How does the online course compare with the in-person course?
It is the same course so all resources such as homework, handouts, books, videos and lessons will be identical. All students have access to our New Virtual Learning Environment and will see the same homework instructions, videos, and tests.
How are lessons provided?
Pre-recorded lesson videos are uploaded to the homework portal (VLE) weekly. These replicate what children are taught in our face-to-face groups using the same slides.
As children of primary school age struggle to focus on learning at home beyond 30-40 minutes, the lesson videos are separated into sections by subject or topic so children can better digest them in smaller segments.
One of the advantages of recorded lessons is that they are shorter than physical lessons as there are no students to interact. This means the learning can be done in a faster time.
The ability to watch pre-recorded lessons on demand also means that online students have the convenience of being able to watch a lesson at a time when they can also do their homework on a new topic, thus making it easier to consolidate their learning whilst the lesson is fresh in their mind.
How do you assess if my child has understood the lesson?
Each lesson video is accompanied by a plenary test which usually comprises 10 questions on the topic. Plenary tests are usually timed to test a student’s speed and recall. This time limit can be 30, 45 or 60 seconds for each question, or the total test may be timed. Scores in these tests are an effective way to assess whether the lesson objective has been met.
The plenary test must be done before moving onto other homework on the topic – the tests are unlocked until the plenary is completed – thus ensuring students do not rush into their homework before fully understanding the lesson.
What if my child does not understand the lesson topic?
If a student gets a low score on the plenary test, this may indicate that they do not understand the week’s topic. There is a plenary review video which reviews all the questions and answers in the test. This will usually fill any gaps in their understanding and explain how they could have achieved an answer.
Where students are still unsure and require further support, we offer live interactive zoom top-up lessons usually each Tuesday. These are delivered by the same staff that teach our face-to-face lessons. They will usually be between 60-90 minutes in length.
The zoom lessons are optional; children who have fully grasped the week’s topics and attained high scores in their plenaries will not need to attend and their time may be better spent progressing with their homework. The goal of the top-up lessons is to provide a space for students to ask their own questions to teachers and to clarify any uncertainties in the topic.
What is the structure of homework?
One of the main benefits of our course is its high level of structure and learning materials provided. All homework tests are topic-based and set for homework once the topic has been covered in a lesson. This enables students to focus on one topic during a test and through repetition, they can fine-tune their exam techniques and timing. As a result of this method, the average homework scores for most students is over 85%.
Do you check questions which are incorrect?
All questions on the homework portal have full explanations which can be revealed provided the student has made a second attempt at a given test.
Since all questions in the test will be on the same topic, if the student makes a mistake, we can generally assume there was a careless mistake. A “sweep test” button will appear after a test is completed whenever a student scores less than 100%. This prompts them to make a second attempt to review the questions they got wrong, after which they can access the explanation of the question.
What is the deadline for homework?
Students can complete their tests at their convenience but must complete them all by 9.00 pm on Thursday each week. This enables us to review all students’ scores each Friday as part of our progress monitoring of all students.
Topic and sub-topic videos
To supplement the lesson tutorials, we also provide shorter videos throughout the course. Some of these will be compulsory to watch before attempting a homework assignment. These videos provide a quick explanation of a given topic or subtopic to aid in students’ understanding and revision.
How effective is the online course?
There is no difference in the attainment levels of average in-person students versus online students. The primary advantage of our course does not lie in the mode of lesson delivery (whether through in-person classes or pre-recorded videos), but rather in the comprehensive structure of the entire programme, the high calibre of resources available, and the analytical capabilities we offer to track your child’s progress. Every question your child answers on our course is time-stamped, providing us with valuable data that enables us to identify and address their areas of weakness in accuracy and speed.
The course is highly structured with topic-based tests for homework leading to greater efficiency in learning. Focusing on topics enables students to build their knowledge whilst improving their timing and techniques.
The key features of our course are our structured tutorials and resources, and the analytics carried out on your child’s progress. Every question your child answers on our course is timed, which provides invaluable data to help us identify and target each student’s weak areas.
Students who are focused on learning can make excellent progress on the online course and be better placed to compete with their peers due to the time-advantage they have, which is beneficial when time is limited, especially for those that have to travel some distance to attend our lessons.
You should not consider enrolling either online or face-to-face unless your child is committed to preparation. They must be diligent in their studies and have the willingness to learn. Our courses are designed for academically abled children to be challenged.