Client testimonials

She helped us prioritise the wants and expectations for our incoming principal and from that helped us to write appropriate questions to be asked at the interview and what answers should look like. From writing the initial advertisement to the actual employment contract Lin helped in every aspect. Lin is an extremely experienced educator with wisdom and a huge knowledge of hat to look for in a principal. She never crossed the line and allowed the Board to make all the decisions. Her process made the extremely hard task of finding the right principal for our school a happy and successful one.

I would highly recommend Lin to all and any school looking to employ a consultant. 

Birdwood School

Robynne Cooper - BoT Chairperson

and provided pragmatic and practical comments about the actual learning tools we are developing. In short she has been indispensable and a pleasure to work with. In short she has been indispensable and a pleasure to work with.

Andrew Joel / Senior Education Advisor

NZ Transport Agency

We needed to understand how our programme was aligned with the curriculum and leading pedagogy. However, understanding what’s happening in the future, emerging trends in education and what a modern classroom might look like was also important. Our enquiries with education leaders of who could help directed us straight to Mary. The outcomes from the review reflected a process to understand who we are and what we do and the recommendations demonstrated Mary understood our unique proposition. Mary has continued to support us as a sounding board as we progress our changes.

John O’Connell

Chief Executive, Life Education Trust (NZ)

The team went well beyond simply reviewing the existing literature to creating a framework for analysis which drives better targeting of current and future investments.

Frances Kelly

Principal Development Manager, International Development Group

New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere

Jacqui has supported us through the complexity and allowed us to put in place practices that support our students to learn and enable them become better learners. The learning of our teachers and leaders has been around robust and reflective conversations which have been brilliantly facilitated by Jacqui. This has led to us all formulating a plan which allows us to support the direction, build capacity for future change, and embed our practices. Jacqui has listened to us, worked alongside us and other providers to co-ordinate and develop our ways forward. This has been integral to our growth.

Isaac - Principal

Jacqui actively assists us with developing a more positive and mindful learning culture throughout our school. Her facilitation has resulted in increased student engagement and teachers becoming much more reflective and adept at using their adaptive expertise. Jacqui has enabled us to use teaching as inquiry and assessment for learning with effectiveness to encourage our learners to be self-managing and improve learning and achievement across the curriculum. Jacqui is very easy to work with and has become a valued member of our team. Through our work with Jacqui we have made substantial changes to our learning culture and we are embedding these by developing systems and processes with our learners at the centre. We benefit greatly from her professionalism in regularly leading our Professional Learning and Development. Jacqui has assisted me greatly as a principal mentor, with her expertise and experience as a former principal.

Marg - Principal

This is something I have always wanted to do as leader and to make sure it was managed in a safe environment.

Kaikoura High School

You asked questions that put us in the right direction.

Oxford Area School

Aroha was able to support me with my new role (within-school PaCT Leader) by building my capabilities and understanding around PaCT and by offering advice. Aroha came prepared with ideas, resources and activities which we were then able to use later on in the year when we delivered PaCT PLD to our teaching staff at school. She communicated effectively and was sincere in offering her support should we require it in the future.

I look forward to working with Aroha in the future.

Susan Swann-Eason, within-school PaCT Leader, Rotorua Central Kaahui Ako

Aroha was able to make connections and easily build positive and professional relationships with myself and my colleagues. She was prepared with ideas and resources that supported the needs of our Kaahui Ako Achievement Challenges. Aroha not only facilitated the learning around using the Progress and Consistency Tool, she also helped to build my leadership capabilities by setting me up for success. She helped me to plan, prepare and deliver new learning and information to my team of Within School Leaders. Aroha was reliable with communication, and delivery of contents. It was a pleasure to have Aroha as a facilitator of learning and we would be happy to work with her in the future."

