Frequently asked questions

Hikora is for young people aged 7-18, taught in three age bands: Younger (7-10), Older (11-15) and Juniors (16-18). Classes are grouped by age and ability, so every child is challenged at just the right level. Our Younger and Older classes are running now; the Juniors programme for 16-18s is not running yet, so if that is your child, join the waiting list and we will be in touch.

Not at all - no prior experience is needed, and complete beginners are exactly who the pathway is built for. Beginners start with block-based coding whatever their age, and the pathway takes them from those very first steps to advanced projects, at their own pace.

One Coding & Robotics pathway - from block coding to real Python, sensors and autonomous robotics - with AI literacy taught as a module of its own from the Silver band upwards. Your child will build real things from day one: it's the grounding a world reshaped by AI actually rewards - the people who build the technology, not just use it.

Our Saturday and Sunday classes are open to book, and your child attends one two-hour session a week. The way in is a free trial lesson: send us a request and we'll call you within 24 hours to agree a Saturday time. Your child joins a class for an hour, and you leave with their starting band in writing - with no obligation. Weekday evenings are waiting-list only for now - tell us which one would suit and we'll email you the moment it opens.

It's how every child starts at Hikora - one free hour on a Saturday at our Leicester academy, where your child joins a class and works through our graduated coding & robotics challenges. The highest one they complete unaided sets their starting band on the eight-band ladder, and you leave with that placement in writing - which programme they'd join, where they'd begin, and why, along with the pricing. Drop them off and come back for the last ten minutes, and we'll walk you through the pathway together. Send us a request and we'll call you within 24 hours to agree a time. There's no charge, no payment details, and no obligation to enrol.

In person, in Leicester - we don't run online classes. Classes run at Mowmacre Sports Ground on Thurcaston Road, where your child works hands-on with real robots, in a small group - and every class will have a mentor and an assistant in the room.

Classes are capped at eight students, so no child gets lost in the crowd - and every class will have a mentor and an assistant in the room.

Yes - that's a commitment, not a nicety. Your child will have the same mentor each week: one who will know them by name and track their progress from session to session. Consistency matters for every child, and especially for SEND families and any child who needs predictability to feel settled - if that's your child, tell us when you request the free trial lesson, or when we call you - and we'll plan for it.

Yes - and we'd rather show you the standard than just say the word. Every adult who works with a class will hold an enhanced DBS check, first-aid training and a safeguarding induction before they work with children, and we take up references before anyone is appointed. It's the bar every appointment has to clear, and we confirm each person's status to you in writing at the point of booking. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Redwaan Maxamed, our co-founder - you can reach him at info@hikora.co.uk, and our Safeguarding & Child Protection policy sets the rest out in full.

Yes - we hold public liability insurance, and no class will meet without it in force.

Yes - every session will have a first-aid-trained adult in the room, without exception.

Your child will earn Hikora Certification as they progress: a certificate at every band from Bronze to Diamond, each one recording exactly what they can do - awarded only when a mentor has watched them do it unaided, never for attendance. The pathway is built toward GCSE Computer Science, and they'll leave every term with the real projects they built, which are theirs to keep. We're also working towards recognised external accreditation on top - we'll announce that the moment it's confirmed.

No. There are no long-term contracts - think of it like a gym membership: you can pause or cancel at any time, with no fees and no minimum term. We earn your continued trust term by term. And the free trial lesson carries no obligation and no payment.

Talk to us - every family's situation is different, and we'd rather work through it with you than apply a blanket rule. Memberships are also pausable at any time, so a holiday never means paying for sessions your child can't attend.

You'll never pay anything before you've chosen to enrol. We don't refund individual missed sessions - pausing exists for exactly that - but you can cancel at any time with no penalty, and we'll always be fair about anything paid in advance. The full policy is set out in our Terms & Conditions.

Yes - families with more than one child at Hikora get a sibling discount. We'll confirm the current rate before you enrol.

Nothing to buy - we provide the robotics kits and computers at the centre. Your child just brings themselves.

Call or WhatsApp us on 07455 098033, or email info@hikora.co.uk - we aim to reply within 24 hours. Or request a free trial lesson and we'll call you within 24 hours.