We felt that the exam skills sessions for year 10 and 11 were particularly relevant and timely. Certainly, students spoke positively in relation to the mind mapping techniques and their usefulness for exam preparation. We felt that the sessions offered practical advice for students, and the exam blitz session for year 11 encouraged our students how to manage their time effectively. The feedback from students and staff was overwhelmingly positive, and pupils are still recalling the fascinating facts on the life of Muhammad Ali. Year 8 really were enthusiastic about the Goal Mapping sessions and the power of positive mindsets. The resources were useful and practical, and Jay maintained levels of pupil interest throughout with his infectious sense of enthusiasm.

Very good as ever. Can I pass on how brilliant the deliverer Shenaz was. Parents, staff and most importantly students were in awe of her. Outstanding at what she does and we will be asking for her as the deliverer from now on. Can she come and teach here please Sir? 10/10

Great course, brimming with useful ideas and caters for all students. Wonderful!!! The boys were truly inspired and went away determined to put into practice what Rachel had shown them. I believe it did indeed Make A (HUGE) Difference!!! Rachel is an amazing presenter who had the boys’ full attention at all times.

Very helpful. All of the pupils surveyed said they would recommend it to younger pupils and that they found it informative. Straightforward and easy to run.

Shenaz was fantastic with the pupils. All pupils were engaged during the sessions provided.

Thanks for everything last Friday. I thought you were really likeable in your interaction with the students (and to me and the staff too, of course!) and we enjoyed having you in to deliver the students. Great sessions!

I was very pleased with Natalie and loved her attitude. She was fantastic. We had over 60 responses from parents about the evening from their anonymous feedback sheets and all 58 were positive to more than positive. All the teachers and myself thought her delivery was brill!

The exam busting workshop was both engaging and relevant. The majority of staff and students alike found the course very useful with some excellent tips on how to revise for their G.C.S.E exams. Student engagement was high throughout the course, mainly due to Shenaz’s outgoing personality and the fast pace of the course. An excellent and worthwhile day which provided pupils with useful revision tools for their final examinations.

Excellent delivery. Very clear and thorough explanations. Students ‘got a lot’ from the session.

Students found the skills and tips useful and the presentation engaging. The session was received as positive and a motivating 'welcome back' start to the new year.

Excellent course – outstanding presentation and engagement from Jay – feedback from pupils outstanding. Parental feedback very positive both from their children and those who attended the twilight session.

Fast paced and informative, Natalie has so much energy making the workshops fun and keeping the students engaged. 10/10

The course was brilliant with the pupils taking a lot from the day. Jay was excellent the pupils took to his style of presentation very quickly. There has been a real buzz in the school too. I am confident this will mean a more positive attitude towards their revision. Timing was excellent. 100% attention from the pupils at all times. Parents took something from the afterschool session too.

It was a fantastic day - thanks Jay and the team.

I know Lou has thanked you as our lead of the respective area in which you worked with our students last week but if I may also add my sincerest gratitude as Principal. The sessions were very well led according to my team and the feedback from the students has also been extremely positive as well. At such a critical time of their schooling such input should never be underestimated and we are sure what they learnt last week will indeed feed into their final 16 weeks of Year 11 and as they build up to and move through their summer examination period. Thank you again Sophie and we look forward to welcoming you back to Bexleyheath Academy at some point in the future.

Really interesting - it was great to have such a wide range of ideas. Very well organised and delivered.

Excellent once again, pupils thoroughly enjoyed it, well delivered and well suited to the needs / age range it was delivered to. Very useful session for both year groups and Jay once again kept them motivated and engaged.

The courses were really beneficial to our learners. The learners really enjoyed the approach of splitting the work up into chunks and being active in between, this is an approach we will use again! The information given to learners was appropriate for our learners. Staff who participated in the activities said they found the workshops useful. Both Sophie and Rachel were fantastic, extremely professional and caring towards our learners. Their delivery was enthusiastic and interesting, we’d love to have them back. ?

Thoroughly enjoyed by all students. They saw it as enjoyable, but very relevent Steve the presenter was excellent in both delivery and energy! Resource sheet used by students was great – they did just about the right amount of written work to back up what was being said. Set the scene well for the year for both groups of students. Provided students with some excellent tools for revision/ independent learning. Students were WOW’d by how much they could remember – proof that it worked!

The Exam Busters course provided some very useful tips on memory and revision techniques. It was interactive to an extent which meant that the majority of students were able to engage.

A powerful and dynamic lead from Shenaz was key to success of the day; it really brought home the need to revise but actually made it clear what revision actually is. Students were motivated by the presentation.

Extremely well organized. Our presenter (Kim) was engaging, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Pitched at a level suitable for both students and parents. Lots of helpful hints and strategies for revision.

The course was excellent as always and Natalie’s presentations were inspiring and very motivational for all. A great success

Unfortunately this year I was not able to be present during the workshops, but I met with Steve in the morning and I have heard nothing but good comments from both staff and students. Steve kept the students engaged, interacted with them and gave them plenty of useful tips to take away with them. The event was well received and staff were also engaged and interested in the workshops., thank you. As always the preparation beforehand, communication and knowledge that this is a valuable event gave me confidence in Positively Mad.

Good pace & useful, students found it helpful

Punchy, lively, a really good reminder of a wide variety of revision strategies Many of our staff said this was the best revision workshop provider we have had in recent years

The delivery was excellent and the students were highly engaged and motivated. The parents and Teacher sessions were equally well received. The material was exactly what we had asked for and the comments from the students support this. Student comments were: Overall, I found the sessions to be rather informative and useful.- I would like to thank the school for asking Shanaz to come in to Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn, thus providing an excellent opportunity to further develop our revision techniques..- Amazeballs 8/8 gr8 – George - Loved the sesh xxx - Inspiring and motivational. - Learnt and new skills Was brill- Learnt a lot - Motivational and fun - Very Helpful - Inspired me to revise - Inspiring, motivational, amazing, helpful, eye opening, scary, funny - Funny and good fun – very helpful - Starting to revise ASAP - They need to be here for longer - It was very helpful and I will be using most of the techniques that were mentioned - It was helpful and I enjoyed and I will use the techniques - I think the students have pretty much nailed it.

It was an excellent day. Students and parents were buzzing for days after your presentation and I am still getting them telling me facts about Muhammed Ali!

Fun, inspirational and well worth the cost. Our students enjoyed the sessions, they have not only told me this, but they have gone to many teachers and told them how much they enjoyed the day.

The sessions with Jay were superb. The Bridging the Gap session for year 12 and 13 gave some excellent strategies for independent study and planning work. Our year 11 students raved about the Exam Busters session and can still remember the information used to demonstrate the different revision techniques. Proof for them that the techniques really work! The feedback from parents too was really positive and they appreciated having the opportunity to hear what their children had heard and being able to work with them in maximising their revision sessions.

The event was excellent and Karim was an excellent presenter. Some of our girls were apprehensive to begin with however many of them said what a useful learning session it had been. There has been evidence of the girls using the techniques since. It was a welcome opportunity for the girls at a very stressful time of their school career – pitched really well by Karim

Shanaz was able to offer bespoke support to a range of students, particularly as she now knows even more about our context, our approach and our students. The pupils really benefited from the day and felt as though they were given special treatment in their final preparations. The day ran smoothly and Shenaz never had a moment’s rest! A girl even came to see her during lunch time and Shenaz went straight into an after school session. It’s a great partnership that we have going and I can’t wait to see it continue to develop and grow.

All three were engaging and really got the students thinking, and better at revising! As always presenter was professional and friendly – our year 11s loved it! 10/10

As always Shenaz has the group under control and runs an active and enthusiastic session which our students appreciate.

It was a very engaging course and the students participated fully. The students thought it was going to be boring and were truly surprised at how much fun it had been. Sophie was excellent with the students. We are now looking at how we can build on the techniques presented to further enhance the students’ performance. Sophie was excellent, turned up on time and was very organized and interacted really well with the students. She took time to talk to form tutors later who had been in the presentation.

Many thanks to Jay for the Exam Busters sessions provided on Thursday 8th June. The content was excellent and pupils really enjoyed the session. We have received lots of positive feedback on the practical tips suggested and the overall confidence developed as a result of the session. I will be recommending you to the Head of Year 10 for next year to run a similar session in the summer term for their year group.

Shenaz delivered 5 workshops focusing on individual subjects and allowing students to create their own revision resources. She continued to enthuse the students and build a rapport with them and, despite feeling unwell, was keen and enthusiastic throughout the day.

Excellent techniques and advice for our students and delivered in a dynamic and energetic way. The girls found the strategies extremely helpful. They wished they had known about them earlier in their school life. All the girls were very positive about the day and some girls from Year 10 who had participated a session earlier in the year came down to see Rachel to let her know how the mind mapping had changed their life with regards to revision.

The course was particularly appropriate for our GCSE and A level exam pupils. The focus on key revision techniques really was a revelation to many of our students, particularly those of middle to low ability and aspiration. Helping make learning easier is the key to motivating these pupils and your course was able to do that superbly well. Many of the practical tips outlined on the day will be incorporated into our revision programmes and also shared with parents Our day was divided into two to cater for the two halves of a large year group. Each cohort attended a two hour workshop. The varied activities kept all pupils, even the most disaffected, on task and interested throughout. All pupils could see the relevance and effectiveness of the activities being described.

The course was really useful with providing the students a range of study skills and revision tips. The brain breaks were great to allow students to focus back on the information. Many students commented on how useful these ideas would be especially if used in classes as well. Lisa was very professional and the sessions ran really well. The parent’s session was very helpful and the parents that attended were pleased with the information.

The Exam buster course was very useful to the year group. It gave a detailed insight into revision skills and exam best practice. Both sessions were engaging. Jay did a great job!

Lots of different strategies provided for students to take away and use for their revision ready for their exams. The content gave the students a variety of creative ways that hopefully all of them will use at some point in preparation. Rachel worked really well with the students. Everything ran very smoothly and the structure of the presentation was good. Rachel gave lots of little breaks for discussions and on the spot practical elements to keep the students focused. At some moments there were smalls groups of students unfocused but Rachel dealt with the situation very well to bring them back round.

Fantastic resource which will help all our pupils. Very well presented.

Emily was excellent. She was accommodating and had an excellent style of delivery with the students. She engaged the learners and some of the most challenging students remained engaged and focused throughout the sessions. We are hoping that the year 10 learners will use the methods to prepare for mock exams and the year 11 tutors who were present will continue to work on the methods used with the students.

Yate academy hosted 3 of your presentations (2hour) last academic year, via funding from UWE. They were very well received by staff and students who then went on to achieve a progress 8 score of +0.9, which put them in the top 1.5% of schools leavers and the school in 94 out of 6000 schools.

