The day my child flat-out refuses to do homework is a day I hope I never see. I’ve heard it happens, though.
What made me enrol my daughter at a MagiKats Maths and English centre?
Simple. I could see she was struggling. When I asked her teacher what we could do, she said ‘extra help’ would be useful.
Neither my husband nor I are teachers.
Thoughts of us guiding our daughter badly through her education flashed through our minds. Relying on an individual tutor was ruled ‘not an option’ for much the same reasons. We asked the MagiKats Principal to explain their philosophy behind teaching students. We liked what we heard. Let me explain.
Learning Without Limits
There are group workshops, and my daughter attends two per week, one for Maths and one for English. The MagiKats Principal makes sure our daughter is happy to work with their mentor. It is this approach that really stands out in my mind. Our daughter’s journey is placed at the centre of all decisions.
Tailored Workshops, Tailored Homework
Part of the MagiKats programme involves doing special homework to build core skills and fill any education gaps. Each task is tailored for each child and is left to my daughter to schedule. She decides when to do things, and which day she wants to have off. Nothing is too difficult, and the idea is to build on successes so your child gains confidence from positive achievement through independent work.
Each week our daughter arrives at her workshop with her five homework tasks and personally reports to the MagiKats Principal about her progress. The communication vehicle for this is her tracking sheet. Our daughter fills this in – not us. She tells the Principal how easy, hard or ok each task was and if anything was difficult and/or enjoyable. It is interesting to see her taking leadership. She always likes to hear what the Principal thinks of her work.
We really like this aspect of MagiKats, as our daughter takes ownership of the programme as something for her, and not something we are making her do.
Tracking Sheets Recording Progress
One of the first questions a parent wants to know is how much time MagiKats homework will take up. Tasks are designed to usually take 5-10 minutes each and there are normally five homework tasks per week, per subject.
We mark each task straight after our daughter completes it, and if there are any mistakes, we ask her to correct them. We then put marks and sometimes a comment (if she found a particular question hard, for example) on her personal MagiKats tracking sheet. My tip to other parents is to check the tracking sheet for special comments from the Principal about that week’s homework, length of writing tasks, if working out is expected, etc..
Varied Homework Tracks National Curriculum Skills
Our daughter is given a different book to read at home almost every week. English tasks are split into reading, and then answering comprehension questions a day later. Spellings are learned, punctuation is practised. Grammar is presented in small chunks. There’s such a variety in the homework given. Mathematics involves sets of questions to practise concepts and apply that knowledge. You can even enrol on a GCSE or SATS support programme when your child is nearing those examination times.
MagiKats Supports Your Child
The thought that goes into the homework is evident. If you are a parent worried about English as a second language, the answers are provided for marking the homework. There are super notes and example questions responses. You can always double-check it.
Our daughter thinks carefully about completing everything and it is incredibly rare she can’t work out what to do herself. The staff are so encouraging, that she’s learned to speak out about gaps in her learning, and is the better for it.
We were told from the start that if she wouldn’t try something, or couldn’t work it out how to note things on her tracking sheet – MagiKats will sort out the learning issue for us. If she has a rotten day at school or feels unwell, we tell the Principal and tactful allowances are made.
As a MagiKats parent, I’ve seen first-hand how my daughter’s skills and confidence has grown since she’s been going there for Maths and English support. At home, we support her too and have enjoyed watching her take ownership of her learning. She’s a happier girl!
Contributed by parents and written by the team at MagiKats HQ. The “parent” is actually a character created from the comments of real MagiKats parents.