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Silverdale academic tuition centre NumberWorks’nWords has moved – but only around the corner. The franchise was started by experienced teachers Olivia Stewart and Michelle Buckley three years ago in Central Boulevard, next to Farmers, but it has now moved to a bigger, brighter home on the second floor at 2 Milner Avenue.
The business has expanded rapidly since it was set up in 2018. Back then, it was just Olivia and Michelle offering individual tuition in maths and English to a handful of students, but now there are 10 additional tutors and up to 180 children attending every week.
“We grew quite quickly, so we needed a larger space for now and for potential future growth,” Michelle says. “This place is bigger and has a lot more natural light. We try to make it an atmosphere where they want to come – fun, upbeat and vibrant.”
The tutors are all university students trained in the NumberWorks’nWords programme and Olivia says they are great role models who get on well with the students, who range in age from five up to Year 11. There is one tutor to every three children, and lessons last for an hour, each one tailored to specific needs.
“We do lots of bite-sized learning, we break it up and make it fun!” Michelle says.
Students attending NumberWorks’n Words come from all backgrounds and for a wide range of reasons, from special learning needs through to support in specific areas and extension.
“We do free assessments where we can see where there are gaps and see where they’re at,” Olivia says. “We also like to work with their schools and liaise with their teachers, to get the best learning outcomes for our students.”
She says the programme leads to students becoming more confident as well as competent and parents frequently say they wish they had enrolled their children sooner.
“If anyone has got a hunch about their kids, that they might need extra help, come and see us, even if only for a free assessment or a chat,” Michelle says.