Excellent event. Students and staff both got a lot out of it and are planning to use the new revision skills learnt. The sessions were great. I would like to book Shenaz for another day in March to come and work with the students.

Just want to say a massive thank you for the sessions Karim ran at our school yesterday.Staff, pupils and parents were very impressed with the content and delivery of the sessions.Some of our pupils are difficult to engage but Karim engaged and motivated them.I really believe it will make a difference. I will definitely be asking you to visit our school again when I get my new year group! Many thanks

The course was very useful and all students were engaged and gave positive feedback following the session. Very pleased with the delivery pace and content.

Shenaz was fantastic as always. She is accessible for our students and gives them something practical that they can use in the classroom or at home when revising. The fact that teachers attended also meant that they can now embed the tolls and strategies suggested into their lessons to make revision seamless. Shenaz runs bespoke sessions for us which totally meet the needs of our learners in our context. She communicates with our staff beforehand so that teacher and presenter are in total agreement about what the sessions should look like and what the students should take away from them.

Appropriate mixture of revision strategies plus endorsement of learning behaviours and student welfare. Can be pitched to meet the type of students and their responses. Shenaz very quickly establishes positive relationships, engages students and puts them at ease. Shenaz uses what she has learned about our school to make her presentation match our style, values and students. Staff respond well and are included in the sessions memorable for students.

The course was perfect for what I wanted it to achieve (provide students with revision/memory tools). Steve was energetic and enthusiastic, something our students found engaging. Excellent workshop that provided our students with tools that Steve proved worked through the clever delivery of content. It is definitely something we would look to run again next year!

The session was very good. The boys had a good session and we hope they start to revise more now and use mind maps to revise.

The vast majority of the pupils involved in the course were very positive about it. They found Karim to be an entertaining and thought provoking teacher/presenter and they were fully engaged for the whole of the sessions. I have also received very positive feedback on the session from the staff that were involved and I personally am very impressed. One pupil asked his teacher if he could go into the second session as he had enjoyed it so much and was worried in case had missed something. I have attached a summary of a survey that I carried out on a sample of the pupils involved in the day.

Thank you very much – the course was once again excellent & exactly what we wanted for our Y11 students. Im sure they got a lot from it & we will continue to reinforce the revision & exam techniques throughout the year. Thanks again – we love working with you & look forward to seeing you later in the year for our Y10 booking & also again in the future!

Session 1 (Exam Busters): There were clear messages. It gave students clear examples of what they can do to support themselves with revision. Session 2 (Super Speed Study Skills): Ideal for year 10, good focus on what they need to do to be successful Timing went well. Just under 2 hours was perfect time. Delivery was very good, very engaging and appropriately pitched. 10/10

Evaluation is based upon 1:1 interviews with 8 Year 11 school council representatives The feedback from the focus group and from Year 11 in general following the event was extremely positive. · Use of colour and the instruction to use colour in revision sessions · Already used the story telling and the mind mapping in revision · Felt active and involved and felt like the whole session only lasted for 1 period. · Recall 5 times and learn forever has been used a lot · Relevant to a lot of different subjects · Presenter was amazing and made it all really interactive.

I thought he was FAB! He had the kids eating out of his hands! His delivery and techniques were just brilliant. Think staff should have this training too! All students felt that the sessions had been useful. Tools for organising their time, particularly the 4 boxes for prioritising for the week were mentioned by several. Mind mapping and the # grids for organising notes and revision were also mentioned. Students also talked about how to approach study periods in the study room was useful. We all enjoyed having Jay work with us to deliver such valuable workshops to our students. I am sure that we will be using the techniques he taught us throughout the next year and we look forward to working with him again! 10/10

Thank you so much to Jay. Both workshops were sparky and well received by the students and staff.

Great content and superbly delivered by Jay. Couldn’t have asked for better. Very impressed by the skill with which he delivered to 180 students.  Really pleased that 3 year groups benefitted and that Positively MAD were able to be flexible with content and timings to suit our collapsed timetable day. Initial feedback from staff and students has been great.

Both the Exam Buster and Super Speedy Skills workshops were excellent. The students found them very useful and we even had some mindmaps produced today, using ideas from the workshops. Steve was excellent, his enthusiasm was infectious and kept our students engaged throughout. Giving workshops to two whole year groups in one day was very good and the parents twilight session was very useful and informative too.

The exam preparation workshop was very positive and the students in year 11 received this very well. Steve was very professional and worked well with the students.

Some really engaging ideas suggested that staff and students have already taken on board. I have still been quizzing students today about what they remember about Mohammed Ali and they can tell me all sorts. A parent also stopped me at the end of the session last night as her son had been absent that day and she was worried that he had missed out! I have also received lots of positive comments from staff – some have even started incorporating the strategies into their lessons today. Others have said that they will refer back to them in assemblies. Shenaz was amazing and staff and students really were inspired by her and loved her engaging style of delivery. The day ran really well and we will certainly be in touch for future events.

We are regular users of your presenters and this year was to the usual high standard. Steve was engaging and interesting – he delivered a useful and relevant session and we were particularly impressed that he has included the physics equations as requested by one of our staff! 100% positive.

This course will improve our students’ confidence with revision and was very useful.

Excellent course – just what we were looking for! Sophie was amazing – really enthusiastic and approachable but professional at all times. Loads of positive feedback received from both students and parents and we are already beginning to use the follow-up stuff in tutor times.

