Continuous Learning | Keep Skills Sharp Even Over the Holidays

While the summer holidays are a fantastic time for rest, family adventures, and recharging, they can also be the perfect opportunity to keep young minds engaged because learning doesn’t have to stop when school does. Research shows that when students take a long break from school, they often lose academic ground, on average, students’ achievement scores decline over the summer holiday by one month’s worth of school-year learning, with maths skills usually falling behind more than reading. Other studies agree that without any practice, children can fall even farther behind, in fact, one analysis found students can lose up to three months of progress if they don’t do any learning during the break. This isn’t just a little setback; it accumulates year after year. For example, researchers estimate that as much as 80% of the achievement gap between higher and lower income students can be traced to summer learning loss.

Why Year-Round Tutoring Helps

Keeping children engaged in learning throughout the holidays can prevent setbacks in confidence and progress. At Kip McGrath, we specialise in supporting students year-round and our holiday sessions are a key part of that. Regular tutoring over the summer helps children maintain momentum. In fact, studies show that students who keep practising don’t just retain knowledge they continue to build on it. This extra support helps students return to school in September feeling more confident, capable, and ready to thrive. Continuous learning over the break can help to:

• Prevent learning loss. Regular lessons keep knowledge fresh. Research shows that children who don’t exercise academic skills over summer quickly forget material. In contrast, year-round tutoring stops that “slide” before it happens.
• Build confidence and focus. Students stay focused and gain personal attention. As one Kip McGrath centre reports, children in summer programs “settle in faster with less pressure” and return to school already “in the groove”, while others are still playing catch-up.
• Maintain a learning habit. Keeping up even a light schedule of study instils discipline. Students learn that education doesn’t end in July; they continue reading and maths practice into holiday time, which forms a positive routine.
• Hit the ground running in September. When lessons never stop, the new school year is easier. Tutors and parents consistently see that children who keep learning over summer start the next year strong, with up-to-date skills and confidence. In practice, Kip McGrath students who study in the holidays have a much easier time transitioning back into the next year of school.

The Kip McGrath Method

At Kip McGrath, we’ve built our programs around continuous support. Every child begins with a free assessment of their current level. This pinpoints exactly which skills need work. From there, we create a personalised learning plan in either English (reading, spelling, comprehension), maths, or both, which is tailored to each student’s goals.

All Kip McGrath tutors are qualified teachers who focus on building your child’s confidence. They know how to explain tricky topics clearly and keep lessons engaging. We teach in very small groups, giving each child one-on-one time with the tutor as well as guided practice. During every session, the tutor circulates and helps each student with exercises. This way we reinforce last lesson’s learning while adding new material.

To make sure nothing is forgotten, our tutoring sessions come with homework designed to reinforce that week’s work. Regular practice is the key to steady progress, the tutor will give progress reports and updates so you can see exactly how much your child is improving.

Our centres are open most of the year. You can choose a weekly face-to-face lesson, take-home learning packs (DIY worksheets), or a combination to fit your family’s plans. In any case, the learning doesn’t need to stop.

With these supports in place, children don’t just maintain their skills: many accelerate. Kip’s program is progressive: as students master one topic, we build on it the next week. Parents routinely tell us how amazed they are to see their child growing in ability and self-esteem.

Proven Results and Next Steps

Kip McGrath has over 45 years of experience helping students worldwide reach their full potential. We’ve helped thousands of children turn summer “downtime” into learning time. Our methods are tried-and-tested: qualified teachers, personalised programs, and year-round support.

If you’re worried about summer learning loss or simply want your child to stay ahead, contact your local Kip McGrath centre. We offer free educational assessments, so you’ll have a clear picture of your child’s needs. From there, we can recommend the best plan going forwards. Kip McGrath can keep your child learning, confident, and ready for the challenges ahead.