STAT NORTHERN TESTimonials

       ASSESSMENT CENTRE MANAGER 

LEEDS ASSESSMENT CENTRE 

"We have recommended STAT Northern regularly since it began trading. The reason for this is that we have found the service to be of very good quality, and have received positive feedback from students. There is a clear commitment to providing high quality training, undiluted by any other priority. We have found STAT Northern particularly helpful in cases where students have more complex or unusual needs and require a more personalised approach. STAT Northern have always been willing to be flexible, while maintaining high standards of professionalism." 

DSA NEEDS ASSESSOR 

LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY 

"We have used Stat Northern as our recommended AT Training provider for a number of years now. Stat Northern have provided training for the Needs Assessors and other support staff at the university and their approach at such sessions has provided us with the confidence that they are able to support our students effectively. 

Our students like the fact that they can have their training at a location (including their own home, at university or remotely) and a time that fits in with their other commitments. They also like the fact that training is tailored to their individual learning style and areas of study that they are currently working on. There is no better way to learn than to practically apply the software to a current project. 

Stat Northern are also quick to respond to us when there is a need to discuss the needs of an individual student or to make changes to the support that is being offered."

     DSA NEEDS ASSESSOR 

"I regularly recommend STAT Northern as the AT Training provider for the students I assess. The main reason for this is that they offer a high-quality individualised service to students and also provide me with feedback if any issues arise during training or with the student's equipment/software. