Testimonials
Parent of Child, 15 years old
After speaking with Ellie on the telephone and explaining my concerns about my daughter, we discussed testing and everything involved. My concerns were listened to with patience and for the first time ever I felt like someone was listening to me! Ellie explained the process of testing well and I was made aware that it would not guarantee a diagnosis. I felt satisfied with all the information given and decided to go ahead with testing.
On the day of testing myself and my daughter travelled to the venue and I felt a little worried as I knew there would be some of the time I wouldn’t be present and my daughter sometimes finds situations uncomfortable with people she does not know. Within minutes of meeting Ellie, that feeling had gone and I had no concerns at all that I would be leaving her for a while. I could also sense that my daughter was very much at ease with Ellie which was the most important thing for me.
Everything was explained to both of us very clearly. I was present for about an hour before I left for the testing to commence. In that time, it was explained that the tests can be difficult, tiring and that the time it can take can vary depending on the individual but wouldn’t be anything shorter than 2 hours. I left feeling very much at ease.
On my return, my daughter said she was fine and I could see she was comfortable. Ellie was lovely with her. I was then given the results of testing. They were explained in great detail in order to help me with the report when it came a few weeks later. There was no rush and I was able to ask as many questions as I wanted. Ellie also explained that if at any point I had any further questions at any time or when the report came then I could do so at any time.
Report was received well within timescale given and communication with Ellie is open. I wouldn’t hesitate to contact her if I had a query or needed any advice.
Would highly recommend Ellie if you have any concerns! Whether it leads to testing or just advice, you will be listened to and advised what is best with absolutely no pressure. I just wish I had made this call years ago but thankful I eventually came across this lady. Very professional but lovely and understanding at same time!
Parents of Child, 4 years old
Ellie visited us at home during a difficult time we were having with our four year old son. She spent a few hours with us, listening to the issues we were having and asking detailed questions in order to gain an understanding and appreciation of the problems. It was clear that Ellie had exactly the right experience to help and provided guidance and suggestions for us, along with the reassurance that our son’s behaviour was largely typical for a boy of his age. Ellie followed up the session with a very detailed report along with further suggestions and some social story ideas for us to try, all of which have helped enormously.
Parent
Maria supported me during the early stage of my daughters ASD journey. Her empathy and
sensitivity towards the issues we were facing as a family helped us come to terms with the road
ahead. Maria was very personable and I would recommend her support to anyone. Thank you Maria
for everything you have done for us.
Parents of Young Person, 17 years old
From our point of view we are so impressed with how efficient and professional you are from making our initial enquiries to the assessment and finally receiving your detailed report and excellent recommendations. The report has proved extremely useful to feedback to school and forward on to University. The high standard and quality of your report was also commented on by the optician we used, following your recommendation.
A really big thank you from us all for the positive impact you have made to his well-being and self-confidence.
SENDCo
Maria has consistently striven for the best outcomes for our pupils in all areas of the SEND Code of
Practice. She is passionate about the role that she undertakes in the school environment and is very
approachable, providing staff with a range of practical strategies that are manageable and can be
realistically implemented to make a difference to pupils. Maria has undertaken staff training on a
number of occasions which has always been well-received. We don’t hesitate to recommend Maria!
Academy Trust Director of Safeguarding and SEND
Emma demonstrates exceptional skills in assessing and addressing diverse learning needs within the school. Individual student work is insightful, and she goes above and beyond to quickly establish relationships with parents and key staff members in school to ensure all feel supported. The CPD she brings to the school is instrumental in helping us to foster a positive and inclusive learning environment, contributing significantly to both student well-being and academic success.
Multi Academy Trust SENDCO
Maria is an excellent Educational Psychologist. In all the cases she has supported our school with she
has shown professionalism, empathy and compassion and a superb understanding of children with
additional needs and how best to support them. Her communication with children, staff and parents
is always kind, supportive and honest, her advice and guidance has helped many of our families with
children with SEND and she has always gone above and beyond to support staff to remove barriers to learning for those children. I would recommend her without reservation to support your children and
families.