Shari Brell, Across School Leader of Literacy, Rotorua Central, Kaahui Ako/ COL

Aroha is an approachable, personable facilitator. I have been amazed at her ability to; bring us all along, engage our input, keep us on task, tie a multitude of complexities together and enable great outcomes. She has a wonderful way with people, highly developed understanding of Spirals of Inquiry and unlike many other facilitators an affinity with RTLB. I would highly recommend Aroha's facilitation services.

Nicola Talbot, Practice Leader, Cluster 9 RTLB

Yesterday our staff attended your one day course on OTJs… they were very, very positive about the message and the quality of your presentation.We need to get you to come here!

Deputy Principal

Also science is contributing to the development of student voice and taking the learning home. Our Open Afternoon was a big success. Studenst were teaching parents. Language opportunities for ESOL are very positive. Teachers are making links to numeracy and literacy/oracy. Science journaling taking off. Opened up using digital tech to enable and support inquiry. Teachers inquiring into own practice fuelled by student engagement. Great to see whole school involved. Lots of teacher collaboration and conversations about practice. Teachers ready to ‘seize’ opportunities that present – all junior school abandoning class to see, smell, touch, listen to and yes taste the frost that covered our field. Never seen such spontaneity on the part of teachers before!

Principal 

It (science experiences) allows discussion to flow with children interacting without it being teacher-dominated. All students were fully engaged on the task - behaviour management was unnecessary. Synergy was apparent-students prompted /triggered each other's new observations. Close observation was significantly more detailed. Children used generalised language at first, although they remembered to use relevant vocabulary from previous experiences –they are making links.

Teacher reflection

One of my favourite subjects...science is about enjoying learning. I would be happy to do it all day. I want to improve my writing...so I can let others understand what I did and found out. I can help others – I feel more satisfied.”

Y6 student

He has worked with us in a way that has scaffolded all our learning and in that has role modelled best practice. The Teaching as Inquiry model that he introduced to us has been well received by all our team and fits beautifully with our appraisal and attestation. I would recommend Brent highly as a facilitator of Professional Development and would value the opportunity to work with him again."

Principal 

Providing an exceptional model, training us and developing our skills, buddying up with us for our first observations and then letting us fly solo.

School leader

Brent has put in a huge amount of effort to understand the special character of our alternative school and to give suggestions and support in a manner which is relevant to our school.

Principal

He helps us keep student achievement at the centre of all that we do.

Ben has allowed us to see how we could best align strategies for maximum impact.

Porirua College

Chris Wood - Deputy Principal

International Director 

Senior leader, Primary school

Trish has great ideas for personalising learning for students, she keeps us focused on our priority students with no excuses. 

Senior leader, Primary school

Our inquiry has deepened and I now have many more strategies to lead the learning with. My leadership practices have greatly increased.

Senior leader, Primary school

Her vast research-based approach, as well as her fabulous ability to inquire and question, promotes an open to learning approach to school improvement. Janet is an absolute treasure. She is inspiring, supportive, intelligent and truely committed to a personalised approach to facilitation. Having Janet in our school this year has kept the main thing the main thing, despite the many distractions and side shows that often occur as part of school life!

Deirdre has a readiness to listen, support and challenge, with excellent research evidence to back this. She has a clear understanding and application of inquiry into teaching and leadership. Deirdre is consistently positive and friendly in her manner.”

Senior Leader, Secondary school

There is a greater openness amongst staff and a willingness to look at why we do things the way we do. 

There is a new willingness to open our doors and welcome people into our classrooms - to encourage contribution and critical inquiry. Meeting agendas have a ‘learning focus’ and are planned in advance. There are better and more open relationships between staff. There are also more learning discussions in groups that look for shared solutions.

Deirdre used modelling of effective PL facilitation, encouraging us to ask the questions of ourselves and we in turn are now asking those questions continually. She modelled and guided us with the skills to have the difficult but respectful conversations about teaching and learning.”

Senior Leader, Secondary school

While we thought that the work we do was good, we were not really sure. Now we know. It is most encouraging to have an independent expert perspective such as Evaluation Associates assessing and affirming the work we do with boys in schools around NZ. The financial investment has been worthwhile and we are delighted to have this comprehensive evaluation of our programmes complete.

