Member Article

Preston teacher's tuition business skyrockets with the Pandemic a key factor

A former Preston primary school teacher who set up his own tuition company has seen demand for his services skyrocket as parents seek to bridge gaps in their children’s learning – with the disruption caused by Covid-19 school closures being one of the key factors.

Kevin Wrenn spent 15 years working in classrooms specialising in maths and English before deciding to set up his own business.

He now runs three local franchises of Conexus Tuition, a UK company set up in 2013 to offer exam focused tuition for young people. The businesses are Conexus Preston West and South Ribble, Conexus Preston North and Conexus Preston Fulwood.

Kevin, 43, who lives in Farrington Moss, near Leyland, set up his business in January 2023 and has already expanded, now covering the whole of Preston and surrounding towns and villages, including Penwortham, Fulwood, Broughton, Garstang and Longridge.

Along with a team of other fully qualified teachers, they deliver one-to-one and small group face-to-face learning in maths and English in community centres and other local venues. In addition, they offer online learning in these and other subjects for children aged eight-plus. They also provide A-Level support.

Kevin says: “I adore teaching and have the utmost respect for anyone teaching in schools, but for me the increasingly complex bureaucracy, ever-decreasing funding and the constant worry of Ofsted prompted me to make the change and set up my own business.

“Conexus appealed because we have a fantastic team at head office who are industry leading in their safeguarding and safer recruitment standards and have a wealth of knowledge that enables me as a business owner to give the very best possible sessions to the paying parents.

“I have been overwhelmed by the response since starting the business and it’s clear that parents in our communities feel they need a little extra support for their children as they work towards key milestones such as the 11-plus, SATs and ultimately GCSEs.

“They also like the fact I only ever employ fully qualified teachers, which is not the case with other tutoring companies, so that makes our service unique.”

Married father-of-two Kevin says the national school lockdown closures caused by the Pandemic have had a massive impact on children’s learning and thinks this is one of the reasons why his tutoring is in such demand.

“The effects of the missed and the disrupted education will be felt by this generation for many years to come,” he explains.

“We see our role as vital in filling those gaps as a bridge between the gap of what is being taught and learnt in the classroom.

“Our mission is to enable children to excel by providing targeted support that meets their individual needs. Alongside this we build confidence and self-belief whilst providing the children with the skills to tackle the all-important exams.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Neil Shaefer .