​ ​	Introducing Neela Patel, our new Community Partner. She’s a tutor at First Class Learning and is passionate in helping children reach their full potential by offering extra studying in Tooting.

Hi Neela. How long have you been teaching?

“I’ve been teaching for over 20 years. As my children started to grow up, I found I had a lot more spare time on my hands – time to start doing something for myself, I thought!

“I moved to Kenya for ten years, and introduced the Kumon franchise to the country.  I was in charge of the whole set-up there and ran the head office. Upon my return to the UK, I continued to teach under the Kumon banner, but switched to First Class Learning in 2011.”
 

And why did you settle in Tooting?

“I love the diversity and friendliness of the area, and the different places to go. Being a vegetarian, I love Saravanaa Bhavan and I’m also a fan of Tangia. I’m always walking on Tooting Common, and my kids and grandkids regularly play tennis there. They also swim in the lido – that’s too cold for me though!”

Where are you based?

“We’ve always been based at St Nicholas Church in Tooting. The space is great, and it’s a really convenient location for our students.

“We run sessions every Monday and Friday, 3.30pm to 6pm, for ages 4 to 16. We teach maths, English, science and verbal and non-verbal reasoning, all in a friendly, welcoming and supportive atmosphere. Our programmes are aligned with the National Curriculum, so you can be sure that your child is receiving the right education with us!
 

“I love doing it. I’ve been teaching for over 20 years, and my passion hasn’t abated one bit! I love helping the kids and seeing them grow up. Some of them even come back and help in the centre after their studies!”

One such student is Pirenavan, aged 18, who adds, “I’ve been working for Neela for the last 3 years. I started going to sessions when I was 6 or 7 years old and stayed until early secondary school, studying English and maths (and then just maths). I started working for her at age 15, which inspired me to pursue a career in primary education, which I’m now studying at Roehampton University.

“The best thing about Neela is that she gives a huge amount of attention to detail – she makes sure you fully understand the subject and won’t leave until you do.”
 

Sophia, a local parent, echoes these sentiments:

“I found Neela through recommendations from two very satisfied parents. We started because my daughter was studying for her year 6 Wandsworth tests, and although we had all the books and she was studying at home, we weren’t making much progress. In a few short months of Neela and her team’s excellent teaching, encouragement and support, my daughter achieved fantastic results and came top of her class at school. The team are all welcoming, passionate and extremely hard-working, with their main aim of getting children and young people to reach their full potential. Classes are in a calm and focused environment which is ideal for my daughter. I would wholeheartedly recommend her and her team’s outstanding tuition to all parents.”

So if your child is needing a little extra push, then get in touch with Neela – after all, she’s recommended by generations of Tooting kids and parents!

You can find out more on the First Class Learning website and follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram,  or call on 07868 759 300.

First Class Learning Tooting is one of our Community Partners. To find out more, click here.