SEND Pathways Testimonials
Private assessment work
Many families contact me with queries about assessments for dyslexia. Whilst a few are exasperated by their experiences thus far trying to secure the right support for their son or daughter, all want a clearer picture of their child’s learning profile, so that they can ensure their needs are understood, particularly by those working with them. I love the assessment aspect of my work, as diagnostic assessments can go such a long way to help young people and their families, and so it is always great when you get an email telling you about the difference it has made...
Parent
(Brecon)
I’m not exaggerating, your report is absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for all your help. It’s been such an emotional rollercoaster and so to be able to get such expert help and support from you is fantastic and such a relief! I am thrilled. For the first time in years, I feel like we have a plan for xxx and that we can now properly help him progress as he deserves to.
Can I just say a huge thank you for the report. The professionalism and depth of your investigation is a real pleasure to read and whilst we are grateful for the diagnosis, the suggested actions to help xxx are equally as important and we would like to thank you for them.
Parent
(Worcesterl)
Parent
(Catshill)
Just a quick email to say thank you for your work with xxx yesterday. Just overhearing your reassuring manner while assessing her was a pleasure and I know she really appreciated it.
Thank you so much, Jo, for the very comprehensive and clear report. It has already really helped, along with your reassurance and positivity on the day, with regard to xxx’s learning.
Parent
(Dudley)
Parent
(Newark)
It was so lovely to meet you and thank you for being so wonderful with xxx. She hasn’t stop talking since we left.
Thank you for the report and helpful recommendations. It was lovely to work with you and thank you for putting xxx and myself at ease.
Parent
(Birmingham)
Parent
(Worcester)
I just wanted to thank you so much for yesterday. I have just had a read through [the report] and have already arranged a meeting with SENCo to discuss. We are feeling more positive about high school now. Fingers crossed he will now get the help he needs going forward. Thank you again!
School assessment and support
It’s always a pleasure and a privilege to go into settings, to work with SENCOs and staff teams who are all as passionate as me about improving provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Recently, I’ve had this lovely feedback from some of the schools I’ve been working with…
“
Jo was commissioned to support our school whilst our SENCO was on maternity Leave. She was a tower of strength - reliable, knowledgeable and student-centred, demonstrating a wealth of experience that could be adapted across many facets of the SEND Team. Jo quickly became an established part of our team, building confidence in all who worked alongside her. We would not hesitate to return to her if we needed further advice and support.
High school SENCO (Worcester)
“
Jo put the pupils at ease very quickly and everything ran very smoothly. She is professional and has a seamless, calm way of working through the assessments required for access arrangements. I would highly recommend.
Secondary school SENCO (Worcester)
“
Jo has supported our school since November 2022 and we consider ourselves very lucky to have found her. Her wealth of knowledge, calm, friendly manner and forward-thinking approach has been invaluable. Nothing is ever too much trouble for Jo. We really do not know what we would have done without her support and guidance.
Middle school SENCO/Deputy Head (Worcestershire)
Training
As an ex-teacher, I know that school staff can sometimes be a tough audience when it comes to training! Often it has to be scheduled as a twilight, once the students have gone home, and everyone is already exhausted. And sometimes you’re asked in on an INSET day when, for those sat in front of you, other tasks are much more pressing…or simply more appealing! For me as a facilitator, I ensure SEND Pathways’ training is always pitched appropriately (depending on the ages of the students in the setting), is engaging and interactive, and that it focuses on realistic and practical classroom practice. The feedback below is from this academic year and makes me think I’m on the right lines…
“Practical Classroom Strategies to Support Students with Dyslexia’
- 'I picked up some ideas that I hope to use in my teaching. I didn't realise how hard it was for some students to copy writing and make sense of it.'
- 'I found it very useful to learn how to support independent reading and how to make presentations more dyslexia-friendly.'
- 'Ideas and content was very interesting, some additional insight into how decoding and phonics works.'
- 'Gave me an insight into how much effort it takes a student with dyslexia to learn. Will now think about other ways for students to record their work.'
- 'Thinking about new ways to re-word materials and resources; quick take-away ideas were very useful.'
- 'Excellent presentation, very useful. Thanks.
Secondary school teaching and support staff (Worcester)
“Annual Training for Staff Acting as Readers, Scribes and PAs in Exams”
- ‘I’ve done similar training before, but this was by far the most comprehensive.’
- ‘Better than doing it online which was what we’ve done before.’
- ‘Jo really knows her stuff. It was good that she could answer our questions. Thank you.’
- ‘I’m now much more aware of what we can and can’t do when we’re in exams. This has clarified a few uncertainties.’
- ‘Really helpful. I didn’t realise as a scribe I could read by what I had written to my student.’
- ‘It was good to revisit something I do know about but which I need reminding of each year – and the updates were handy too as things do seem to change a lot.’
High school support staff (Worcestershire)