Eye Level FAQs – Your questions answered

Who is Eye Level for?

Eye Level is a global supplementary education provider that has spent the last 45 years devising programmes that enable children to become independent problem solvers and critical thinkers. We use our award-winning curriculum to offer personalised instruction through self-directed learning and one to one coaching. Most of our students are aged 4-16 years old who attend classes at our learning centres or online via On Air.

How does Eye Level differ from other providers?

We differ from traditional private tuition and school by offering a truly personalised education experience based on ability rather than age or short term academic goals or a “quick-fix” tutoring experience. Instead we offer long term enrichment programmes that enable children to work above their natural school curriculum level independently with superior problem-solving abilities and critical thinking skills that are in demand by Universities and employers alike. In comparison to other learning centre providers parents choose us because we are academically robust from a global perspective whilst adapting to the demands of the local market by working with partners to make our curriculum relevant and applicable to the local school system. We also believe that the job of educating your child falls on us rather than outsourcing that task back to the parent as can be the case with other workbook based models of delivery.

Does Eye Level study help students with the 11+/SATS/GCSEs?

Our programmes have been adapted in order to reflect the content that is taught in British schools. We actively pursue the potential of each student by developing truly independent learners. The combination of these acquired study skills with content knowledge is a powerful one and we receive reports daily from parents and teachers that both confidence and attainment improve with long term Eye Level study. We don’t change our standards depending on the country in which we operate so a student that had mastered any of our programmes would find any of the above key milestone tests in the British system easier as a result of attending one of our learning centres for at least 12 months.

What homework does an Eye Level student complete?

We do set homework for our student’s in-between classes in order to practise new skills and acquire new knowledge but we want this to be an entirely manageable experience as we know our parents want to be involved in the process of helping their child but they do not want to be their teacher – that is why they have come to us in the first place. Some providers set over 85% of the weekly workload at home but we do not allow this to be more than 33%. Therefore, expect your child to spend more time with us and less time negotiating with you at home.

How is an Eye Level student taught?

The most important role of an Eye Level Instructor is to get to know your child and to closely observe how they approach learning and to act on those signals. Each centre has thousands of pages of material to choose from and because we believe in ability led rather than age led education they will decide on work that enables them to be challenged and to be stretched without tipping back into a place where they are seeking help and reassurance from an adult. This is all about becoming an independent learner by building strong foundations and study skills before applying new learning blocks in a very systematic and logical way. Over time the child will learn to use the workbooks and 1-1 coaching time to best effect and so although we can teach and do teach it is a last resort rather than the first step. Our students are resourceful, resilient and hard-working but they know they have our full support and the individualised nature of what we do develops the student in a completely different way.

At what age can my child start Eye Level?

Eye Level does produce and provide preschool material but in the UK, we recommend no earlier than the Summer before Reception starts. By following our curriculum from that key stage a child would be very advanced by 6 or 7 years old so we don’t see any great merit in starting at 2 or 3 – let them play would be our advice but of course if they have older siblings and take an interest we can let them come in for some fun sessions before school gets underway properly at age 4 or 5.

How do the Eye Level programmes relate to a child’s age?

We ignore age as a concept in Eye Level and actually we believe it is a flawed way to organise education or learning. We organise entirely by ability which means you can see children working at school level, below school level and of course many years above school level. It largely depends on the initial assessment and how long they have been doing Eye Level for.

How often does an Eye Level student attend class and for how long?

All of our students either attend once or twice a week and this is entirely up to the parent/student. We are happy to accommodate both and indeed because of the way we structure it there will be no fundamental difference in progress or attainment choosing between one or the other but of course a student is in class longer if we only see them once a week. Eye Level is not obsessed with time – we neither give a child a set prescribed timed class nor do we time how long it takes for them to complete their work. We believe careful observation and 1-1 coaching is a far more effective tool in determining mastery. A child will be in class for the time it takes them to complete that day’s work until it is 100% perfect. That will depend on the child, their age, their level, their ability and indeed how long they have been doing Eye Level for – it gets harder over time! However, we would say on average a child would take 45 minutes per subject once settled.

How will my child’s progress be reported?

