PARENTS will soon be able to drop off their children for extra tuition while they go shopping in Sainsbury’s.

After-school English and maths classes are to be offered at a centre which is opening in the firm’s Tollgate store, in Stanway.

It is being run by Explore Learning, which operates 110 other centres nationwide UK, and has created 20 jobs.

The Stanways centre’s director, Mary McPherson, said: “We want to make our membership as accessible as possible.

“Being inside Sainsbury’s enables parents to bring their children along for an hour and a quarter of tuition while they spend the time doing the weekly shop, knowing their children are having fun and learning something new.

“Dozens of our centres are inside Sainsbury’s supermarkets and it has proved really popular.

so we hope Colchester will be a success too.”

The centre is on the first floor of the store in a quiet room, away from the hubbub of shoppers.

Mrs McPherson added: “We have popular centres in Chelmsford and Southend, which have gone down really well with parents and children alike.

“Colchester is a fantastic, fastgrowing town with lots of families to whom we hope our formof tuition will appeal. Parents are very welcome to get in touch and book a free trial session.”

Tuition is available for children aged between five and 14, with one tutor for every six children.

From July, the Colchester team will be running courses in creative writing, creative maths and how to succeed at secondary school, with dedicated entrance exam and 11-Plus coaching starting in September.

The company is also promising to work with schools and organising workshops focusing in its annual National Young Writers’ and National Young Mathematicians’ awards.

To find out more about tuition and the free creative writing workshops the company is running in Colchester Library, call 01206 890888.