Student Success Story: Sam from MagiKats Alloa
Sam joined MagiKats Alloa at age 7 in 2022 for help with his reading and writing skills as he was struggling to meet the level for his age group. His parents were attracted to MagiKats due to its small group learning programmes as they recognised it would give their son the time and individual support he needed.
Sam, MagiKats Alloa Student
He is a friendly, caring boy who loves playing Playstation games and football outside of school but he often lacked confidence in the classroom and was sometimes distracted in lessons at school. The long-term additional support from MagiKats has been incredibly beneficial for his development and his parents have seen great progress in his confidence and academic skills.
Sam has been diagnosed as Dyslexic so the extra support he receives at MagiKats has helped his progress at school as mum, Michelle, explains.
“The difference in Sam has been amazing, I’d say it took a good year before we saw any marked improvement but since then he’s been coming on leaps and bounds. His reading and writing came on so well, so we then started him with Maths tutoring as well. Sam was always behind where he should be but for the first time ever at the end of P5 his teacher said he was learning at P5 level. He’d always been learning at a slightly younger level so this was a huge leap forward.
Sam can be really shy going into new environments but he took to MagiKats brilliantly and his teachers made him feel at ease so he loves going. You’d think anything that’s further education than school you’d get push back on but he genuinely loves going to MagiKats which is half the battle.”
Rewards and fun
Encouraging interaction and participation is a key part of MagiKats and Sam loves the creative play in our programme as well as getting stamps and prizes during our sessions. His parents also encourage his learning at home with incentives and treats for completing homework.
What advice would Michelle offer to other parents?
“It’s 100% worth it but you have to give it time, the guys at MagiKats are great but don’t expect an overnight miracle. It takes time to see a difference and also dedication from the family. Ensuring the homework is complete does take time but it’s part of the package and if your child doesn’t do the homework then it defeats the purpose of paying for the additional help.”
