Frequently Asked Questions

What is involved in a free assessment?

The free assessment is designed to identify any gaps in your child’s learning and to also identify your child’s strengths. The free assessment can take anywhere from 40 - 60 minutes and is conducted by a fully qualified teacher. Your child will be assessed on English or maths or both depending on your child’s needs. At Kip McGrath we use a combination of computer based and written tasks to assess. Following the assessment you can talk directly to the teacher to discuss the results. The assessment results helps us to design an individualised learning programme for your child.

What happens next?

Recommendations for tutoring will only be made if your child needs it.
A personalised learning programme is created just for your child.
Goals are set and agreed upon by both parties.
Weekly tutoring sessions are booked in for a time that suits you best.
One subject covered per tuition session.
Simple enrolment process - no lock in contracts.

How long will my child need tutoring?

All children progress at a different rate. It can be difficult to determine the exact amount of time your child will need tutoring. You can discuss this in more detail with your Kip McGrath tutor. We have some basic benchmarks that we use to give estimation. The best method is consistent and quality tuition.

How do I know they are progressing? Should we reassess them regularly?


The Kip McGrath study programme is progressive. Your child will be starting at a foundational level and will work their way up to the goal set. Each week their lesson plan contains new activities that build on the knowledge they learnt in the previous week. We reassess students towards the end of the year OR when a child has potentially reached their goal.

Will my child progress in a small group?

Kip McGrath was built on one to one tuition in a small group environment. We at Kip McGrath have used this foundation to deliver our lessons. We spend one on one time with each student and then allocate independent tasks. This gives the student time to apply their knowledge to the task set. The Kip McGrath tutor will monitor the student at all times; they can see exactly what the student is completing and assist the student immediately.

How much homework will my child receive?


Homework is an important part of the programme. It gives the child the opportunity to consolidate and practise what they have learnt during their lesson. The student should never receive homework on topics they have not covered with their tutor or tasks that are too difficult.

My child is having trouble with some school homework and assignments. Can this be part of their programme?

Kip McGrath does not provide homework help. We aim to catch students up in their learning. We add some lesson activities during the session on topics your child is currently completing at school. This will ensure the student does not get further behind and also builds the child’s confidence to operate in the classroom environment.

I'd like to withdraw my child from tutoring. What do I do?


From experience, we know that the longer your child attends their Kip McGrath tutoring, the greater the impact on results and learning confidence, however, we do understand there may be reasons to pause or withdraw from tutoring. It is our recommendation that you discuss this directly with your Kip centre. In general, Kip McGrath requires two weeks written notice of your intention to withdraw from tutoring.

I am not happy with the service or my tutor. Who can I talk to?

Kip McGrath prides itself on training the best quality staff to tutor your child. Sometimes, but not often, a student might not connect as well as what we anticipated with a tutor. If this is the case, please talk to your tutor or call Kip McGrath South Africa on or email info@kipmcgrath.co.za