First Class Learning moves more online but its centres reopen

Mahesh Patel, founder and director of First Class Learning, says his service has gone online to help children catch up on their schooling lost during the coronavirus crisis.

His service offer individualised teaching plans and tuition to students of all ages, primary and secondary and beyond, in the core subjects; maths, English and science.

The firm, which has its head tuition centre on Bolton Lane, Bradford, has other sites across the district at Goals, Eccleshill Library, Poplars Farm Primary School, and Cherryfields in Bolton Woods.

The sites were allowed to reopen to children last month, as per government guidelines. These are open alongside an increase in online First Class Learning is also offering bursery awards to two students from the BAME community as well. It is also holding a summer camp, which is free to students who qualify.

Mahesh Patel, founder and director of First Class Learning Bradford

Mr Patel, 46, who qualified as a maths teacher and set up the business in 1999, said: "I started it up from my garage. I had to support three kids.

"I turned my garage into a classroom. Now we work from six centres at multiple sites.

"The schools can't provide a one-to-one service with 30 kids in each class.

"My business is fast growing. We have had to revamp our business to offer remote online tuition. Luckily most of our customers did not leave "I wanted to make an extra change and set up a small learning centre from my on garage and made it into a classroom and launched a tuition centre.

I set out to make a positive change in disadvantaged students and members of the BAME community who are most likely to under achieve in education

"We had to close for three months for lockdown and took most of our current business online. This reopening phase is crucial as we cannot afford to rest on our laurels, and need to get it right first time with Covid-19 guidelines.

"We have offered free work books over the lockdown period to parents and students who missed up to six months of schooling. It is important they support us as we are providing a crucial service in order for students to catch up in their learning."

First Class Learning Bradford is now open seven days a week, from 10am to 6pm every day, Mr Patel says, while, from September, all of its services will be free of charge, as part of a national programme which aims to support pupils’ learning in the wake of coronavirus.

The Government-funded National Tutoring Programme will seek to support children in the aftermath of school closures, while also attempting to narrow the attainment gap.

Parents and schools can contact Mahesh Patel on 07808 524406, or email bradford.north@firstclasslearning.co.uk for further information.