concisely explaining the task at hand, demonstrating step by step. Every lesson is consistent in style using simple animation and they are kept short, around 3 to 7 minutes long. Long enough for a full explanation, not so long that your child switches off and stops listening.
And of course they (and you…) can pause and rewind, rewatch and relisten to any part of any lesson as often as needed.
Then your child moves on to the exercises and completes the tasks for herself, solidifying that knowledge and ensuring they’ve really understood.
Although it’s simple enough for the 7yr old to follow with ease, it’s never patronising or over-simplistic for the teens, there are no gimmicks with silly characters – there’s just good, engaging teaching with visual aids, and practical learning.
We tried out lots of different online Maths offerings, and none of them were a patch on ConquerMaths. It’s so good, it’s going to take the 15yr old right through his GCSE Maths next year…
ConquerMaths is available for everyone to use – you don’t need to be home educating to appreciate having a tutor at hand for extra assistance, to fill in any gaps in your child’s knowledge, or to simply provide some extra tuition as you approach exam time. And at under £13 a month for one learner (it gets cheaper when you add more children, and they all work on their own log in at their own pace) it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than a tutor for an hour a week.
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