Mungallala State School, QLD

Joel McCaskie

School Principal

In your words, how does MathsClub work?

It’s a 1-to-1 online tutoring platform that allows kids to focus on learning. The concepts they are learning in class are enhanced through their online work and the tutors are able to work out which areas students need that extra help in. It’s great to be able to have sessions set up for different levels especially where you have composite classes within the school.

However, it’s not a replacement for classroom learning, but just adds an extra opportunity for kids to build their skills further.

Why did you decide to try MathsClub?

Firstly with the covid-19 situation and knowing that for those six weeks the kids were working from home, the fact that MathsClub could provide 1-to-1 tutoring at home was a really positive thing which caught my attention first. Also with travel, distance and remoteness out here in Mungallala, the online learning platform was the one thing that really stood out.

Is there a particular type of student that benefits most from being enrolled in MathsClub?

I think it benefits all students. It’s a real positive that they can have a tailored program built around those areas that they could develop some more knowledge in.

So far my stronger students have really enjoyed a little bit of a challenge and then for my students that may have some gaps in their learning, I think it’s been nice for them to be able to experience some success in a different mode of learning.

How have the students reacted to the sessions so far?

They’ve really enjoyed it so far. They find the sessions to be very valuable and from what I’ve seen, are very engaged with what they’re doing with the tutors.

The work they’ve been doing from week to week is at their level and they’re experiencing success. So this enables them to look forward to their sessions each week and the feedback’s been very positive.

How’s it been working with the MathsClub team so far?

They’ve been great! The communication has been great too. Majority of it is done through email which is great for us, being a small school when you don’t always have someone to answer the phone.

The feedback we receive from the tutors is really valuable as well, especially to have that come through after each session. If a student is away, we can have a chance to make that session up or reschedule. So that flexibility has been really good too.

How have parents responded to their students being enrolled with MathsClub?

The parents were excited to hear that this opportunity was out there. I’ve had a little bit of feedback from the ones logging in from home. Whether it’s from home or school they had the same process and it was very straightforward so that was nice to hear that it worked well.

Is the service good value for money for a school like yours?

It certainly is. It’s just nice to have another way for students to learn and really back up and fill in some learning gaps they might have.

What would you say to other principals or schools that are considering MathsClub?

I definitely think it’s worth looking at, especially for schools in rural and remote areas. I think it offers a great service and potential for students. If you’re looking at a way to help develop and continue to boost maths outcomes for students, MathsClub is definitely worth a try.

Wyandra State School, QLD

Paul Harper Green

School Principal

Why did you decide to try MathsClub?

I first encountered MathsClub during the Covid lockdown, I was getting offers for lots of maths programs all of which required time to get my head around how they worked. MathsClub stood out because of the fact that it was one-on-one tutoring and it was within our budget.

How would you describe how MathsClub works?

Students log on, have their 1-to-1 tutorials, and MathsClub provides me with the reports and all the data I need around that. I can wander around and peer over their shoulders and see what they’re having difficulty with. So when i’m doing my own maths in class, if there’s a commonality there, I can go “hey, let’s go back and revisit this!”

I think it’s pretty simple, pretty straightforward, they just log on and have a session with their tutor.

How did you select which students to take part?

Coming from a secondary school background where I saw the gaps in learning coming up through the system, I felt it needed to go to the older kids to help fill those gaps. We’ve got to find ways of addressing these learning gaps and I see MathsClub as one of those.

What’s been the reaction of the students?

They’ve embraced it, they love it. I think they were a bit confronted at the start because they’re used to being able to hide amongst a number of students, so being one-on-one it was good.

Also, when we’re covering something in class, they will go “ oh this is what we did with MathsClub” and they’ll name their tutor. So they’re remembering what they’ve done before and bringing it to their current lesson which is really positive.

How have they responded to being taught by someone from outside of their community?

They’re very curious and really excited about the fact that they are actually speaking to people not necessarily in Brisbane or somewhere nearby, for many it is a first.

What about the customer support from MathsClub?

Their support is fantastic, if there’s any problem at all, they’re always available to sort it.

They’ve been so accommodating with the disruption of the lockdown there were a few students that turned up one day and not the next. We also had a couple of students enrolled with MathsClub who left suddenly but as we already had those time slots, I was able to just send an email saying “hey this has happened” and increase the number of sessions the existing students were having.

Is MathsClub good value for money?

Yes very much so, with the time constraints that we have at school, being able to have quality online 1-to-1 interaction is fantastic. So yes, well worth it!

Would you have any hesitation in recommending MathsClub to schools similar to Wyandra State School?

Absolutely not, I think it’s really good and will help all schools unless you’re one of those maths experts who has no trouble with time and feeding kids exactly what they need.