Futureschool.com - Online Maths and English - A Review

For the last month we have been trialling an online learning website called Future School. It is a paid for service which aims to deliver quality educational content to help children achieve their full potential. It covers English and Mathematics through games and online lessons.

I signed both the girls up and they can log in separately using their own logins and passwords. They take an initial assessment to make sure the program knows what level they are currently at which makes sure that they are not working at a level too easy or too hard for them which will give them the confidence to carry on.

The girls were both really excited to start with it. I think because it is computer based it felt more like a game to them than homework and there were no arguments about getting on with it.

With an initial bit of guidance at how to navigate the system Bean (8) managed just fine on her own. I could sit her down and she would do some work independently. JB (4) needed much more help because she couldn't read the questions so I had to sit down and do it with her. She is also not as good at using the computer so needed a bit of help using that.

They both did well in their assessments and enjoyed the lessons. It didn't take long though for them to clock that this wasn't a game and they began to drag their feet a little about using it. With a little encouragement they would sit down to do it though. There are also fun activities to do to.

Personally, I found the system a little clunky to use, it seemed quite dated and the voice of the person reading out loud seemed old fashioned. I would have liked it to be a little slicker, brighter and easier to navigate. The children didn't really notice any of this though.

From a parent's point of view you can see your child's progress easily on the dashboard and it is easy to see from the system what they have done or not done and what is coming up in their study plan which is really helpful. Customer service is also really great if you are having any problems.

I firmly believe that a bit of extra work with your children can really help them. Doing something like this twice a week could really help your child, especially if they are struggling in school.

There are different levels of membership, from £15.50 a month which isn't bad value. You can have up to 5 students at that price which is great if you have siblings who could both benefit from it.

I certainly found that it took all the hard work out of finding extra work for them to do at home. It prepares a study plan for you, based on their current ability which is great if you don't have a lot of time to think about and plan activities yourself. The fact that it is computer based means that you will improve their computer skills too and they are encouraged to go on it because it seems more like a game.

If you are considering something like this to give you child a little helping hand you can sign up for a free 30 day trial which is great as it's the perfect amount of time to see if this will really work for you without having to spend any money.