Parents in Chippenham are paying £20 a time for tutoring sessions at a new-style education centre that has been imported from Australia but is it value for money? LILY CANTER spoke to parents, teachers and children to get their views.

THE pressure is on for children to get good exam results and for schools to do well in national league tables.

More and more parents are looking at ways to give their youngsters a head start but is private tutoring the answer?

Grace Loftus, who runs the newly opened Kip McGrath Education Centre, in Chippenham, believes parents are happy to pay the high cost for extra lessons because they are worried about class sizes.

Many teachers in the town were reluctant to comment as they said they did not know enough about what was on offer while others felt it right to leave parents to decided.

The Kip McGrath Centre, which is aimed at children aged six to 16, charges £20 for each 80-minute session and up to four children attend at one time.

So far, 12 children have been signed up for classes at the centre, which is siutated in the High Street above the Officers Club.

It is one of a chain of extra-curricular Kip McGrath education centres, which originated in Australia, and offers children extra help in maths and English.

Miss Loftus gives the children an individual work plan including computer exercises, in line with the National Curriculum, which they work on each session under her supervision.

"Most children attend one session a week but some come twice a week if they are particularly behind at school. It is up to the parent," she said.

The centre aims to get children up to the level they should be as quickly as they can manage it.

Some pupils also attend for extension work and Miss Loftus said she would also do revision work for exams and re-sits.

"We provide them with a motivating, relaxed and positive environment whilst focusing on their individual learning needs," said Miss Loftus who taught at a mainstream school for ten years.

"It is not like school it much more relaxed and the children call me by my first name.

"I go between them and help them, but they all have individual programmes."

Parent Cheryl Robinson enroled her nine-year-old daughter Natasha for extra maths tuition at the centre.

"My mother heard about the service and told me about it, because she knew that Natasha was struggling with her maths," said Mrs Robinson, 30, of Webbington Road, Chippenham.

"Basically we have been very lucky because my mother and father offered to pay for her to go. I would not have been able to afford it myself."

She said she felt that Kip McGrath was an excellent idea.

"I wasn't very good at maths when I was at school and although I got by, I don't really feel confident enough to sit down and explain things to Natasha when she's struggling," she said.

"At many schools, including Natasha's, the classes are large and I think children can be left behind, so being able to pay for extra help is a good idea. I don't want Natasha to be put into a low set and left to struggle when she gets to secondary school. I think the results will take time, but it would be great if she could feel more confident with her maths, by the time she moves up to the big school."

Colin Ng sends two of his children to the centre. His eight-year-old son Melvin, who attends Sheldon School, is doing English extension work, while his daughter Karina, 12, a pupil at Kingswood School in Bristol, is hoping to improve her maths and English.

"It is useful for my children," said Mr Ng. "But it will take time to see the improvements. It is part of the Chinese culture to give kids every opportunity you can. I think it is worth the money."

Claire Buckley decided to send her 12-year-old daughter to the centre after she realised she was behind in English and maths.

"So far it's been very good," said Mrs Buckley. "She seems to be benefiting from it and is growing in confidence. I think it is good value and she comes away with worksheets.

"It is difficult when you have a class of 33 children. You can't hone in on one, you tend to go with the mass.

"My daughter is possibly dyslexic. Grace picked up on it and the school responded very well and did a test. Children need as much help as they can get now."

Chris Marshall, the head of Chippenham's Ivy Lane Primary School, said she thought the franchise could be a good idea, but her concern would be the financial side could make it elitist.

"Many parents would find it very difficult to afford extra tuition, leaving it open to mainly more affluent families - while all families, regardless of their financial position would want to give their children the best education they could," she said.

Colin Smith, the headteacher of Hardenhuish Secondary School, said he did not think class sizes were the problem. He believes parents just want the very best for their children.

"I would always support a parent who felt that their children needed it," he said. "We would give advice if we were asked. I would want to talk to parents about it and find out what the best solution is. It is often to do with the pressure as exams approach.

"We try to help pupils by holding homework clubs at lunchtimes and after school. We have one-to-one tutoring sometimes and extra revision classes near exams.

"Parents are the best judge of what their children need and they just want to make sure that their children do their best."