Steve was very good – keen and effective. He had a difficult job and won them over. The students really liked what he did and I was impressed by the resources that he used. I will send on some feedback from a member of staff who was in there too – who sent it to the head. Steve was mellow and self-sufficient. He had everything ready, arrived early to set up and frankly managed the entire day himself.

I was a parent that went to one of your workshops. I wanted to thank you once more not only for helping me understand more to help my son's but to thank you for guiding them today. Carry on the good work, I only wish you were around when I was at school, I believe it would have made a difference.

The course was well structured, engaging and enjoyable. All the staff and pupils involved in the day were fully engaged and highly motivated. The resources provided were of high quality and the course was delivered in such an enthusiastic and exciting way that all of our students had no option but to be motivated. All our students were still talking about the day for the next few days and they certainly all remember the story of Mohammed Ali !!! Our presenter for the day was Shenaz - all I can say was she was exceptional in every way. An absolutely fantastic day which really emphasized and supported our students in revision/memory techniques.

Shenaz was great – lots of energy and able to connect with the students.

Interactive and engaging, meeting the needs of the students and responding to how the students responded. Equips the students well with the skills they need to revise for their exams. Fantastic. 10 – Shenaz is excellent – and so engaging

As last year – students enjoyed the course and nearly all were positive about their two hour session. The session delivered to staff was great – I think they would have been happy for a longer session – our decision to keep it to 45 minutes.

Informative and very useful information for young people to revision techniques to help them in their exams and young adult life in fact. Students loved it so here’s hoping they use these techniques to better themselves and their results and school work in the future. As ever Rachel “Positively Fab” on presenting to the young people. I was on the same bus as some of our students that afternoon going home and all they talked about was what they had learnt and how easy it was to learn the “Rachel” way!! Music to my ears as I knew this was productive after all taking them out of lessons all day! Thank you for Year 10 at Our Lady’s and myself, Lynne Whitaker.

Steve is a lively and engaging presenter, who is prepared to make fun of himself to grab students’ interest. I should like to thank him for taking the time and trouble to add Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to his powerpoint for his session at Littleover. He showed students that using chunks and gimmicks do actually help them to remember a lot more facts and I think several of them amazed themselves about how much they could remember about Muhammed Ali Very helpful. We are following up on it by doing more mind maps in registration times to keep the technique fresh in their minds

Jay’s enthusiasm, knowledge of the strategies, techniques and tips was excellent and was exactly what we were looking for at this time in Year 11 for our students and parents. It’s testament to Jay and the workshop as to how many pupils had told their parents about how much they enjoyed it and how useful they found it that some students were calling and texting their parents during the school day to say ‘Mum/Dad you need to come to the Parent’s workshop this evening!’ The strategies were relevant, easy to use, engaging and delivered in a way which will facilitate the students use of them as well. It was great to be given some resources by Jay in order to support the pupils through the revision process as the year goes on as well. I will look to rebook this event for next years, Year 11 at a similar time.

Very effective – Year 11 were very positive and some went on to the next lesson using the techniques The explanations struck home with Year11 and they could not believe how much of Mohamed Ali’s life they remembered. Just right with the timing. Brain gym and change of activities kept the interest.

Thank you for a fantastic day! The students were all enthused and I have had a number of conversations with parents who have said that the students came home full of ideas to try. The messages that were passed on to the students have really hit home and some of them have become more focused as a result. Jay was fantastic and I have already had the current Head of Year 9 ask for a copy of the brochure as she will be very interested in using your company in the future. The two sessions were pitched perfectly and kept the students fully focused and interested all morning, and for some the whole day. A super day, Thank You

Positively Fab!!! Sophie and Steve were both first class presenters who kept the children listening, interested and motivated throughout. The content was absolutely relevant. All pupils were enthused and inspired, and the feedback has been, without exception, positive It was easy to book and everything went swimmingly.

This was the first time we had done the Mastering Motivation course with our year 10 cohort. We felt it was well suited to them at this point in time. We have gained some valuable insights into how to motivate some students based on their completed info sheets. Tutors have fund this useful. Shenaz blended the content well with some more interactive activities in order to maintain engagement. Shenaz knows us and the school well and always tailors her presentation to the nature of the students on the day. The parents meeting in the evening was well pitched and we have had some very appreciative feedback. Excellent as ever.

Your comments on the course I felt that the course was appropriate for what we wanted to achieve with our students. It covered ways of revising and also important points to remember when revising e.g. where, when etc. It was also interactive as the students had to complete the sheet throughout the session which meant that they had a reminder to read through after leaving the session I felt that the presenter was very approachable and friendly. He related well to the students (and there were some difficult ones in there) as they all took part in the sessions. Please thank Steve for me

Presentation and delivery was well planned and engaging for students of different abilities. Chris linked strategies to pupils’ well-being and GCSEs, which was relevant. Students were well behaved, responded well to Chris, took part in activities and generally positive mood during the workshops. All staff and students that I spoke to said it was useful. The SEN department even said their students who lack confidence, came out saying they would now be more confident revising independently.

