Frequently asked questions

All Explore Learning centres are open 7 days a week both in term time and during school holidays, with very few exceptions. You can find out the opening hours of your nearest centre here.

At Explore we work in a ratio of one to six. This means that one tutor works with a maximum of six children – like having a teacher for each table at school.  From our years of experience, we have found that this ratio strikes the perfect balance between giving children individual support and encouraging independent learning (so it’s directly transferable back to the classroom).

Seeing Explore in action is the best way to be sure that joining us is the right decision for you and your child. Our centres are fun, energetic and a great space for children to learn – not to mention very different from anything else out there!

The trial lasts for one hour, and is the perfect opportunity to get a taster of being Explore members.  You will get to see the centre in action, meet some of our amazing tutors and get an idea of the learning programme we would design for your child.

Getting it right from the very start is incredibly important to us. Working with your child in the trial will give us a good idea of where we need to begin. From here, we’re able to build a learning pathway that they will work on each and every time they attend. Once you’ve seen the centre in action, your child can take a break whilst we talk about the ‘technical stuff’.  This is your chance to find out more; to ask questions, find out more about what to expect and look at how we can support you and your child throughout your Explore journey.

Yes! Everything your child will learn at Explore is aligned to the school curriculum.  Our tutors are experts in the curriculum and teach using the same methods that your child learns in the classroom. This means that everything your child learns will directly support them back at school.

We will provide regular feedback about how your child is progressing at Explore.  Every session you will receive a summary of your child’s session with an example of a topic they have been working towards mastering with their tutor.  

At Explore Learning we create Fearless Learners so each child has an individual learning habit that they are developing to help them progress here, at school and any time they face a new challenge. We will work with you and your child to create the right fearless learning habit for them, and update you on this after each session.

Additionally, we hold parents’ meetings regularly throughout your child’s Explore membership. These meetings are designed to give you more in-depth feedback about your child’s progress, fearless learning habit, answer any questions you may have and create a learning pathway for your child to help them reach their individual goals.

Do you remember that person who inspired you, a teacher, a friend, a family member? Someone who changed how you saw things and helped you to see your potential? Our tutors do exactly that and are the most important factor in your child’s progress at Explore Learning. By getting to know each child as an individual, our tutors play an essential role in boosting your child’s confidence and motivation for learning. Your child will receive individual support to overcome challenges and feedback to help take their learning forward. Our tutors do more than just teach children to reach the answer, they use questioning to support your child to apply what they already know, and then challenge them to explain their answers that leads to greater independence.

Technology is our secret weapon to supporting your child. It allows our tutors to spend their time teaching your child as opposed to creating worksheets and marking. The adaptive nature of our teaching tools means that your child has the most incredible interactive textbook that provides questions that are tailored specifically to their needs.  The questions are marked instantly so your child, and their tutor, can see if they are on the right track or need to adapt what they are doing. No time wasted!

We combine our cutting edge digital tools with a huge plethora of paper based resources, like maths workbooks and writing activities to provide the best possible learning experience.

We have a whole range of specialist courses to support your child on their journey through school. These courses are designed to nurture their academic and social skills, enabling them to thrive in school, exams and beyond. Members on one of these packages will have one flexible session each week and one dedicated specialist course session each week which will fall on a set evening. Find out more here.

Yes. The world of education is changing continually. New ways of teaching, new assessments and new topics at school can leave parents feeling out of touch. Our information sessions provide you with all the latest updates from the classroom in an informal environment, where you can ask any questions. You will come away feeling better equipped to support your child at home.

Yes. The University of Reading has conducted detailed independent research into the benefits of Explore Learning tuition. Their headline finding was that “This research shows that Explore Learning tuition is beneficial to both boys and girls, of all abilities, living in all socioeconomic areas”. See our results.

You can download a copy of our company policy and procedures here.  Alternatively you can access a hard copy on your centre’s reception desk.

We recommend children visit us at least 6 times a month and don’t take extended breaks to make the most progress. However, you can choose to come into the centre a maximum of 9 times per calendar month. Sessions are based on a drop-in, flexible basis lasting approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

A key focus of your child’s membership with Explore is to develop within them a passion for education, and a love of learning. This enables us to encourage concentration and gives regular opportunity for praise. If children do more than this they tend to become tired and lose concentration. For this reason we do not allow children to do two sessions back to back and they cannot be in the centre for longer than 1 hour 30 minutes.

Under certain circumstances we may be able to accommodate your child for two sessions in one day, but this must be agreed with the centre management team in advance. We don’t recommend this to be part of your regular routine and have the right to request that your child is collected in between sessions to ensure they have a sufficient break from learning.

Yes. The holidays are a perfect time to hone in on some challenging areas or try something new. At Explore we offer a wealth of holiday workshops that do just this. Working in small groups of no more than 6, children spend an hour focusing with a tutor on specific skills, for example multiplication, grammar, problem solving or writing. With engaging activities and workbooks to take home, children come away feeling more confident and excited to do more! They therefore form a valuable part of your membership and count as a session. Please speak to your centre team about how to book onto them.

Members can only attend the centre they are registered with as your child’s individual learning plan is carefully created and regularly reviewed by the team in that centre.   However, if you wish to attend a different centre for a period of one month or more, please speak to your centre team who will endeavour to arrange a solution for you.

Members can attend our centres up to a maximum of 9 times per month. However, we understand that family life can be hectic! Any sessions you miss can be used by the end of the following month. Please note: you must be a current paying member to access your sessions.

We provide fresh drinking water for all of our members in the centre. Unfortunately due to the risk of food allergies we do not allow any food or drinks to be brought into the centre from the outside. If your child has a medical condition that requires them to bring food or drink into the centre, please speak to a manager.

Yes please. This allows us to safely sign your child into the centre. Older children may be allowed to attend unaccompanied – we will discuss this with you when you join. Dropping off/picking up your child will also give us the chance to let you know about the learning session that day as well as any relevant news about the centre.

If you plan to go away on holiday please let us know beforehand, or if your child will be missing sessions due to illness, let us know as soon as you become aware. In this instance, a manager will discuss the best way forward. If you are going to be absent for a whole calendar month or more, freezing may be a better option. Head to our frequently asked question about freezing.

No! Once you’re a member of Explore Learning, you can visit the centre on a drop-in basis. Sessions are designed to be flexible around you and your family routine. You don’t have to visit the centre at set times or on set days each week. As long as the centre is open for sessions your child will be able to attend.