Sandra and David Campbell at the new Kip McGrath premises

Inverclyde youngsters will soon be able to take advantage of top-class tuition thanks to a brand new education centre just opened in Greenock, in newly refurbished premises placed opposite to the Battery Park.

Kip McGrath Education Centre is owned and run by former Inverclyde Council and Argyll and Bute teacher, David Campbell and supported into new premises by ICC Member, Bowman Rebecchi.

The centre offers free pupil assessments and provides English and Maths tuition for students from 5 to 18 years, both in the centre or online.

The premises will be able to accommodate up to 100 pupils a week for after school sessions. If busy households find it difficult to make it to the centre, lessons can be taught online using its dedicated iKip system.

David will run the centre along with a team of fully qualified teachers including his wife of 18 years, Sandra Campbell, a teacher with over 20 years of pupil support experience.

Reflecting on the new venture, David said:

“It is a privilege to be able to support young people in Inverclyde with their learning because it presents an opportunity to make a difference.

“Breaking down barriers to learning and helping pupils gain confidence to progress and challenge themselves is what it is all about.”

First established in 1976, there are now more than 500 Kip McGrath centres around the world, with more than 30 in Scotland alone.

The learning system assesses learners for their strengths and areas for development and combines the latest interactive technology with written activities to engage young people and promote active education.

Each pupil has their own individually designed learning programme prepared specifically for them by the centre.

David is a teacher with a wealth of classroom teaching experience across education authorities, delivering courses in Primary, Secondary, National 4, National 5 and Higher and delivering Literacy and Numeracy recovery programmes to support pupils to improve their reading age and skills competency.

David continued: “It was important for us to create a nurturing environment, where progression can be developed as a habit in an engaging and fun way, which really can be life-changing for young people.

“It is a joy to celebrate pupil achievements with parents and demonstrate tangible progress.”

The Centre encourages pupils to see challenges as something to be learned from. This positive and progressive approach is tailored to build pupil confidence and create a solid foundation for young people to thrive and allow pupils to engage across the curriculum without fear of failure.

The centre focuses on Maths and English, two critical subjects. David explains: “Together, numeracy and literacy offer the keys to the kingdom of education. If pupils ‘get’ these two subjects, then the rest of the curriculum is up for grabs.”

This is where Kip McGrath offers pupils a chance to build a really solid foundation for these two subjects to give them the best chance possible to meet their potential.

The bespoke learning environment helps to build pupil confidence, providing them with the best platform for future learning and progression.

S4 to S6, senior phase pupils studying for SQA exams are given tuition in study skills, subject-specific content, knowledge and creating study materials, allowing them to keep pace as the SQA course is delivered and to meet the deadlines for course work.

The search for the new premises was supported by local commercial property firm, Bowman Rebecchi, who approached the landlord Devlin Property Holdings about the new tenancy.

“We would like to thank both Devlin Property Holdings and Bowman Rebecchi for their support in securing the property and for their continued guidance and expertise,”  David concluded.

Bowman Rebecchi Director, Andrew Bowman said:

“It has been a real pleasure to support David with his plans to bring this new and vibrant centre to Inverclyde. We wish him and Sandra every success with this fantastic new facility.”

Parents can book a free assessment to understand where their child is currently, with Kip McGrath available to provide educational advice in confidence and offer solutions if required.

The new premises are based at 315 Eldon Street, Greenock. People can book a free assessment online at www.kipmcgrath.co.uk or call 01475 910280.