A good length for our students. The ideas matched exactly what we have been saying in school so really suited our school overall message. With one lower ability group, they sometimes struggled to keep up but this is something we could look at in the future and perhaps group differently. The students were inspired to go away and try the techniques and the staff were also inspired to use them to help the students revise in lesson. Excellent, and held at a perfect time of year as students had just received some mock results and also have more mocks coming up

A really enjoyable and useful day. I was impressed at the way in which Shenaz was able to hold the students attention and keep them focused. There was no need for intervention from our staff on behaviour as she was so skilled at managing them. We were also impressed at the way that students were able to recall information so easily & this is what many of our students desperately need help with. They work hard & behave fairly well, but they struggle to memorise things for exams. I know how successful she was with them, as there were a few potentially very difficult students in the sessions, but she held their attention – and on a Friday afternoon!. Thank you very much

The course was well received by our students and all students asked have reported that it was very useful and worthwhile. Indeed, some of them have tweeted to that effect. Since Monday I have seen staff using some of the techniques in lessons which is brilliant and shows immediate impact. Students can remember all the facts about Mohammed Ali which proves to them that the techniques work. Various staff were in there during the day and we had a staff session at the end of the day. The response from them is also positive. I was also personally impressed with how Jay interacted with our students. He “won them over” very quickly and, of course, this meant they got much more from the day. Your comments of the day Very well organized and well run by Jay. There were at least 4 staff present at all times but they didn’t have to do anything as Jay commanded the hall very well (and we have delightful students!) . Given that they had a whole day of it Jay did really well to hold their attention. They have reported that he was “mad” which, of course, fits with your branding! The day was well structured with regular brain breaks to keep the students going and this worked well.

Students found the course valuable and there was lots of positive chat about it the following day. It provided lots of good ideas for revision and methods to helps cope with exams. We have followed this up with an exam busters board in school to remind students of some of the techniques.

We had an exams buster workshop delivered yesterday by Shenaz and I wanted to let you know that we were very pleased with the content the delivery and the way she worked at engaging and enthusing the group. She adapted the session from the 1st to the 2nd cohort as she “read the room” really effectively. The vast majority of students will have come away with something positive to use, so many thanks. The student feedback has been positive and the teachers who were in the room also feel they benefitted.

High impact, tailored specifically to our needs, a bespoke service – something I haven’t experienced form other service providers. The sessions were well catered for the different levels of learners, really liked how the techniques were then put into practice for subjects the learners are studying. Shenaz was vibrant and positive and enthusiastic, a large number of learners felt the event was valuable.

Thank you to the organizing and the delivery of the resits sessions at our college, the sessions went really well. I have a couples quotes below from our staff; “Thank you for booking Positively MAD; students and teachers alike really enjoyed and found the presentations beneficial.” “As far I’m concerned the sessions were a great success so thank you so much for organising them, on such short notice Yes I’m happy to go ahead with them early next year on dates suggested”

Exam Busting once again went down superbly with the majority of our students, providing them with some of the skills they will need as they prepare for their examinations. Steve was excellent in his delivery and we would welcome him back next year with open arms – he was superb. His enthusiasm and excellent delivery rubbed off on the pupils. By tying the day in with the pupils receiving their examination timetables I felt that the day was the perfect kick start in to the tough weeks and months ahead. Would not hesitate to book again.

We found the course very useful, we are currently planning on delivering a session in today’s whole school CPD slot showcasing the different ideas that Shenaz went through with the students to ensure the staff can help them with the ideas they are starting to implement in their personal revision We all found Shenaz to be a breath of fresh air, and a very energetic one at that. Our students and staff were so motivated by her that the morning session students were talking positively about their experience all day. I also found the course very straight forward to organise and communication with the company easy to manage.

Shenaz is always well prepared ahead of the sessions and incredibly flexible. She gets to know the students very quickly in a short space of time and they engage well. The workshops were about the students needs and demands and this was more than catered for throughout the week. When the workshop were not flowing as expected Shenaz was able to change direction and cater to the needs of the student whilst motivating the learner about their future and expectations Always a pleasure to work with PosMad and Shenaz. Professional, friendly flexible and dedicated to the demands of the brief and the needs of the student and staff requests. I just wanted to let you know about the absolutely brilliant feedback we have received today from both staff and students who attended the sessions today. I have been approached by other members of staff asking when Shenaz will be returning to Kirkley so that their students can attend the sessions. lovely to meet you the other day. Thanks for coming - the students told me afterwards that they really enjoyed the session! I can't tell you how rarely this happens with a guest speaker; usually, although they are really nice kids, they are quite shy and often don't really respond or get involved and afterwards they say the session was pointless and a waste of time. The fact that they were engaging with you and talking to me about it afterwards speaks volumes...

Very energetic and enthusiastic presentation from Steve, who clearly portrayed the importance of study skills, mind maps and revision. An excellent resource for our pupils. A well-structured and paced presentation of value.

Fantastic course! All students enjoyed themselves and got a lot from the day. Steve was a total professional and excellent to work with. Diolch!

The course was lively and Steve did well to keep their interest and the girls learnt or reinforced some good memory skills. The delivery was lively and exciting again and we have had a very positive response from the girls. All in all a very good day, we just wonder how Steve can perform at that level all the time even watching him was exhausting!

I have copied and pasted the survey from my year 11 cohort and summarised the main comments made. 1. Did you enjoy the workshop? Yes – engaging, yes – he had good energy levels and kept everyone focussed, yes – good tactics to help you stick stuff in your brain 2. Did you feel like you benefitted from this? Yes – good revision tactics, gave a different style that maybe haven’t seen before, lots of easy tips and tricks. 3. How did you rate the presenter? All liked him – energetic, engaging, enthusiastic, efficient, got to the point in the small amount of time he had (this was due to our school timings and not any problems with positively mad) 4. Would you recommend this to other students? Yes Many staff commented that he allowed the students to be very proactive and didn’t let them switch off/mind wander. He earned their respect early on. Allowing them to have 5 minute brain breaks helped too and they cooperated with him every time. The mad pads allowed students to make the necessary notes they needed. Everything went smoothly and he was well liked. Thank you!