Everything a child does at home or in class is recorded into our student dashboard within our Key and Manager application. However, each student has a study projection which we determine progress against on a monthly basis. The Eye Level Instructor, the Eye Level UK Team and our Global HQ are all tracking this progress in relation to the millions of other students we have worked with all over the world. At the end of each level a student will complete an Achievement Test which further complements this data-set. We use this simply to predict and to manage when a student will cross over into above curriculum level work. At enrolment, we will give you an approximation of time to achieve this and we will share with you on a regular basis how your child is doing in relation to this. You can request this information at any point in your journey with us.

What happens when we go on holidays?

Holidays happen and we want you to enjoy them but we do try to keep our students into a fairly regular routine and indeed our programmes are organised to be conducted 52 weeks a year. For the vast majority, we simply supply the student with the work they would have otherwise completed in class during that period and we can offer complete flexibility in this regard. One of the advantages of having a global learning platform is we can continue to work with students around the world as both ON AIR and Summit simply need a Wi-Fi connection to work. If you are going away for an extended period we will come with you.

How much does Eye Level study cost?

There may be some slight variation but in order to offer simplicity to our pricing models the maths, English, 11+, online and Summit programmes of study are all offered at a single price point of £65 per calendar month per subject per child in the UK.

How much help am I expected to give my child at home?

An Eye Level parent has already shown a considerable amount of support and help by enrolling their child in Eye Level. We need your help with the logistics of study and by being generally positive and supportive in regards to what we are trying to do. However, we do not require you to teach, mark or record the time your child takes at home to complete the work. As parents, we know you are busy and have come to us for help. It is therefore our pleasure and duty to do so. If your child ever gets stuck at home then ask them to read the instructions contained within the workbook or follow the walk me through on Summit. If that doesn’t work, wait for the next class or message your Instructor. They will jump online and fix the problem for you. We want you to share in the benefits of Eye Level study not deliver the programme on our behalf – it is that simple.

What if there isn’t a study centre in my area?

Eye Level has an extensive network across Asia and the US but we are new in some countries. This is a good thing as we can now provide all Eye Level services across the UK for the first time but we are also in the process of building and establishing more centres in areas of high demand. If you can’t find a centre please let us know as firstly it prompts us to open one and secondly, we can still work with your child in a variety of ways as we have national postal and ON AIR/Summit coverage.

How long is my child committed to studying with Eye Level for when we join?

The Eye Level programme is excellent so we don’t need to tie you into long term financial or legal agreements. We work slightly ahead of the student in terms of thought and provision so we have a simple 1 calendar month discontinuation rule in our T+Cs. However, because of the nature of Eye Level and the way that it works there is little or no value in attending for a short period of time which is why we do such a comprehensive assessment with you upfront. As a general rule of thumb – 1 year will make a meaningful difference, 2 years and they will be very good and 3 years+ study and they will be exceptional for their age. Most of our students stay between 2 and 5 years and transfers can be made to any of our global centres if moving.

What does the maths programme cover?

The Eye Level maths programme is designed to cover all the requirements of the curriculum from Reception through to the start of year 12. It comprises 32 levels with over 14,000 pages of material which would take a student 3-4 years to complete if working straight through it. It is put together in very small steps that enables children to study and master maths in a logical and linear way. We have purposefully split the curriculum into two separate components which children work through at different speeds. Our Basic Thinking (BTM) covers number, arithmetic and measurement and deals with pure maths. Our Critical Thinking (CTM) covers patterns, relationships, geometry, problem solving, reasoning and probability and deals with applied maths. All students whether in class or online use physical workbooks and teaching tools to complete the programme.

Find out more at https://www.myeyelevel.co.uk/maths/

What does the English programme cover?

The Eye Level British English programme was revised to complement the curriculum and our instructional teams worked in partnership with Cambridge University Press to build a set of materials that comprises 14 levels with over 9,000 pages of exercises with another 12 levels of the writing programme that compliments and works alongside the reading books. Every book is in full colour and beautifully presented and like the maths would take 3-4 years to complete from start to finish. The curriculum is designed to cover all necessary skills in phonics, grammar, comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, reading and writing. By the end children will have become critical readers and be able to write pieces of narrative, opinion, research and informational pieces preparing them for higher study at GCSE, A Level and University. All students use physical materials regardless of delivery method.

Find out more at https://www.myeyelevel.co.uk/english

What does the 11+ programme cover?

