Testimonials

Rarely am I moved to send feedback on training received at work, however for this I had to make an exception.   

I am the assistant SENDCo at Pittville School, Cheltenham, which has a large SEND community, in addition to our students with less visible needs.  This June I was pleased to participate in the Thera-Build® training run by Aly Thomsen and it provided me with skills and techniques which I was able to put into practice the very next day. 

Aly’s training empowered me to approach a student who had become so heightened that he was non-verbal and curled up in the corridor, and simply by asking him to help me practice the games I had learned yesterday, I was able to encourage him to join me in a safe space.  Within 15 minutes he was regulated, engaged and able to express what had triggered him and what he needed going forwards. 

This was instant proof to me of the value of Aly’s training. 

I understand that the funding for this came from Gloucestershire Virtual School and I would like to applaud them for supporting such an innovative and relevant course.  

So much of the training we receive focuses on the negatives, the worst-case scenarios, or the failures of the systems of which we are a part, but Aly’s training was such a refreshing change.  To be able to leave with a smile on your face and hope for the future was so valuable to those of us working on the ground floor of education. 

I Heywood 

In recent years, we have recognised the increased well being and mental health needs in our school community and have worked hard to be able to offer a range of support to meet these needs. 

We are very proud of our partnership with Bricks2Learn, which we set up and have developed over a number of years. Aly is a highly skilled practitioner and has worked across the year groups in our school, in 1:1 and small groups sessions, to support the children. 

We have been overwhelmed with the impact that these Thera-Build® sessions have had; we have seen an increase in the children’s confidence and self-esteem, their language and literacy skills, fine motor skills, organisational skills, problem solving and their self-regulatory skills. 

We pride ourselves in the care and the support that we provide our children and Thera-Build® is an integral part of our pastoral provision, as our children learn how to communicate their ideas and emotions effectively to others and can feel understood and listened to by the adults around them.  

H Philcox

As a SENCO, I have found Aly’s contribution to be exceptionally valuable. She provides high‑quality therapeutic support for some of our most vulnerable children and has quickly become an “honorary” member of our wider team. 

Her sessions consistently secure full engagement, with children working collaboratively and demonstrating a noticeable sense of enjoyment and achievement. On one occasion, a typically lively group of six‑year‑old boys were so absorbed in the activity that the room fell completely silent - it felt like sorcery in the best possible way. 

Each session offers purposeful LEGO®‑based learning, emotional connection, and positive shared experience for every child involved and they look forward to it every week, as do we, knowing our children are in safe hands.  

L Chapman

As the Head of School I commissioned Aly from Bricks2Learn as a vehicle to raise standards in literacy and ICT while supporting our PSHE curriculum, and it proved to be a highly successful intervention, as Aly brought a level of technical expertise in building and programming that we simply could not provide in-house.

We were thoroughly impressed by the way she weaved so many vital skills under the guise of play; the stimulus she created completely engaged both the children and my teaching staff. 

Our senior management team tracked the pupil data and was extremely pleased with the outcomes. 

Our children have truly benefited from the experience and enjoyed every minute!

E Stephenson