The course was excellent and the students responded extremely well. I heard only positive comments about the day from the students. The examples of the different strategies they could use were excellent and the way they were employed during the day really demonstrated to the students how they could help them learn. I think the students will remember the main facts about the “Life of Muhammed Ali” for a long time. The way length of the session was exactly right and it fit well in to our school day. Jay led the sessions well and dealt with the students in a mature and respectful way. The way he added real life examples into the session and then finished the session with the importance of gaining qualifications was exactly what some of our students needed to hear.

The workshop information was useful and interesting. I thought the interactive aspects were great. The presenter was engaging. The memory game was interesting. The students said they would use the information gathered to use for revision purposes.

The exam busters course was really engaging/ fast paced and gave the students lots of revision tools. They now need to learn to apply these to their subject areas. The motivational hour was also really good and I know the students really enjoyed the personal anecdotes shared by Jay. I had a meeting with a disengaged student and her mother the following morning and Jay’s motivational session was brought up. The student went home on the evening of the session and spoke to her mum about this; this is especially impressive as they have a poor relationship currently. So far she has really changed her attitude in school due to this. I doubt she is the only one, so thank you! It was a great day which was enjoyed by all of our students. Jay did a brilliant job completing 5 hours of sessions with our girls. I look forward to seeing him back at St Anne’s next year!

Great course, the students really enjoyed the day and felt they gained a lot from it. Fast paced which kept student engagement high. Presenter Jay was fantastic, managed the students really well even those who maybe weren’t quite so engaged at the start of the day. Really worthwhile day, we did some Pre and Post questionnaires for our students. We asked them to rate their knowledge before and after the course, Got it and Owned it were the top two ratings.

We would like to thank Shenaz from Positively Mad for coming in to deliver sessions to our boys, staff and parents. The techniques she used have been implemented since and are having a very positive impact on learning in the classroom. Both teachers and parents were bowled over by her dazzling personality which made learning fun. We would highly recommend Shenaz to any school who wants someone to come in and have a genuine impact on their learners.

The workshop was very engaging and helped the students unpick the mystery of revision. Many of the students reacted very positively to the workshop and it was exactly what they needed at this point in an important year.

Great presenter, very enthusiastic delivery with valuable techniques the students can take away with them. I liked the flexibility of what to include in course material.

Sophie has been outstanding throughout the last two sessions. During our most recent session Exam Busters, Sophie used student’s prior knowledge from Study Skills to further develop their knowledge and awareness of how to learn, study and revise for exams in the most effective way. Sophie has a positivity which is infectious in staff, students and our parents enabling each of them to take the most out of her sessions. She has the rare ability to engage groups of students and parents for up to two hours using a variety of teaching and learning strategies to encourage the most reluctant students to learn.

Highly motivational and engaging. Shenaz is an outstanding practitioner and a huge asset to your team. The students were engaged throughout and enjoyed the session with her.

Engaging delivery, confidence building for students, useful strategies.

As always, brilliant! Students were engaged and found it useful. Superbly run as always.

The workshop offer valuable exam revision techniques to students as well as an opportunity for students to self-reflect.

Mark and Steve were very professional and very skilled presenters. We really enjoyed the course and most of the students got something out of the day. The nature of the cohort that we asked Mark and Steve to work with, meant that some of the students were disaffected and reluctant to engage. I would recommend them wholeheartedly. The techniques and the course content were high quality. I’m sure we’ll book the course again, Incidentally – we booked this course because of the recommendation of a colleague.

- Really good short, sharp bursts of information/strategies to keep students on their toes. - Jay’s manner with the students is exactly what they needed and were still talking about what they could remember about Muhamad Ali this morning in school. - The students enjoyed the experience. - Jay was very organized and adapted Exam Busters to suit Yr11 from the Yr10 session.

Shenaz is engaging, has a good understanding of our students and pitches the content and pace well. We like that the course touches on a wide range of aspects for our students – eg revision skills, but more holistic things such as their welfare and how to prepare psychologically for the exams. Shenaz is now a popular figure within school with both students and teachers. Such a positive figure with students.

Shenaz was very flexible and was able to adapt the courses towards different subjects. The students gained some practical and useful skills that they can use across different subjects, it was very helpful to link the strategies to GCSEPod. The students were really positive, enthusiastic and every single one of them participated in each session. A big thank you to Shenaz. Shenaz was an excellent presenter, she was organised and communicated with the students really well.

Students feedback that they got a lot out of the workshop. Great, no problems, ran on time and presenter (Dave) was very accommodating. Dave was very approachable.

Absolutely brilliant! Students have learned a lot and will hopefully start now to put all the strategies into use. Shenaz is fantastic - she had a long day yesterday and was still captivating our small band of parents at 6.30 last night. She is such as asset to your organization.

I can't thank you enough Shenaz, the kids are absolutely buzzing...one of my more difficult ones has just come bouncing into my office with a mind map saying "I know it!!!!" and has just given me chapter and verse about the history ofimmunisations, I hugged her, we are all delighted! I've just done a pp for my assembly on Monday which I've attached...hopefully it will remind them what they've learned and I'll also give out the sheets too! Thank you again, you are a fabulous presenter and worth every penny!

