A summer to remember - for all the right reasons
We know parents are always looking out for different sources of entertainment for their kids during the Summer. At Mathnasium Notting Hill we offer a variety of summer activities and summer camps suitable for every child.
Holidays, long days, lazy mornings, beach trips, and time with friends. Summer is exactly what children - and parents - need. At Mathnasium Notting Hill, we couldn’t agree more.
The summer break is a chance for children to breathe, play, explore, and simply be kids. Whether that looks like holidays, afternoons in the garden, days out with family, or a well-earned lie-in, all of it matters. Rest, socialisation, and fresh air aren’t luxuries – they are essentials to support focus, wellbeing, and the kind of curiosity that enables learning and retention.
So no, we’re not here to turn the summer holidays into another school term. But we do want to share something worth knowing - because a small amount of the right support can make a big difference to how your child feels come September.
The summer slide: what it is and why it matters
Every summer, a quiet phenomenon plays out in households across the country. Children who’ve worked hard all year - building skills in maths, developing confidence, making real progress - gradually lose some of that ground simply through lack of practice. Researchers call it the “summer slide,” or summer learning loss.
It’s not a sign of failure. It’s just how learning works. Like a language you stop speaking, or an instrument you stop playing, skills need regular use to stay sharp.
“The summer loss equalled about one month — and the effect of summer break was more detrimental for maths than for reading.”
- REVIEW OF 39 STUDIES, AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL1
More recent research suggests the figure for maths may now be closer to 2.5 months - and because this loss compounds year on year, the gap between children who practise a little over the summer and those who don’t grows steadily wider. Teachers consistently report spending the first three to six weeks of each new school year re-covering ground lost over the holidays.
30% |
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2.5 months |
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3-6 weeks |
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of maths learning can be lost over the summer
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average maths learning loss, per recent research
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teachers spend re-teaching at the start of each new term
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Every child is affected - younger ones especially
Summer learning loss touches students of all ages, but the impact is felt most acutely in younger children. In the early years of school, children are building the foundational skills - number sense, arithmetic, reading fluency - that everything else rests on. These skills are particularly sensitive to gaps in practice.
As James Kim, Ed.D., of Harvard University explains: “Kids learn a lot more in the early years because learning follows a curve - accelerated early in life, then plateauing. Things like maths facts, addition and subtraction are very susceptible to decay without frequent practice.”
That said, older students aren’t immune. Cumulative gaps in reasoning, fractions, and problem-solving can quietly erode confidence and preparation - particularly for those approaching key transition years or 11+ assessments.
The good news: a little goes a long way
Here’s the part that should reassure every parent: the research is just as clear about the solution as it is about the problem. Children who engage in structured maths learning over the summer don’t just hold their ground — they arrive in September measurably ahead of peers who didn’t.
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) — the UK’s leading independent body on education research — has reviewed the evidence from 69 studies into summer learning programmes. Their findings are striking.2
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+3 months |
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+5 months |
| additional progress |
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with more direct tuition |
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On average, pupils who attend structured summer learning programmes make three months more progress than similar pupils who don’t — in both maths and literacy. |
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More intensive, one-to-one approaches — like those used at Mathnasium — showed even stronger results, equivalent to five months of additional progress. |
Put simply: the research shows that the right kind of summer support — structured, focused, and enjoyable — can more than offset what would otherwise be lost, giving children a genuine head start for September.
Make this a summer full of confidence
Mathnasium Notting Hill summer camps aren't about replacing the fun of the holidays - it’s about adding something to them. Our sessions are engaging, encouraging, and built around how children actually learn best, using a technique called distributed practice to keep skills fresh without the pressure of a classroom.
Children who come to Mathnasium over the summer don’t just hold their ground — they arrive in September ahead of where they left off, ready to learn with energy and confidence.
For more information on our Summer Activities contact Tim on 020 8076 0111
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