It’s been nine months since Mathnasium, the maths learning centre in Altrincham, opened its doors on Stamford New Road - and its 70-plus students say maths for them has never been more fun.
A key secret, says Centre Director Josh Hammond, is to inject excitement into their learning.
"One thing is certain - every single one of our children enjoy their sessions with us, and I think that's something parents see and appreciate," said Josh. “What we’ve created is a fun, engaging learning environment where children can excel and build confidence.”
The Mathnasium brand is worldwide, especially in its original home of America where there are now over 1,100 centres. Its innovative approach to maths learning for children in school years 1 to 11 has seen huge growth throughout the UK.
"We work just like a gym for maths," said Josh. "There's no booking system, and so our parents and children really enjoy the flexibility of being able to attend sessions any time we’re open.”
Each child benefits from a personalised learning plan tailored to their individual needs, and all teaching is on a one-on-one basis.
Mathnasium fast-tracks students' maths learning, Josh said, with the tailored programmes typically covering a year's worth of usual school progress in six months.
Mathnasium is effective for students who have fallen behind in their learning - but also those who are advanced and eager to jump ahead.
"We work with some children who are really struggling with maths, many who lack strong number sense skills, and so we support them individually by rebuilding their confidence and understanding of mathematical concepts.
“We also support children who are bored in maths class in school because they’re already confident with the material being taught - that can develop into a vicious cycle that ends with them falling out of love with maths completely. We ensure our students are continually challenged.”
Haysten, a Year 10 student, has attended Mathnasium sessions for multiple years - and still loves it.
“I find maths at school quite easy, so I enjoy coming to Mathnasium for an extra challenge, they have helped me improve my maths techniques as well.”
On the other hand, a Year 3 student named Asiya said Mathnasium had helped to build up her understanding of the subject.
“Coming here to do maths has been really helpful because maths at school is hard! All of the instructors are really nice, and over the summer holidays we had lots of extra fun.”
Mathnasium hosts fun days throughout the year, has a rewards card system for students to enjoy, and plays an array of fun maths games to keep students engaged with their learning.
Josh said he was "delighted" with the first 9 months of Mathnasium in Altrincham, but that his main satisfaction still came from watching the students progress.
"I know it's a bit of a cliche, but seeing children's confidence build is easily the favourite part of my job," he added.
Mathnasium is putting on a different activity for every day of the half-term, starting Monday 28th October. It's also offering free assessments and a free trial session over half-term for anyone who would like to give it a try. For more information, contact Josh directly on altrincham@mathnasium.co.uk or call/text 07594 715 374.