Our evaluator, Dr Wendy Moore, has helped us realise the true benefit of our programmes for boys in schools through her professionalism and wide ranging experience in the education sector. She was able to ask the hard questions and get answers which will enable us to improve and grow. She is very approachable and this enabled her to gain the trust of all our stakeholders which has led to a comprehensive report. Her evaluation of our ICONZ Edge programmes will be a key tool for us to further enhance our curriculum and to develop strategies of quality and growth for the future. It has been a great pleasure for our staff, volunteers and boys working with Wendy on this project.

For any schools or other organisations involved in education needing an objective assessment, Evaluation Associates and Dr Wendy Moore are highly recommended. We look forward to working with them again sometime soon.

Stu Thompson

Director of ICONZ for Boys' Brigade New Zealand

This was one of the best professional development sessions that I have attended. Thanks for your detailed organisation and preparedness and your inclusive teaching practices.

Sonya Lockyer  Kamo High School, Whangarei

I had a rich and detailed learning experience today. I have a great deal of new knowledge and strategies to put them in place in the short and medium term.

You were a highly motivated presenter who inspired us to create robust appraisal systems which will be levers of change. I appreciated your humour and non-judgemental manner. Thank you.

A really worthwhile workshop - I'm so glad I attended! Thank you!

Participants in a 2017 workshop on appraisal 

Thanks for your presentation today. One of the best ones I have attended in a while. Very clear and engaging.

Kind regards

Catherine Neidhardt Papamoa College

Riverdale School (Gisborne)

Raniera Koia - Principal

that is focussed on improving student outcomes.

Mahurangi College

Associate Principal

Deputy Principal

I really see the purpose in school-wide targets for the first time! 

Long serving principal

Anne asks the questions that really make you reflect on your teaching practice and the effectiveness of your interactions with students. She has helped us all - staff and students alike - become better learners. She has an excellent rapport with staff, and constantly challenges us to be reflective, proactive professionals focussing on improving student achievement in our school.

Rural primary school

Chris - Principal

I have found Anne’s help this year invaluable. She has a wealth of knowledge and has assisted me to advance my own skills in a number of areas. Her sessions with us have been thought provoking both in relation to my own teaching and for the further development of the skills of colleagues in my department. Anne has been highly supportive and has challenged me to think about how I teach and what I need to do to improve results and the capabilities of my students. She has reminded me of the benefits for the students of them doing the hard work, not the teacher!

Melanie Secondary HOD

Primary Principal

Rose has raised expectations in our school. She has prompted teachers to understand that they are able to meet children’s needs in their teaching as opposed to looking for another programme to raise achievement.

Primary Principal

Julia is always available to answer questions, help develop ideas and encourages teachers she works with to continue learning.

Teacher

Julia has been a great support to our school. She has been working with us in the area of literacy. Julia has given us tools to reflect on our practice and readings to show us how we can improve. Her positive attitude and diverse ways of teaching has made our professional development a pleasure. We have put many of her ideas into practice, and we can already see some of our students trying hard to achieve their goals. Learning is definitely accelerating.

Senior leader

Sessions are always well prepared and she has advanced facilitation skills ensuring that all sessions contain a variety of methods to ensure that a high level of interest and engagement is maintained.

Isleworth School

Jeanette Shearer - Principal

Mel is a leader in facilitating adult learning. She has a lot of energy for engaging adult learners. She has the capabilities to effectively utilise a range of strategies that can be immediately employed into a school context. She is always keen to work through difficult situations or hard to solve problems and is a real optimist.

Roydvale School

Jenny Washington - Principal

Our teachers have deeper understanding of using data effectively to raise student achievement. We celebrate our students' achievements and progress.

Clendon Park School

Dudley Adams, DP and leader of Te Whānau Awhina

Always awesome to have you come and give us pointers on our own teaching practice and learning.