Superb as always, students felt very positive about the course and application. Kim’s enthusiasm was infectious and students thought her message was very powerful. The day was excellent. We have had several parents feedback how great they thought the twilight session was.

Hi Steve, I would just like to take the opportunity to thank you once again for such a fantastic and inspiring couple of workshops yesterday with our Year 11 students. The activities and ideas were so engaging and valuable to our cohort. They are all still buzzing about the day, which is fantastic to see. I now have 125 experts on the life story of Muhammed Ali too!! It was a genuine pleasure to meet you and I really appreciate your support yesterday with our students. I will certainly recommend you to fellow colleagues in the future. Any resources you can share will also be greatly appreciated. Kind regards, Ryan Oates

The exam buster course was insightful and relevant to Year 11 students who are due to embark on the most important period of their life. The techniques used were easy to recall and provided students with an added confidence. There was a real buzz around the year group following the course. Shenaz was a great presenter and gave students a different voice regarding how to get the best of their exams.

Always useful for the students to gain experience from outside agencies. We are very lucky to have such a positive relationship with you and really enjoy your sessions. They are always pitched at exactly the right level and you do very well to deliver them to such a large group of students. Well run. Efficient. Fun. Informative.

Steve was well prepared and the material was delivered at an appropriate pace and with enthusiasm. He engaged the pupils. Met our needs and will use again! 10/10

Students found it very useful and had an amazing afternoon it was linked to the Mornings events so pupil wanted to be there. Student’s found Rachel every approachable and were engaged for the whole session. Thanks you for the great ideas and motivation the students to play an active role in their own revision. The Year 11 pupils comprehensively enjoyed the experience and came away with a collection of real learning strategies that help them with their exams.

I thought that Exambusters gave students some brilliant examples and ideas on how to improve their revision techniques. I thought that there were some really good scenarios presented to students in the ‘making informed decisions’ workshop. The sessions in the most part went really well with the vast majority of students engaging well and learning. 10/10

Fabulous – really interactive and engaging. Shenaz was fabulous with some extremely challenging students. The range of techniques for revision was especially useful – and several students (media) were particularly impressed with her subject specific knowledge. This will be great for a train the trainer in June with follow ups (now A-levels are linear)

Support, delivery and enthusiasm from Shenaz and Steve was fantastic. Both engaged pupils and parents which was a main purpose of the workshop. Amazing! Could not have been better. 10/10

Sophie did a great job. The course was motivational, informative and appropriately pitched. Staff, students and parents found it very useful. Very pleased.

I really enjoyed the course as a teacher and a tutor. It taught me a number of new strategies to support the young people that I work with. I discussed with Natalie how important key words or ‘buzz words’ are for those taking GCSE PE and how these methods could help them to pick up easy marks in tests. It will be interesting to see which kids take on the advice and use some of the imagery techniques to help them. I have heard a lot of positive feedback. The kids seemed to enjoy the day and I hope that they took a lot away from it. Thank you Tim White - Head of House The material was very appropriate and interesting for the year 10 students. I think some students has genuinely thought about using some of the techniques to study already which is excellent. The students remained engaged and there were a variety of activities to ensure all learning styles remained focused. The delivery of the course was very enthusiastic and it is evident that the course is well planned with excellent resources. Gemma Smyth - Business Studies NQT

I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you and Positively MAD for being part of ur SPACE Day (Social, Personal and Citizenship Education) on Friday. Your presentation was thought provoking, inspirational and I know will be impactful in assisting the students in our Year 11, 12 and 13 with overcoming the hurdles they will face during their exam series. The manner in which you presented your message and the strategies you gave them (and also the staff who were in the audience) were practical, underpinned by scientific research, but more importantly....fun. This will be a truly memorable moment in their education. I believe the biggest accolade we can give is that we want you and Positively MAD back to work with our students again this term. I am also exceptionally pleased that you could be the keynote presented for our inaugural Engage Evening. The parents of Year 10-13 who attended were exceptionally impressed with your presentation, and the strategies you shared with them in supporting their child with revision, memorisation and exam stress. I have included their feedback below: "Great useful information-great presentation" "Very informative and well thought out evening. It was very informative and provided useful information" "Fantastic" "Very useful and informative" "Well presented" "Well done LWA. Helping both parents and students in getting ready for the upcoming exams" "Thank you LWA for putting on this event. Looking forward to the next Engage Evening".

I thought it was great. The students seemed very enthusiastic and a number were still reciting the story Jay taught them the following day. Everything ran smoothly, very pleased.

Another great session delivered by Shenaz! Shenaz offers a bespoke package so that our students really do get the best use of her time tailored the areas they need the most help in. Shenaz is a lively and energetic force to be reckoned with who keeps our students on their toes and remembering her hints, tips and strategies. Would definitely recommend to any school thinking of booking!

We have now used Positively MAD twice; I have been really pleased with the result on both occasions. Holding the focus of 15 and 16 year olds for two hours is not easy, but your presenters are so engaging that the time flies. Ideas are excellent and students take away real practical things they can do straight away. I also believe the day boosts confidence, it shows students they can retain information, they can achieve a lot in a short time; revision can actually be less of a slog. Highly recommend you to others and we will use you again.

Feedback from students and staff alike has been good. Students enjoyed the fast paced style and varied techniques demonstrated and were impressed by the facts they had remembered during the day. Resources were clear, easy to follow and very engaging. Shenaz quickly developed a rapport with the students and engaged them in the activities. Shenaz was punctual, enthusiastic and well prepared. Session timing was good as run up to second mock week is in progress.