Many of our children join us between Reception and year 3 and these are indeed the most popular entry points to our programmes. Any student starting in one of these year groups will be working above their curriculum level by the time year 6 begins and they will have developed a set of study skills and acquired knowledge that will prepare them very well for any kind of selective test to move into a grammar or independent school at the age of 11 or 13. However, we also appreciate that parents may decide to prepare for the 11+ later on during primary school which is why we have developed an intensive 52 week programme that students must start at the beginning of year 5 at the latest. We still conduct diagnostic tests to determine suitability and we will advise you accordingly but we will extract all the key elements from our maths, critical thinking, English and writing programmes to develop and focus on the type of questions and exercises that appear in these kinds of tests. It will also have the additional benefit of being directly useful and applicable once they start in year 7 regardless of school. Any existing Eye Level student can also swap into the 11+ course in September of year 5 if they wish.

Find out more at https://www.myeyelevel.co.uk/11plus/

What does the Summit programme cover?

Eye Level Summit is an award winning personalised edtech product that is accessed through a tablet or computer. It uses advanced AI based technology to develop a students understanding and application of maths. Using Walk Me Through the system replicates the relationship between a student and a teacher and covers all the maths knowledge required for years 1 to 12. With 660 individual topic lessons and thousands of questions and exercises the student can go from number to advanced algebra working at a speed that suits them as we make available whole year group curriculums at a time. Summit can be used in conjunction with English, can further assist with the 11+ and indeed can be run alongside Eye Level Maths in order to cover foundation building and school level maths at the same time. This is particularly useful for students that start in late Primary/early Secondary. However, one key point of difference is that unlike other Edtech providers you still get a human teacher who will monitor progress and can be on hand to support/teach whenever required. If you want to combine the very best technology solution (Winner Best Maths Solution 2020 Edtech Cool Tool Awards) with a maths teacher in support then Summit is for you.

Find out more at https://www.myeyelevel.co.uk/summit-maths/

What happens if I miss my allocated class?

At Eye Level we timeslot attendance at our physical and online classes in order to ensure we are fully prepared for each student and have the opportunity to complete everything properly on the day including the 1-1 coaching. However, we understand that sometimes things happen or children get ill for a few days and are not at their best. In these circumstances we will always try to find a replacement or alternative class for you within the same week. If your circumstances completely change we can of course change your allocated class day/time.

What does the free assessment cover and what feedback will I get?

The free assessment is an excellent way to get feedback on your child whilst learning more about the Eye Level programme and how it relates to what you are trying to achieve at school. The diagnostic exercises are designed to show us what your child can currently do in relation to arithmetic, word problems, critical thinking, grammar, comprehension, reading and writing. You will receive feedback on all these areas and from that we will be able to tell you your starting point on the programme, the duration of time it will take to reach an International standard (ELIS) for the child in question and we will share an initial study projection. Once you have seen the curriculum and materials that we use you will be able to decide whether you want to join the class or not. There is no cost or ongoing obligation in attending an Eye Level assessment at any of our centres.

My child is at another provider so can they transfer easily?

We do get requests for transfers from other providers in the main because parents are not satisfied with progress, find the curriculum too narrow or simply do not like the delivery model that is available elsewhere. We are very familiar with our main competitors’ programmes and are able to add value by recognising what has been learnt elsewhere whilst adding additionality through our broader programme. Adding the critical thinking or writing programme are the two most common elements that parents seek when moving to Eye Level. Since a parent has already paid a registration fee we do not charge any fees for a direct transfer from any of the other providers in the market. A child is only young for a certain period of time so we want to make best use of that opportunity by applying the best possible method and curriculum available.

What qualifications will my Eye Level Instructor have?

All Eye Level Instructors must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree and many have Masters or PhDs. They must have completed the Eye Level Training Programme (ELTP) to a satisfactory level and they must have a DBS certificate and a passion for improving the lives of the children they work with.

Can I mix and match between the different programmes that you offer?

At Eye Level we believe strongly in the model of personalised education that we offer and that extends to making education available anytime, anywhere and anyplace. With Eye Level maths, English, 11+, online and Summit we offer best in class services in all 3 main delivery models – learning centres, online and edtech. All of these services can be combined or blended to deliver the very best for your child and family circumstances and so we do have students that follow between one and four of these offerings. Our simple pricing models help provide transparency and reduce administration as children can add/remove services as they grow and develop.