Our year 8 students had a workshop with Natalie today. The year 8's thoroughly enjoyed the workshop as did our staff! Natalie was fantastic, she had the attention of our students all the way through. We are not sure where she gets her energy.

The staff really enjoyed the training and were inspired by Kim, she was full of energy and had frequent, short brain gym exercise for everyone to follow, which kept us all alert and motivated. Her presentation and delivery was impeccable and really informative, we all gained a good insight into how to make mind maps a key tool for learning in different areas of the curriculum.

It was indeed interactive and as well as informative. As a school we are always trying new things and one of our key focuses is to work more with parents. The session Kim delivered certainly helped us make that connection we were hoping. WE are going to try to continue this type of support for parents to support their child. Really positive and still testing students on their knowledge on Marco Polo and the elements of the periodic table. Kim was friendly, easy to talk to and nothing was ever a problem. She was indeed MAD – top session

The day was really informative and engaging. Staff feedback is overwhelmingly positive with everyone taking away action points and ideas to carry out both within their classroom and personally. Natalie’s presentation style was a good mix of seriousness balanced with upbeat, informal anecdotes and great ideas. The information within the course made us think more deeply about our own mental health and well being as well as the impact on, and signs for, young people’s mental health. Many staff have already implemented some of the ideas with their classes.

Last week we had a great day with Shenaz around Resilience. It was superb for both pupils and staff. We will certainly be booking future sessions and have several actions to pursue, leading from the work done with Shenaz.

The workshop was informative, giving accessible knowledge and strategies to all our staff. The workshop was on Monday and by Tuesday, many staff were commenting on ideas and strategies they would personally be using and those they’d be sharing and supporting our children with. For what could be a sensitive topic, Shenaz presented the material in a clear and understandable way. Shenaz ensured the day would be successful by getting to know the school and its requirements, prior to arriving. Shenaz quickly gets to know people and puts them at ease, which then allows for open discussion; Shenaz is a great ambassador for Positively MAD. Please pass on our thanks.

Students found it informative and beneficial, it was delivered well with a clear message. On time, arrival set up easy and engaged the students

Kim, forgive me for not writing to you to thank you on Friday. We wanted to say a huge thank you for the wonderful workshops you did – they made a big impact on staff and boys – and parents – and have given us a lot to think about and discuss in lessons. Thank you again for your huge effort, hard work and for sending through the power points.

The boys in each session were very enthused – the age range was from 7 – 13. Kim did really well adapting the two sessions to each age group – but each time the messages were equally clear and strong. The power point was excellent and backed up visually what Kim was saying – staff and boys have been talking about some of the points that came up, partly because the visuals were so strong and have helped us remember the content.

A good balance between Kim talking and getting the boys to participate – each session went quickly and enjoyably. Kim was in complete control of her content and audience. The parents at the last session were also engaged and enthused and Kim did well to pack the information into a tight 45 minute slot.

The sessions tied in very well to topics we have begun to explore in school – mindfulness, resilience. Having Kim gave us different angles to think about eg What does success look like? What are the chemical reactions that go on in the brain and influence our mood? Keep a bedtime diary of positive things to keep the “good” hormones in the front of your mind while you sleep. So lots of good ideas there for us.

• Information was well suited to age group and there was good variation of tasks and stimuli • Content was relevant and interesting • Messages were very positive about how to deal with tough situations, how to be respectful and determined through life • Pupils were engaged for the whole period, listening and participating in equal measure. This was particularly highlighted when pupils were taught how to count to 10 in Japenese – whole cohort were out of their seats and taking part • Presenter was very engaging, funny and used lots of personal experiences to put points across • Presenter interacted well with pupils and the pupils responded well to her • Presenter was enthusiastic and positive • Pupils were engaged and responded well • Shenaz was a high energy, inspirational person who appeared to get the pupils fully engaged in activities. She made learning easy and enjoyable an I’m sure was contributing to pupils’ positive approach • Shenaz had a great rapport with the pupils and they responded well to her

It was lovely to meet you on Thursday. Thank you for the fabulous sessions you ran. The informal feedback I have had has been entirely positive, with requests for you to return again in the future. "The best CPD session we have had in years" was one quote. I will get wider feedback after the Easter break and come back to you with further at this time. I really appreciate that you took the extra time to travel to Suffolk New College, as were the teams that had met you on previous visits.

The Resilience INSET Day was an excellent course and staff were energized and motivated by the training. Kim was a first rate trainer who judged the mood of the staff well and ensured that the day met their needs. The resources provided were spot on and supported Kim’s delivery well. I would not hesitate to recommend this training to anyone. The day was well organized and passed really quickly. Momentum was kept up throughout the day and I can honestly say staff enjoyed every minute.

The course was just the right balance of useful information, fun games and great ideas that can be implemented in the classroom. Most importantly it helped all of us to think about how resilient we really are and what we can do to look after our own mental health. Everyone loved Rachel and found her extremely engaging and inspiring. We could feel her passion for what she was doing and it inspired most of us to take serious action to start taking better care of our mental health and wellbeing. After all, how can we look after our students mental health if we don’t know how to look after our own. We will be looking into how we can make use of the Big Top model with the children.

Kim is a fantastic trainer and can really manage the crowd. The Year 11 course was spot on and student feedback has been positive. Staff are keen to use the ideas they witnessed too.

Both courses were very intensive, detailed with lots of good strategies to help combat anxiety, develop resilience and to introduce different methods of revising. 2 very good enjoyable sessions. The Upper 6 in particular enjoyed Rachel’s workshop and felt she communicated very well with the girls

The children were engaged for the whole session, we found the meditation and writing lists of ‘how to be more grown up’ the most useful and hope by using these in school and at home that they will have an impact. Rachel was brilliant, the children were really engaged and this morning were still talking about the workshop. Some children even asked their parents to write down things they have had a go at on their own at home to show their teacher. Thank you!

Course was well run and well-resourced and the message was clearly delivered to the children. Leader was lovely and very approachable, really engaged the children and helped them to easily understand a challenging topic.