Testimonials

DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT

"Please do tell Pam from me that N is transformed at school following her diagnosis. School’s attitude totally changed and he’s done really well in his GCSE mocks. All he needed was the 25% extra time allocated to him as dyslexic and he’s back on his 7-8-9 GCSE target. She really made him regain his academic confidence as her detailed diagnosis really helped him. Incidentally, the school said her report was much more detailed than most they see so they were impressed too."

Message sent from a parent whose son was assessed by Pam a few years prior

As parents, concerns have been towards our son's slowness in writing, reading and spelling, and since my son will be sitting iGCSE exams in the near future, we really think he would benefit from having extra time in exams.   Beyond Dyslexia was suggested to me by another Dyslexia Centre I originally contacted.  An assessment was arranged, and a Section C, Form 8 was issued, which showed that our son qualifies for extra time in his exams, along with aids, such as a laptop or a scribe.

Helpful suggestions were discussed after the assessment, and our son is already benefiting from a touch typing course.  Our son's motivation has become positive since the assessment, which has been encouraging to us all. The detailed and helpful assessment and Form 8 were efficiently emailed to us quite soon after the assessment, which impressed us. 

The assessment was undertaken by Pam Smith, who gave clear guidance and directions to the exact location of the assessment.  Upon arrival, Pam made us feel very welcome, and conversations before the assessment were friendly and helpful for both myself and my son. 

During the assessment, Pam made our son feel relaxed, and gave helpful comments when she saw him struggling with a given task.  During a short break, refreshments with biscuits were offered and enjoyed.  The peacefulness of the room really helped my son to focus and concentrate. 

We are SO thankful to Pam at Beyond Dyslexia for our son's Assessment, and would definitely recommend her to others, for her friendly and thorough approach to the tasks, her calmness and helpful comments given to our son during a task he struggled with.  Also, her helpful suggestions, along with the continued offer of help following on from the assessment. 

Mrs T, Bristol

Specialist Teaching

“We wanted to do whatever we could to help Olivia but of course there is always a budget. The largest initial expense was the diagnosis but we knew we wouldn't get anywhere without it. Having that official diagnosis has provided Olivia the level of respect she deserves and different level of understanding from her teachers since she was 9 years old, which being a girl seemed even more important because the stereotypical view is that it only really affects boys. 

 Olivia has been on the programme for a number of years now and she has certainly benefitted. She does seem to be coping better than some of the other students at school who also have Dyslexia but no outside help.  School have been great but I know Olivia feels more confident in herself as she understands more.  School have always been very positive about the extra lessons she has and think they are important.  Her extra tuition has made a difference to her spelling, sentence structure and her confidence.  I know she is furthering her memory practice and using these skills in her writing.

 Ann is an outstanding tutor who Olivia has felt very comfortable with from the beginning and looks forward to seeing her every week.  Ann is a very experienced tutor and has a personal understanding of how parents feel when faced with Dyslexia. Her approach is kind, understanding and very professional.  I remember when I first met Ann and I felt immediately reassured that I could leave Olivia in her care.” 

Mrs S, Wiltshire

ASSESSMENT AND TUITION

"My biggest concern was that Anna would be too shy to cope with the tuition.  However both Pam and Ann have always made her feel at ease and are lovely with her.  Although the tuition is expensive it is worth every single penny.  She has gone from being below average at the start to working to the level expected of a child her age.  It has also boosted her confidence in her abilities and rebuilt the foundation which she had missed in the early primary school years."

Mrs M, Bristol

touch typing comments 2019

“Great Venue. J enjoyed and was keen to arrive at the course daily which shows it was fun, engaging and challenging at the right level.”

“E found this very useful and enjoyed coming. She is determined to keep going with this. Thank you.”

“Brilliant course - very motivated and loves playing the learning games. Thank you.”

“Thank you for organising and running such a useful course. A gained more proficiency and although grumbled about having to attend a class in the summer, was happy to go and felt proud of the level she attained.”

Diagnostic Assessment email message

“Thank you so much for H’s report. It was extremely thorough and I am really happy with what you have written. Thank you also for the helpful suggestions you have made for us to look into. I will of course look into the visual learning and let you know. I am going to purchase a laptop for H in the next few weeks so he can learn touch typing and helpful software that will help him going forwards. But I will definitely look into all the websites you have suggested.”

Mrs L, Somerset

Note from a parent about specialist tuition

"My son has been working with Beyond Dyslexia since January 2018, and he has also had lessons with Ann for a few years before.   As a parent I have taken him out of his primary school to attend the lessons, even if it meant missing sport.  But Ann's calm nature and reassuring way has meant that my son has always wanted to come.  He has greatly benefited from the extra focus and attention.  It has given him back his confidence in his normal lessons and supplied him with several learning tools that will equip him well for his secondary school.  With hard work on both sides, my son has managed to pass the 11+ exam.  Without the extra support from Ann, I don’t think he would have had the confidence to have attempted it at all."

Mrs B, Wiltshire

Diagnostic Assessment

"Claire is quite anxious with people she doesn't know so we were concerned that she wouldn't participate in the assessment, however she was made to feel so welcome, she did really well, and completed the tests etc.  Claire even being only 6 had a great weight lifted off her little shoulders knowing that she wasn't stupid and had dyslexia.

The assessment was very thorough and the report was detailed and enabled us to support Claire to progress.  Pam had a great rapport with Claire which facilitated the assessment.  I thought the environment that the assessment took place was reassuring.  We have an understanding of the skills required to complete these assessments and reports so had no concerns on spending the money. "
Mrs I, Bristol

Specialist Teaching

"Hugh has been tutored by Ann since he was 6 years old.  He has a great bond with Ann, who is patient, kind and connects easily with children.  I have seen my son go from refusing to go to school, as he feared that he was stupid, to a resilient learner who is doing really well at school and moving up in secondary school class sets. When Ann told me about Beyond Dyslexia, there was no doubt in my mind that my son would follow her and continue his tutoring sessions.  Even my son will tell you, that without Ann, he would never have learnt to read. "

Mrs H, Wiltshire

Screening assessment to plan specialist teaching

“Very professional but friendly with the child at the centre of the process. Passionate about supporting children to succeed and develop confidence as well as literacy skills.  I did not have any concerns about spending money on the assessment as I knew it was necessary so that the support could be tailored to David's needs. The targets have also been useful and can be worked on in school too.   I didn't really have any concerns before the assessment.  I guess my only worry was that David needed to have one to one tuition as he is easily distracted.  However, after Pam explained the reasons for duo lessons, I changed my mind.  It has also helped David to think that he is not alone. ”

Mrs M, Chippenham