Prestige Awards Recognise The Study Buddy as Education Specialist of the Year

Study and time management start-up, The Study Buddy, has been announced as the winner of the Education Specialist category in this year’s Prestige Awards.

The Study Buddy, based in Somerset, was created in 2018 to help students and their parents to structure and plan revision in the run-up to GCSEs.

The Corporate Livewire Prestige Awards recognise small and medium-sized businesses that have proven to be the best in their market over the past 12 months. The judging panel base their decisions on areas such as service, quality of the product and innovative practices. In awarding The Study Buddy as ‘best in category’ in The South West event; the judges specifically commented on all the positive feedback from parents and students that they found.

A fabulous end to the year

Of the award, founder Nathan McGurl said: “This has been a tough year for many small businesses. To hear that we’ve won this top award is such a fabulous way to end the year.”

Nathan continued “I came up with this approach to make a difference to students and their parents. I’m over-the-moon that the positive experiences of the mums, dads and teens played a big part in our win.”

The Study Buddy was created by Nathan, who applied corporate project management techniques, to help his son overcome his procrastination. The result is a simple approach to managing study in a sensible and structured way. This is top of many people’s minds at the moment; with the disruption caused by Covid-19 and continuing uncertainty over next year’s exams.

Confidence through organisation and structure.

“The pandemic has obviously had a huge impact on education this year. It’s not just time lost in school; but also the knock-on effect on the confidence, readiness and motivation that many students feel,” explains Nathan. “And that’s what I’d like to think is special about The Study Buddy. We help students find it in themselves to prepare for their exams through our straightforward time management approach.”

“We have to work on the basis that exams will take place in the summer. So, it’s especially important that teens consolidate the great learning that happens in the classroom by studying independently at home,” Nathan adds. “Cramming is never a sensible approach to exams. More than ever, students should be looking at ways they can knuckle-down and make a start sooner rather than later. It can be tough, but the clarity and structure of our approach has helped students all over the country.”