Breakthrough Maths online school continues to expand

Thu, 24 Aug, 2023 - 18:05

Martin Mongan

A CORK initiative that is Ireland’s fastest-growing online school has launched a new immersive platform for its students.

Breakthrough Maths caters for students from second class in primary school through to Leaving Certificate.

The school launched in 2020 with just 24 students, increasing to 2,000 young people last year.

Its aim is to teach 3,000 students by the end of the new school year.

Breakthrough Maths’ new platform will enable tutors to spot when a student is struggling and when they need to be moved to an easier class. Parents will also receive the test results on a weekly basis.

Founder of Breakthrough Maths, TJ Hegarty, said: “We’ve huge aspirations to expand globally and our new technology will help us to scale while staying true to our foundations.

“Our aim has always been to change people’s attitude to maths, to make it fun, and to increase each student’s confidence in what many people perceive to be a difficult subject.

“Our experienced, engaging, and enthusiastic teachers will now have the technology to spot instantly when a student is struggling and ensure that no one is lost in class.”

The online school is now teaching classes seven days a week, with lessons on Sunday catering specifically for exam years. The Cork-headquartered company continues to expand its team and has added a head of operations, chief technology officer, and head of product in recent months.

Breakthrough Maths head of operations Ben Sheehan, a financial maths graduate from the University of Galway, said: “Maths is a really important subject and is needed for more third-level courses than ever.

“However, there are so many demands on students’ attention spans, from extracurricular activities, social media, part-time jobs — and the issue is exacerbated by missed school time during covid-19, plus a shortage of teachers in parts of the country.

“We’ve refined our curriculum and hired top-quality tutors to help students to reach their academic goals.

“I believe that a lack of confidence is what is holding most students back and I’m confident that through our engaging and fun classes, we can empower students and unlock their full potential.”

Weekly classes will resume on Monday, September 4.