School is Easy tutors to help pupils catch-up post-Covid
School is Easy had been preparing to launch just before the world was turned upside down by Covid-19
The past year has been one of most difficult imaginable for everyone – but for students who have seen more than an entire year of their education thrown into disarray it has been catastrophic.
And now the people behind School is Easy are working to ensure their tutors are ready to help students catch up on what they have missed, and try to help them get back on track with their education.
“What we look to do is support the school curriculum, so we are not rivals or competition to schools, but are there to back up what our own schools are doing,” explains director Neil Gough.
A former finance trainer, he admitted the move into tutoring was a bit of a change for him – but like so many he is all too aware of what the education sector is facing.
“I have two boys in secondary education in Falkirk so I’m acutely aware of the stresses and challenges they have faced over the last year, and it was not an optimal year for any school,” he says.
“Over the last year schools have done a fantastic job during lockdown, but we’ve all heard about kids having to catch up, about concerns over a knowledge gap, and that’s where we come in.”
The company was originally established in Canada and has since become a globally recognised franchise, helping numerous children in countries around the world with their studies.
This will be the first School is Easy established in Scotland, and the team - based in the Falkirk area - will be covering Stirlingshire and the surrounding areas, as well as Glasgow, while online tuition can be provided to anyone in Scotland.
The tuition is based around the school curriculum, so learning will complement core subjects taught in primary and secondary schools.
The experiences of the past year mean most pupils will be all too familiar with online learning, and while Neil believes face-to-face teaching is still vitally important, he says online teaching is here to stay.
“We are launching online but we will look to move to a more blended model,” he said.
“I think online tuition is here to stay, but in each situation it’s about what works best for the pupil.
“When we were looking at our original launch plan last year we took advice from parents and teachers, and found that schools were under tremendous pressure and children were still adjusting to online learning, so having online tutorials on top of that would have just been too much.
“Now that children are back in school, however, and their teachers are beginning to identify the gaps in their learning, it is the perfect time.”
With a team of expert tutors, many of whom are currently working in schools, School is Easy will carry out an assessment with the child first, to find out what their challenges are and looking to work on areas of development for the child and ways to help them achieve whatever goals they want to achieve themselves.
“We create what we call a tailored learning plan for every child, not just a scattergun approach,” explains Neil. “Now in a lot of cases that might mean we have to go back a couple of steps, especially in a subject like maths where if you’ve missed a building block you need to go back in order to go forwards.
“Ultimately though we should be able to help the child make the progress they need to.”
Their tutors can work online or in the home, depending on what the parents feel is best.
The company is registered with Disclosure Scotland meaning they get up-to-date checks, so parents can be assured appropriate safety measures are there. And to help parents keep track of their child’s progress, the company has a dedicated system providing an online report after every session.
There is also an app which can put them in touch with tutors around the world to help with any difficult questions they come across.
To find out more about the services on offer, visit their website.