Good for teaching students how to prepare for exams. Introducing memory tools. Definitely stimulated a positive attitude towards learning and revision and provided simple techniques to organise work load. Shenaz was an excellent presenter and read our students extremely well.

Natalie was fantastic and the feedback from staff and pupils was hugely positive. It was a great day and our pupils gained a great deal.

Once again the exam buster session was the perfect Launchpad for our revision programme with Year 11 pupils which started yesterday. The majority of pupils found the session very beneficial and helpful, and feedback has been positive. Steve returned to our school for the second time and despite a difficult crowd during the first session, won them over with his energy and enthusiasm. Would have Steve back in an instant and would highly recommend.

Many students were pleased with the techniques they had been shown. The mind mapping exercise was particularly well received. Students saw the value of this as a good method to incorporate into their revision sessions. A really useful day for students, staff and parents alike. Thank you.

Very engaging and practical suggestions to help the students. The students benefitted greatly from the activities and they gained confidence with their ability to memorise large amounts of data The session was very good and I would recommend it to other schools in our Trust. 10/10

The course was exactly what we were looking for. The content was excellent and was geared towards all types of learner. The MAD Pads were a great resource that was easy for students to get their heads around and fill out as the session went on. We were very impressed with Emily’s energy and enthusiasm throughout the day (I don’t know how she did it!) and she built up a fantastic rapport with staff, students and parents, so thank you so much again! The pace of the course was fantastic, it gave students the opportunity to take on new ideas and have time to reflect without getting bored. We received lots of great feedback from our students, who said they were engaged and it’s helped them to approach their revision in a different way – there was something to suit everybody. One student placed a bet before the session that she wouldn’t learn anything but came to us afterwards stating she owed us a fiver because it was great! Parents were also very complimentary about the session too and requested a copy of the PowerPoint so that they could reinforce some of the techniques with their children and help to support them in the lead up to exams. Staff have fed back that they also benefitted from attending the session as it has given them a number of strategies to re-engage learners and approach revision in new and innovative ways. The day was fantastic overall. Emily was incredibly professional and engaging all the way through. She was well received by students, staff and parents and we are entirely grateful for her effort. From our perspective the day ran fantastically and it was thoroughly beneficial. Thank you, Emily!

I would just like to say how excellent yesterday was, the delivery given by Lisa was fun, bouncy, and informative with the majority of students engaging. I have also been made aware that the students left talking about the session. Very well organized, Lisa arrived in plenty of time and set up, had all resources to hand. Excellent session.

Excellent. Pitched just right and students responded really well. They came in to school specially for this event (the rest had a long weekend) so this speaks volumes. We are very pleased that we opted to hold the parental session – they were hugely positive about it and I think it will make the stressful months ahead a great deal easier – parents and students in it together.

Kim was fantastic, the parents, pupils and staff warmed to her enthusiastic personality. The feedback was all very positive regarding the Twilight session. They found the presentation very informative and learnt useful learning techniques. It was a very successful evening.

Excellent! The course delivered all I wanted from it. Shenaz was superb and adjusted her delivery to suit the pupils whilst still being able to deliver all the content. Just what we needed, and the discussion it provoked has been very useful for future planning.

Our year 11 students thoroughly enjoyed the Exam Busters session led by Rachel Munns and were pleased to see her back as she had visited them 14 months earlier. The students are putting the skills into practice as they are busy preparing for their mock examinations. Although the girls were very tired at the end of a busy term, the interactive and inspiring style of presentation was just what was needed. Many staff have passed on their thanks and positive comments about the staff session; not just about the content but also about the quality of the presentation. Only yesterday a subject leader spoke to me about using the mind mapping skills with a year 9 group. We will certainly be booking again for next year. Many thanks to Rachel, we look forward to seeing her again.

Sophie was a great presenter – the strategies were extremely useful, students were completely engaged throughout. The course was appropriate and Sophie took the time to check out what we were already doing in school so that she could complement this with her presentation.

“Very Good. The students thoroughly enjoyed the day and clearly loved being involved; the 2 presenters were excellent. Well organised and well structured. The students gained a lot from it and this can be incorporated into their learning.”

I have had some feedback from a member of SLT this morning: She was offering some additional mentoring to some students yesterday and there were another three Y11 students working in the same room. Part of the conversation was overheard, from one of the girls, who were talking about their Positively MAD experience. This girl said that she is fed up with teachers telling them what they need to do, as regards to revising for exams. However, Chris didn’t just do this, but he actually showed them how to do this. She was overheard saying that she’s never really known how to revise, but now she knows a number of different techniques that she can use. The group then went on to ‘test’ each other on the ‘Muhammed Ali’ information!! They were all thrilled that they had learnt this information and it was ‘still there’.

Students and staff alike were enthused. As always the mind map stole the show. Tips about memory where valued and the relaxation techniques were appreciated. The presenter was full of energy and wisdom. They established an excellent relationship with students, staff and parents too with all stakeholders really valuing the inspiration they received on the day. A worthwhile day. The school was buzzing with excitement and energy with students and staff feeling charged up to prepare well for exams.

Students found the workshop really inspiring. They loved the style of delivery and several of the more disaffected told me things they had learnt from it later in the day. Several staff stopped me to tell me how inspiring it had been and I’ve already been asked to look at what else you do.