Assessments — Understanding the Whole Child
Recognising your individual child’s barriers and needs is essential to ensure that intervention is effective and key to ensure they can achieve success.
Placement Assessments
All students undertake a literacy or numeracy placement assessment on their first session (unless a full diagnostic assessment has been undertaken in the last six months by Marion) to inform your child’s teaching and learning programme. A short report with the findings and initial targets will be emailed to you. This can be carried out in isolation to lessons but is charged accordingly. Please contact Marion for more information.
Full Diagnostic Assessments
Marion undertakes full diagnostic, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia assessments, which looks at your whole child’s barriers and needs including strengths and weaknesses in their attainment, self-esteem, general and cognitive abilities, and memory and learning. If appropriate it can diagnose a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) including Dyslexia and Dyscalculia. Additionally it explores for traits of ADHD, Dyspraxia, ASD and then refer onwards.
Please note that Marion's reports go beyond a diagnosis as they identify barriers and explore how to meet the needs of your child.
To ensure a full picture is obtained, background information through returned questionnaires from parents and the school, along with a discussion with your child on the assessment day is collated and reflected on in the conclusions.
The assessment usually starts at 9am and takes about 3 ½ to 4 hours (not including a brunch break), and is conducted in one day. Parents are required to take their child off site at a suitable time.
A recent eye test is needed by the child prior to the assessment.
The assessment is undertaken on a one-to-one basis in Cirencester (Gloucestershire).
Please explain to your child that Marion will be looking at how they learn, through talking with them, watching them do puzzles and games, along with a small amount of reading, writing and maths. Marion looks to seeing how your child does – it does not matter if they get it wrong because it is her job is to find out why they get it wrong so that they can be helped.
On the day of the assessment Marion will provide brief verbal feedback. She is also available for a follow-up meeting, after the report has been issued, to explain the content and to answer your questions.
The full report explains Marion's findings and recommendations on how your child’s barriers can be overcome. The report can take up to four weeks to write — this is due to the time required to analyse the findings and to write a thorough report. The report is then sent to you as a PDF via email.
Please contact Marion, via email, to discuss fees and arrange a suitable date for the assessment but please note there are limited dates available. To confirm an assessment date 50% of the cost is required at the time of booking, and the other 50% two weeks before the assessment date. Payment for cancelled or a missed assessment is not refundable.
Testimonies
"Marion Craven carried out diagnostic dyscalculia/ dyslexia assessments for both children in our care. She took time to familiarise with their backgrounds before the assessment and took great care when handling their personal and sensitive data. It was evident from Marion’s verbal and written report that she took a holistic view of the child when making a judgement about their strengths, weaknesses and needs. Both children felt very much at ease in her company and were able to talk confidently about their wishes and feelings. Marion’s reports were detailed and clear, providing valuable insights into the children’s learning profiles as well as a range of specific and practical recommendations for home and school. We would have no hesitation in recommending Marion to other families seeking diagnostic dyscalculia/ dyslexia assessments for their children."
(Stroud Village Parent)
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"It was clear that Marion has a deep understanding of dyscalculia and we were relieved to find someone with that level of knowledge of the condition. Our child A had numerous assessment sessions with Marion which she enjoyed. It was clear that the level of assessment was much more detailed and valuable than what could be achieved with standard dyscalculia tests.
After the sessions with A, Marion provided a very comprehensive report which we were able to provide to the school, which assisted them in establishing next steps and getting A the further support she needed.
We would definitely recommend Marion for dyscalculia assessment and intervention."
(Stroud Village Parent)
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"We are incredibly grateful to Marion. She has helped our son in so many ways… to begin, she made him feel comfortable in the assessment process, whilst using her expert knowledge to ascertain how best to help him. Her report and recommendations are excellent and the follow up support via zoom tutorials have made a tremendous difference. [Name] is a much happier, less anxious and more confident boy now."
(South Gloucestershire Parent)
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"We recently met with Marion so that she could undertake an ‘early screener for a learning difficulty’ on our 6 year old daughter who has been struggling at school.
Before finding Marion we found that many people wouldn’t consider doing any sort of screener or assessment as they felt 6 was too young, for parents this can be a very daunting and worrying time when you can see that your child needs extra help and all you want to do is support them, so finding Marion has been a big relief and has been hugely beneficial.
During her time with Marion our daughter felt really comfortable and was more than happy to be left to do her screener one on one. Marion is clearly very well experienced when it comes to working with children and making them feel at ease in her presence.
Thanks to Marion and her report, we have been able to have more focused and detailed conversations with school and as a result we will be working together to support our daughter."
(Gloucestershire Parent)
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"Hi Marion,
I honestly can't thank you enough for your support all the way through, from how kind and patient you were with me when we started communicating regarding [child] to now. I had felt so lost in the system, and you have helped both of us so much. As I said in my previous email, I was quite emotional just reading your report. Just reading that and your recommendations have helped me so much. I feel a real sense of relief knowing there is a way forward and that there are things you have recommended that the school and I can do to help him. I honestly can't thank you enough for this and the suggestions you have given us along the way. I was so grateful you mentioned stopping off and getting hot chocolate on the way home. It gave him time to process before being put back into his daily routine, and he also understood why he was tired. The support and reassurance you gave both of us through this have been amazing.
Thank you so so much for everything."
(Stroud village Parent)
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“Hi Marion,
I found the report hugely helpful and would like to Thank You for taking the time to help M (as tricky as it can sometimes be). It explains so so much and just a relief to have an understanding on what is going on and ways to support him. His letter you wrote to him was lovely.
I passed a copy of the report onto his teacher and the SENCO at school, they also found the report brilliant as an insight to M...
Once again thank you so much for all your help and advice and I look forward to getting lots of your knowledge to help us.
Thank you"
(Cirencester Parent)