Young Person, 17 years old
The last thing I felt like doing after work as school was more tests but surprisingly the time went by really quickly and it was interesting. I found it all really useful, you might not come out with the outcome you were expecting but whatever the results she’ll point you in the right direction for help . Very friendly and reassuring – thanks for your help.
Primary School SENDCo
Maria was our school EP for a number of years and we are thrilled that she is opening up her
expertise to a greater audience – Our loss, Your gain!
We always found Maria committed to providing the best service to pupils, their families and even our
staff, in a confidential and professional manner, sprinkled with a modicum of humour.
Her training, reports and recommendations have been pivotal in securing additional funding and
support for some of our most vulnerable pupils and I’m positive that she will offer the same brilliant
service to you!
Head Teacher of Primary School
Ellie … has proved to be an outstanding practitioner. She always works extremely hard to support and promote the vision and direction of … School. Ellie is forward thinking and wants the best for all children.
Ellie is a great role model to pupils and staff. She is very approachable and well respected by colleagues, pupils and parents alike. She is very organised and knowledgeable when assessing pupils, identifying their needs and advising the most effective interventions to enable these pupils to make good progress.
Ellie has instigated and led many new initiatives and ensured that all the SEN pupils are sufficiently challenged to reach their full potential. Last year, she observed all classes being taught and gave feedback to teachers about the best way to support children in class where teaching assistants are not available. Where necessary she will deliver training to teaching assistants in order to support the learning and development of pupils. She regularly attends SEN review meetings and her findings are welcomed and valued by parents and school.
Ellie has had experience working in both key stages. She goes out of her way to work with pupils and parents alike.
On a personal level, Ellie is a dedicated, hardworking, caring and supportive member of our school team. She has lots of drive and initiative. She has a ready smile and an excellent relationship with our pupils.
SENDCo of Primary School
Ellie joined our team at … in September 2013 and from the outset I was very impressed with her approach to the role. … has an above average percentage of children with significant SEND so our need for intervention from outside agencies is great. As well as being extremely knowledgeable in all areas of SEND … Ellie was able to relate wonderfully well to the children, their parents and the staff in school. She carried out individual assessments, wrote very comprehensible and clear reports giving sound and practical advice to all involved and presented them to families and professionals in a clear but always positive way. She was also involved in setting up a Nurture Group within … for Key Stage 1/2 children who were unable to manage within a large class setting.
Ellie’s expertise and personal presence as part of the … team will be greatly missed. Our’ loss’, however, will be a great ‘gain’ for whoever and wherever she goes to in the future.
SENDCo of Primary School
Ellie’s work was outstanding and I found her to be extremely conscientious, insightful and extremely professional at all times.
Ellie carried out a wide range of work with the children in our school including individual assessments of children, focused work with small groups, whole-class interventions and play-based sessions. Her patience, sense of humour, empathetic manner and sunny nature mean that she can quickly build a wonderful rapport with even the most challenging children.
Ellie shows an unwavering commitment to inclusion and always puts the needs of the child at the centre of everything she does. Her thorough assessments underpinned by her extensive knowledge and experience mean that she is able to recommend comprehensive action plans for the children which she can then support staff to implement.
Ellie’s excellent interpersonal skills mean that she is able to establish close working relationships with other school staff so that they feel supported to implement her recommendations.
After identifying areas of need, Ellie lead several initiatives across our school and confidently delivered many CPD sessions making research and psychological theories accessible to all staff. She was never given less the highest praise and feedback by anyone who worked alongside her or attended her training sessions. Her work has had a huge impact on our school, changing the way in which staff provide for the needs of every child they teach.
As well as the positive relationships she is able to build with children and staff, one of Ellie’s greatest strengths is the manner in which she interacts and provides feedback to parents, carers and other adults involved with families. Ellie was involved in TAF meetings, termly reviews and EHCP action planning meetings and always communicated with other professionals and parents in a positive and non-judgemental way. Her written reports always show an exceptional attention to detail taking into account every aspect of the child’s life whilst being written in a way that is fully accessible to any reader.
Ellie would be a fantastic asset to your team. She is an inspiring Educational Psychologist with impressive interpersonal skills, a warm, caring personality and a wonderful work ethic.
