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Testimonials

What Parents are Saying

We initially got in touch with Katie following my 10yo son having a detailed reading assessment that indicated low reading scores and an emerging dyslexic profile. We were becoming increasingly aware that he was masking his inability to read accurately and was getting quite stressed with not being able to keep up with his peers.

The first term with Katie’s input had a really positive impact on his reading scores with his standardised scores moving to over 100 from below 80. This however wasn’t the only thing that Katie was able to have an impact on. Very quickly she identified that there were some broader strategies around his social and emotional regulation that she could support with. So very soon the sessions were adapted to address both his readiness to learn and his reading skills. The former has become more of the focus especially at the start of a new school year where he struggled to adjust to change.

Katie is very insightful. She worked hard to get to know my son quickly and she adapts the sessions to meet his needs. She reads his moods well and uses humour and predictable structure to ensure he feels at home in her house and able to focus on working hard. As a family we have benefited from Katie’s continued investment in my son and it’s great to see him grow in confidence and express his enjoyment of the sessions in his own coy way.

I fully recommend Katie to you and if you are unsure what support your child needs, give Katie a call as her advice is excellent. I’ve certainly learnt that being ready to learn and being able to regulate his emotions is the building block on which good learning can happen.

My daughter has thoroughly enjoyed every session with Katie. Katie’s approach to teaching is very child-led, interactive and fun. She focuses on building children’s self esteem and confidence with their academic work. Katie has built a positive rapport with my daughter by initially engaging with her through her interests and hobbies. My daughter continues to feel comfortable to discuss with Katie any concerns she has with her about her peers.

Nickie

I am so glad Katie has chosen to undertake a further level 5 and work with children with special needs. She has so much to contribute to the field, not merely the required empathy and respect, but also those other qualities that are so valuable; a freshness and a sense of humour which lighten the day, an ability to work as a member of a team as well as on her own initiative; her ability to provide a safe and vibrant environment for children, as well has her personal commitment to continue to learn and contribute. I truly consider her to be an asset to any school.

When looking for someone to help our son with his Yr 6 SATS we wanted a tutor who would support him in all areas; improve self esteem, consolidate reading and spelling skills, reinforce maths techniques and most importantly encourage an enjoyment in learning.Yes
Katie has ticked all those boxes and more. Our son describes Katie as ‘someone who listens, is kind, lovely and helps me.’ He is always keen to share what he has done each session and Katie always makes the learning fun and interactive.
If there is a specific area we would like Katie to focus on she will always do this during the session. Alternatively she will use her expansive knowledge of the curriculum and of our son to tailor the session accordingly.
Our sons attitude to learning has improved considerably since he has worked with Katie. His school have commented on this and seen an increase in his results. Most importantly for us has been our sons confidence in his own ability.

Katie engaged children with their learning and sparked curiosity. Sessions were planned to embed and extend understanding, whilst developing confidence in their abilities. With humour and authenticity she built trust, then built learning opportunities upon that foundation.

Katie provided my daughter with practical coping strategies and methods to develop her English skills. These have proved very effective and have in turn developed my daughters confidence. Katie also offered us as parents an understanding of my daughters needs which gave us the confidence to seek appropriate support from our daughters school. Katie herself is extremely calm, professional and nurturing as a person. She made my daughter feel at ease with her around a subject she found embarrassing and tried to hid from other. We are extremely grateful to Katie for all the support she gave our daughter.

Katie Edmonds is a knowledgeable and creative teacher. She has worked with a wide range of abilities and needs, from young people at the earliest stages of literacy acquisition to those preparing to sit GCSE examinations, supporting young people to achieve excellent progress from their starting points. Each lesson is tailored to the individual and she combines fun with challenging learning expectations which support and encourage quality learning.

SENCO. West Sussex

Katie has been integral to my child’s learning over the past few months. She has taught some of the more important basic concepts that my child wasn’t grasping in a way that has been retained and is now a life skill that will be used forever. Katie has been described by my child as funny, kind and able to talk through tricky topics/situations with ease. Katie is very welcoming and I would recommend her to anyone.

I was immediately put at ease by Katie’s bubbly, confident yet very kind and sensitive nature. Her obvious passion and belief in what she does is tempered with a deep sensitivity and understanding about many teenage issues such as anxiety and OCD tendencies.
My daughter has benefited greatly since seeing Katie.

Katie has been working with my 16 year old son who has dyslexia and helping him work towards his GCSEs. She has given him some great strategies to help him deal with the anxiety he has around English and has boosted his confidence greatly. He has just done his mocks and his English teacher says he has a really good pass which is credit to him and all Katie’s fantastic work.

Katie met with my son on several occasions following the loss of my mother.
He was struggling to deal with the loss and show emotion which was causing a build up of anxiety.
Katie’s approach was perfect her knowledge and experience was invaluable.
She built a wonderful rapport with my son in an environment that enabled him to feel safe and able to open up.
Katie provided him with the tools and coping mechanisms for him moving forward which have been so helpful.
I highly recommend Katie and cannot thank her enough.

I have worked alongside Katie in a professional capacity, both as specialist SpLD teachers, for 5 months. Katie has a wealth of knowledge about dyslexia as well as supporting and promoting the mental health and wellbeing of the young people in her care. She takes the time to get to know them as individuals and identify their learning styles, creating inspiring and engaging teaching resources for them. She has a kind and caring manner with young people and makes them feel at ease, listened to and supported. Katie’s sessions are always fun and individualised to the learner.

Stephanie Wood