A company which wants to revolutionise teaching is launching a new centre in Winnersh this month.
Marie Redmond, who has more than 20 years’ experience in education, is bringing 11+ tuition closer to home to help Wokingham pupils get into grammar school.
Her business, Marie Redmond Tuition, is venturing to the borough to support those hoping to attend Kendrick School and Reading School.
The company has been supporting Year 4 and 5 pupils for nearly 10 years already and its classes are taught by qualified primary school teachers.
The new Winnersh site will teach classes of up to 10 pupils with sessions available on Saturdays and Sundays — and it’s already proving popular.
“Spaces for Saturdays are already fully booked until September 2022 so we’ve been really pleased with the response so far,” Marie Redmond said. “This area, Winnersh, is new to us however many people travel a long way to our other centres from Berkshire. Many parents have come to us from word of mouth so it’s nice to get that recommendation and to see what we’re doing is working.”
The lessons, which students attend once a week, are designed based on a tuition plan. This means every pupil works on the areas they need to so they can pass the exam.
“We also make our lessons fun, so they want to come,” Marie Redmond explained. “We want them to enjoy it and feel motivated. Parents are often surprised when their children want to do their homework for us.”
And the learning is not just confined to the classroom. Outside of lessons, Marie Redmond also offers a book club to help children succeed in their learning with a twist.
Every month, children vote to create an activity related to a book, for example painting a scene or making a model to bring the story to life.
“Parents want to help their children improve their vocabulary and you need an excellent level for the entrance exams,” she explained. “The club has already had an amazing response and it’s really helping them.”
Now, Marie Redmond is focused on revolutionising the tuition industry to make it even more accessible, thanks to a new scholarship programme courtesy of Sir John Madesjki.
“He reached out to us and said he wanted to help,” she explained. “He’s now sponsoring a scholarship for children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access tuition. It doesn’t seem fair that some pupils can’t go to grammar school because they can’t afford help.”
So far, Marie Redmond Tuition has found one pupil eligible for the scholarship — and is on the lookout for more who will benefit.
“We think tuition should be available to everyone,” Marie Redmond added. “There should be no barriers and we just want to make it fairer. Teaching is a very rewarding job and we enjoy getting the time to really work with children in a different environment. It’s lovely when we receive students’ successful results back and I want to help more children to be able to experience that.”
To find out more about Marie Redmond and her revolutionary tuition company, visit: marieredmond.co.uk
