Muhammad, Oasis Academy South Bank

Muhammad is in Year 11 at Oasis Academy South Bank in London. He has been receiving maths tutoring on Tuesday mornings from one of our volunteers, Christine. He has attended every session this academic year, which hasn’t been easy as he first met Christine in person but then attended sessions online from home during the spring 2021 school closures. Since returning to school, he’s been working with Christine from school using our online tutoring platform.

Muhammad says:

“[At the start of the year] I couldn’t even imagine sitting an exam in maths! It’s been difficult being in and out of school because of the pandemic. It means it’s been harder to hold onto the things you’re being taught, it’s really easy to forget the skills you’re learning and to lose your confidence.

Knowing you have that extra support has given me more confidence in class. It’s meant I feel safe about taking the things I didn’t understand in class and talking to my tutor about them in a space outside the classroom, which has been especially helpful because we’ve been so in and out this year!

I could not understand ratios at all when I started Year 11. I would always try to practice in lessons but it just wouldn’t stick. Christine gave me lots of examples and we did all sorts of questions about it, applying the skills in different ways.

I want to go into sixth form and study English lit, psychology and history. I also want to be an actor so I’m part of a lot of drama and theatre groups where we put on productions. Maths isn’t obviously relevant to all of that, but it’s really important to get the help on all of your core skills for a good start in life, I think.

I would absolutely recommend tutoring. I always thought it was a great way to start my Tuesdays and it’s completely changed how I think about maths. Online was a bit different because it’s a strange way to show your working out but it’s still good to get that dedicated time where you can talk to someone about your learning and where you need help.

Christine is amazing. She’s fun, she asks how you are. She has a personality, which goes a long way! We’re both really bubbly and energetic, even on a Tuesday morning, which I think really helped us to understand each other.

It has been so much fun to work with her and I will always remember our conversations. I know she has another job so it has been really huge for me that she would give up some of her time to help me. She has made a real impact on my life that I will never forget.“