The Bristol Parent pays a visit to the Westbury-on-Trym Kumon Study Centre to meet its instructor, Dr Leopold E Chaligha, and learn more about what makes the centre such a success for local children
For Dr Leopold E Chaligha, he has one firm aim for his work with local children at the Kumon Study Centre in Westbury-On-Trym in Bristol. “My goal as the instructor is to enable every student to be the very best they could possibly be. I have been the instructor of this Kumon Study centre since 2011, and I give my heartfelt welcome to students of all ages and abilities to study maths and English with us.”
Dr Chaligha explained that many of his students attend schools within the area and live in the local community, visiting the Kumon centre to help build on their maths and English skills alongside their school studies. “Kumon is an excellent way to invest in your children’s future, giving them confidence, stamina and transferable life skills. At Westbury-On-Trym study centre, Kumon enables children to become independent self-learners and boost their confidence, while increasing their speed and accuracy. It therefore makes their lives easy at school as they advance and work ahead of their school age.”
How many children do you work with at the centre?
“We usually have between 140 and 150 students, with most doing both maths and English, and a smaller number preferring to focus on just one subject. As such we currently have a total of 135 maths subjects and 85 English subjects, making a total of 220 subjects all together.”
What ages are the children and where do they come from?
“The youngest student we have now is only three years old and the oldest is 16 and studying A-levels in Year 12. If you live in Westbury on Trym, Henleaze, Southmead, Henbury, Brentry, Sea Mills, Coomb Dingles, Stoke Bishop, Snead Park, Shirehampton and Lawrence Weston, then we are your nearest centre and would like to hear from you. If you would like to boost your children’s confidence and enable them to achieve their full potential in maths and English, give us a call and we will arrange a free assessment for you.”
Can you give me an idea of the range of subjects that you cover across the Maths and English curriculums?
“We cover a very wide range of topics both in Maths and English. Each student takes a free initial Kumon assessment – that can be taken at home or in the Kumon offices – which ensures that we can start them at the best place for their abilities. In maths we cover topics in arithmetic and algebra, from preschool children learning to count, through to reading numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, negative numbers, simultaneous equations, quadratic equations, calculus and more. In English we cover all essential topics such as spelling, reading, comprehension and summary writing.”
What are the most common areas that the children wish to cover through the tuition with you?
“Most students are in primary school and as such they are interested in the basic arithmetic, English spelling and comprehension. We have many students who are always interested in improving their knowledge and skills so that they are working ahead of school age.”
How are you able to make sure that the teaching you offer complements the lessons that children have at their schools?
“Kumon worksheets are designed to complement what students are doing at school. In my case, having taught at various levels of education from primary school to university level, it is easy to relate what my students are studying at school with our Kumon programme. This enables me to point out to parents the areas which their children need to pay extra attention to in order to help their children stay a step ahead in their leaning.”
What do you enjoy about the teaching you offer?
“The most wonderful experience is enabling students to transform their attitude to learning, boosting their confidence, knowledge and skills. It is highly rewarding having new students and seeing them follow my guidance and, in a few months, they grow in confidence, they are better, stronger and believe in their own burgeoning ability to tackle any maths or English problem.
“As they complete their daily Kumon practice, they bloom in knowledge like flowers in springtime. It is simply wonderful to see the students developing into independent self-learners, with a very positive attitude to leaning and wanting to improve themselves, and then going out of the centre with a smile every week.”
What is your teaching background?
“I have experience of teaching in all academic levels in the country, from primary school to secondary school and university. I am still teaching philosophy for adults for Bristol City Council Adult learning service. My experience enables me to understand how Kumon fits within the curriculum and to give my students and parents tailored guidance enabling them to succeed. In this way, I have succeeded in making Westbury-On-Trym one of the top Kumon centres in the South West.”
Are there any examples that you’re particularly proud of regarding what children have achieved through their lessons with you?
“Earlier this year I received a wonderful message from one of my students who recently completed his studies with Kumon, explaining that while he found the idea of it daunting at first, thanks to the support of the Kumon staff, it was a really successful experience. He explained that only the week before he had sat his mock maths GCSE paper, which included topics he had covered three or four years previously at Kumon. The result was that when he received his results, it was a nine!
“My advice to parents is to invest in your children. Remember that knowledge is the most powerful tool you as a parent could ever give to your children and indeed the most powerful tool anyone could ever have for shaping their own future. This is what we offer at Westbury-on-Trym Kumon Study Centre, knowledge through the Kumon way.”
To enrol your child with the Westbury-on-Trym study centre please contact Dr. Leo Chaligha on 0117 3293137/ 07792037198 or email hidden; JavaScript is required to arrange a mutually convenient time for a free assessment.