The Kumon way

Combating this passive attitude is the Kennington Kumon Centre. It may initially appear like one, however the lead Instructor, Abiola Abiodun Tijani would like you all to know that Kumon is not a tuition centre. Going above and beyond ordinary learning, it equips students with “lifelong skills”. 

Ranked number 12 in Europe and Africa, boasting multiple top 10 students, completers and an elite instructor, Kennington Kumon is a champion of self-learning, an invaluable skill that can be transferred to any area, not just the Maths and English courses that Kumon offers. Miss Abby, as her students call her, believes in “changing her students’ mindsets”. No spoon feeding, every individual has potential. In fact, she began with her own children and attributes it to improving the ethos, GCSE/ A-Level results and careers of all three. 

Kennington Kumon is open 5 days a week. Miss Abby describes the hours as flexible and her centre accessible. It is certainly visible, occupying a substantial amount of Kennington Park Road and stationed on a ground level. A ramp behind the door ensures ease of access. Additionally, the centre was one the first to offer one of the latest innovations brought about through covid, digital Kumon. Admittedly upon learning how it worked, it sounded like a petulant 9-year old’s worst nightmare. Instructors can see how long, how well and what time a piece of work was completed. An automated marking process shaves time off of worksheet completion. It allows a centre in the heart of Kennington to reach students in central London, Kent and even abroad. By saving considerable amounts in staff cost, more resources and time are able to be spent among the students attending the centre in person. 

Kumon’s reach is broad, and the centre is for everyone. Miss Abby states: “if you’re disciplined and focused, there is nothing you cannot do.” The services are offered to adults as well as children and there are forthcoming plans for baby Kumon. An award ceremony, a brainchild of Miss Abby’s is held each December, particularly for motivational purposes. Students need to “celebrate success after working hard”. If the lifelong rewards of confidence and reasoning were not enough, a trophy might help. 

‘Baptism by fire’ is exactly how Miss Abby described setting up her own Kumon centre. There were certainly tribulations. In order to become a certified instructor, exams were taken and Kumon sheets were studied. It was admitted that “In the first 3 months I thought I’d made a mistake”.Miss Abby even returned to her old job in the city but proclaimed that she missed working with children. It was a trip to America and some remodelling that lead her to “understand the premises of Kumon”, self-motivation and discipline.  

Amid all this excellence, you might wonder how Miss Abby sustains herself. A self-proclaimed “wife, mother, businesswoman and head of the family” her schedule appears very full indeed. Big on community, Miss Abby revealed her help in her church’s community kitchen as well as helping at Harris Academy pre pandemic each Friday morning. She attributes her balance to an inner voice, as well as the qualities of resilience and discipline that Kumon is known to provide.

Ideally Miss Abby would have her Kumon centre “turned into a Kumon school”. Firstly however, she would simply like to achieve helping 1000 students. Looking at her aspirations, it’s clear she truly believes in education, educating the right way and reaching as many people as possible. Always ready to welcome new students in, Kennington Kumon is open. Why not join a centre where people believe that, as Miss Abby would say, “there is always something better.”