Testimonials

Below are some of the things parents, children and other people have said about working with me, and about the resources I make. They’re a sample, not a survey — the families who’ve written to me over the years, and a few comments people have left along the way.

They’re grouped into what lessons are like, what changed, what it’s like for the parent, and what people make of the resources.

What lessons are like

In tutoring sessions with our daughter, Joanna was always fun, enthusiastic and very patient. This was not always easy as many of our tutoring sessions were conducted online during the pandemic, where learning conditions could be challenging …She came up with inventive online games and sensory activities which helped embed learning. Her warmth and encouragement was very effective in building our daughter’s confidence and self-esteem.
Parent of A, 2021
Every week Jo prepares a lesson that never fails to engage my daughter. She looks forward to seeing Jo because her lessons are fun. Jo creates fresh, exciting content for each lesson that is perfectly pitched for where the child is at.
Home Educating Parent of I, 2021
W says that of all the things he has to help him with his dyslexia (extra literacy interventions at school, being allowed to use a laptop for long pieces of written work, reading with us, extra time in exams), his sessions with Jo are the most helpful. He says it’s because they’re fun, he can stay at home, he can do them with his favourite cuddly toy and he doesn’t feel different in front of his peers at school.
Parent of W and T, July 2024
Joanna is very flexible with her planned lessons, switching to other methods or activities if a child is tiring or finding something too easy, or too challenging.
Parent of A, 2021
She really loved the lesson — she’s asked for it to be everyday
J, mother of L

What changed?

C has made massive progress with her spelling this year, from getting 8 right [on a statutory test] in September [2023] to 40 in July [2024].
Parent of C, after a year of tuition focusing on morphology
Just a quick note Joanna to say thank you for all the hard work and expertise that has gone into tutoring A. His confidence around reading and spelling has absolutely soared, he is selecting new books and sitting down to read and really enjoying exploring his interests now. Yours is the one lesson he looks forward to and logs on without having to be reminded and prompted and is so relaxed and engaged throughout. Thank you x
Home Educating Parent of A, 2024
I really appreciated her awesome efforts to find just the right tools and methods to address my daughter’s learning style and challenges with dyscalculia. She moved forward with her maths so much more effectively with Jo’s expertise than with the efforts I made. Her anxiety decreased dramatically as well.
Home Educating Parent of N, January 2024
I can highly recommend Jo. She was the first tutor my son actually engaged with after a year of burnout and overcoming school trauma. He feels safe and understood and that he can just be himself. Jo has managed to make English appear completely different from anything he did in school which has also really helped get him on board.
A, mother of J, February 2025

What it’s like for the parent

Joanna has been an invaluable source of strength for both my daughter and us as we interpreted reports and dyslexic assessments and finally got a conclusive diagnosis.
This is a journey which can be challenging for families and Joanna’s understanding, thoughtfulness and knowledge of the learning difficulty has been incredibly supportive for us all
Parent of A, 2021
Yes! Jo is so lovely and an amazing teacher. Gave my son so much confidence.
A, mother of J, January 2025

On the Resources

Wow what a great thing you are doing. As a dyslexic adult myself I would avoid books at all cost but I liked the idea of reading a book. I never read my first proper book until I was in my 30s. A bit of kind encouragement would have been lovely as a child. Sorry just wanted to say well done.
A comment on a Facebook post about book grading
As a person with dyslexia I often missed out on this kind of thing because it was reserved for the kids who didn’t need traditional spelling tests any more. I would have loved to learn this kind of thing — it makes my heart sing.
Janet, a comment on a Facebook post about the book grading page

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