An experienced teacher who has already helped almost 3,000 children across Gateshead and Chester-Le-Street is expanding her successful Kip McGrath Education Centres into Washington, Tyne and Wear.
Carol Milne, a former science teacher and head of year, left the classroom in 2015 to set up her first Kip McGrath Education Centre in Gateshead East. Since opening the doors in March 2016, she has gone on to launch a second centre in Chester-Le-Street in 2021 and now, five years later, is opening her third in Washington. The new hub will be based at Washington Library, making high-quality tuition even more accessible for local families.
Kip McGrath, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, was founded in Australia by two teachers who began tutoring children in their garage after seeing many fall behind with reading. The company has since grown to more than 800 centres worldwide, including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Emirates
Carol discovered Kip McGrath in 2015, having taken voluntary redundancy from St Joseph’s College in South Tyneside. Using her redundancy money, she invested in the franchise and has since built a thriving business employing 30 staff. What started as Carol teaching and managing everything alone has grown into a strong organisation with fully qualified teachers and support staff across three sites.
Over the past decade, her centres have delivered more than 91,000 lessons, supporting close to 3,000 students. Each week, dozens of families attend sessions, making the centres not only a valuable educational resource but also a growing local employer and contributor to the regional economy.
All tuition is delivered by fully qualified, DBS-checked teachers, using a traditional curriculum approach tailored to each child’s ability level. The focus is not only on closing knowledge gaps, but also on building confidence, independence and resilience.
Carol explained:
“We help children from five to 18 for all sorts of reasons – some are behind their peers, some lack confidence, and others are ahead but want to keep progressing. What parents tell us most often is the difference they see in their child’s confidence, which is often transformative.
“I’m passionate about making education accessible for all children, not just those from privileged backgrounds. Most of our families are working-class, and many parents make sacrifices to bring their children here because they know how important education is.”
Her personal journey also inspires her mission. Growing up without encouragement in her own education, Carol returned to study in her mid-30s to achieve her degree and teaching qualifications. Today, she is determined that every child has the chance to succeed.
The new Washington centre, based at Washington Library, will meet growing demand from local families already travelling to Gateshead and Chester-Le-Street, while creating further employment opportunities in the area.
Carol added:
“Opening in Washington means we can support even more families in the area. My aim has always been simple – to give children the chance to succeed and feel confident in their learning. To see the business grow from just me to a team of 30 teachers and staff is something I’m proud of.”