Ma Cynthia

It was a great mix of theory and practical and we really appreciated the way you approached it from a needs-must "what will work best for us" perspective.

Redcliffs School

Sandy Thomas

Well-focused and managed ongoing school-wide professional development has helped to enhance the quality of teaching programmes and practices.

This development has helped to establish a number of processes and practices that, if built on, should help to improve the quality of education for students.

Gilberthorpe School

ERO report

Very personable and knowledgeable about teaching and learning.

Teachers at e-asTTle workshop

Our facilitator really took the time to look, listen, feel and understand our school and our needs. She let us lead and worked alongside us. Together we collaborated and developed a model that fitted our school.

Our staff were engaged and enthusiastic. Brenda was a great fit for Ranui School.

The best part was the significant shifts in teacher practice and the great effect size shifts in student achievement. The practices are embedded now and we continue to see great shifts a year on…. We know this will continue.

Probably having them eight years apart was an advantage because the first time I was instantly hooked into the whole programme thanks to Barbara-Anne’s bubbly and enthusiastic presentation and this time around all that fantastic learning has been reinforced and has also allowed me to extend that initial learning even further.

The benefits for my kids (6 - 8 year olds) were obvious from the beginning and the majority of them can articulate just what a learner is, they have a clear idea of what a Learning Intention is, how to co-construct Success Criteria and they are beginning to understand the concept of self-assessing their own work which helps them to develop their own next learning steps!

Barbara-Anne’s facilitation has been motivating, thoroughly enjoyable, as well as making me a more confident and (I think) capable teacher.

What more could I ask for - THANKS Barbara-Anne!

ABC College

It was a transformational experience and journey for our staff, with the focus on Assessment for Learning. Those principles and Brenda’s outstanding communication skills and clarity, assisted our teachers and boys significantly. Assessment for Learning was one of the best professional learning experiences for our staff.

Plenty of reviewing and bringing to the surface lots of ideas to take back to the school and work with as a staff.

Written material to take away is excellent.

Excellent day, venue and catering.

All aspects were great. Well organised and presented.

Thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Thank you for answering my questions and providing good, sound advice and directions. Hugely appreciated.

A variety of participants

Very satisfied. Garry is very knowledgeable.

It was a great workshop in that it was to practise and analyse data related to e-asTTle. All questions were answered and I now have a contact if I need support. Many thanks for the course. Very useful.

Very satisfied. Very clear delivery. Took into account all the comments and questioned posed at the beginning of the session. Very good. Calm approach, well scaffolded.

Excellent. Very personable and knowledgeable about teaching and learning.

Very satisfied. Well covered given very diverse group of teachers - different expertise, types of schools, and reasons for being there.

Various responses to post-workshop surveys

She has worked with our staff on two contracts and each time both the teachers and students have been able to clarify what and why they are teaching and learning. As an outside facilitator she has always arrived at school with boundless smiles and immediately portrays the friendly person she is.

I can’t thank you enough for all your enthusiasm, hard work and perpetual smile no matter!!

Our school has worked collaboratively with her in order to raise student achievement levels. By having her as our external facilitator, our school priorities have been further strengthened with improving student knowledge of what they are learn and why they are learning. It has allowed our school to flourish and teachers are sharing their learning experiences with each other and celebrating these successes with her through formal discussions.

I have seen many systems and processes in my pre teaching career and many of them are of high quality, but what often lets them down or restricts buy in is the delivery. I would like to congratulate and thank Evaluation Associates for the quality of professional development that Barbara Anne has supplied us this year.

We have been extremely fortunate to have had such an informed, respectful facilitator delivering and guiding our teachers with raising the level of teacher knowledge and practice, as well as student understanding, engagement and achievement.

Thanks so much Barbara Anne!

Excellent relationships with all staff. Jody is willing to listen to school needs and accommodate accordingly.

The staff meetings, resources, observations and helpful feedback have resulted in significant changes in teaching practice and student learning.

She managed a challenging group of teachers through changes to their pedagogy, sensitively and professionally.