Exemplar Education Review

3rd April 2018

Back in January, we were offered the chance to test out the Exemplar Education home education programme. I have to admit, I am always a bit dubious about having home education purely because I don’t ever want to overwhelm the children and have them feeling pressurised by so much learning. However, Charlie is doing really well at school so I think that extra sessions at home will really keep his brain active and also get him away from the dreaded XBox. I have noticed that seems to be all he wants to do, so I am worried his thirst for education is waning. The girls only started school in September, but already are getting on really well at school and are really keen to learn so I agreed to try out the Exemplar Education programme.

Exemplar Education

“Exemplar is a highly structured, user friendly, online teaching system specifically created to support the UK National Curriculum.”

After Exemplar got in touch, they arranged to send a representative to see us at home and explain the programme to us, as well ensuring the study plan was at the correct level for Charlie. We arranged a weekend appointment and Matthew contacted us via text and introduced himself. When he came the next day, he was asked to complete a quick test to see whereabouts he is academically. Matthew, who came out to see us, was incredibly friendly and chatted with the children. At no point was anyone made to feel under pressure and Charlie was happy to fill this out and a study plan was created around his results. Each child was then set up on the system and given their individual username and password to access Exemplar. The home visit in total took around half an hour and we all felt fully competent to navigate our way around the system.

Exemplar Education

Exemplar offers a Maths, English and Reading programme to help support school learning and back up what they’re learning. I see it as a top up to help children learn at their own pace. Ina  class of 30, it’s easy to miss something or not have the one on one support so Exemplar gives them the freedom to go at their own pace and there are various resources to get added support via the email support system and also the dedicated telephone support, with real teachers.

Each child has their own individual record and can choose which topic they wish to do, which I like that it’s not a rigid programme. Charlie always favours Mathematics so it’s nice that when it comes to Literacy he can select a topic with a title he knows he will enjoy.

Exemplar Education

I found that each lesson takes around 15-20 minutes to complete. Each session is broken down into three; firstly the tutorial where what they’re going to do is explained in a video. Then they move on to a practise session (which they can skip if they’re feeling confident) and finally the test part to demonstrate what they’ve learned. To complete that part of the topic, they need to get 80% to pass and a breakdown of the topic, date completed, subject and result are emailed directly to my email address, which is linked to the kids profiles. A certificate is also attached so you can print it off showing them how well they’ve done.

I also get a monthly activity and progress record emailed to me. I love that I am kept abreast of how they are getting on and that I can monitor their progress. This can also be found in the progress report tab.

Exemplar Education

I am really impressed with the level of support with the programme. You are given access to email and phone advice from real teachers.My only slight issue with the programme would be that some of the videos feel a little dated. In a world of YouTube, video games and so much technology I think that they could possibly be a little more current to sustain the kids attention and draw them in more.

As the girls are in reception year, we were also give a box of support materials. We definitely found these to be a godsend as I struggled a little to get them to sit down and focus on the videos then practising for 20 minutes. They aren’t 5 yet, so I think I may try to revisit them working through the programme online when they have built up more of an attention span and are more confident at reading the instructions.

Exemplar Education

My kids are so busy with after school clubs and each day can vary massively. I think this is where Exemplar have nailed it as getting a home tutor visit once at week at the same time, feels incredibly pressurised. I love that Charlie can pick it up as and when; you can’t guarantee on a Tuesday at 5pm every week he is going to be enthusiastic or had a good day so is keen to do some work at home. Kids need downtime too so the flexibility Exemplar offers is superb. I love that he can do it on the go too as he can access it on the iPad so during long car journeys, he’s managed to fit in a few sessions.

Exemplar prices start from £14.25 per week for all the children in the family, so the price you pay is for all of your children, not per child. A friend of mine pays for her daughter to have a private tutor once a week and she pays £20 so when you put it in that context, it is good value for money especially if you have more than one child. Most families who are currently using Exemplar pay somewhere between £16 and £18 per week and you have the option to purchase the programme outright or there is a monthly subscription option. but you can find out more about the cost of the programme and what would suit your family, by calling 0800 1 777 999.

Exemplar Education

We have really enjoyed the programme and definitely think it has helped Charlie feel more confident in what he’s learning at school. I love that it follows the National Curriculum and I know the girls have loved using the support materials. I think over Easter when we have some more time at home, to try them using the online programme as I have really noticed an increase in their reading and maths since Christmas.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Exemplar Education programme, you can find out more on the Exemplar Education website.

B xx

Disclosure: We were given access to Exemplar Education for the purpose of this review and compensated for our time, however all words, opinions and images are my own

 

  • Margaret Gallagher 3rd April 2018 at 10:23 am

    Sounds interesting – I’LL have a look later

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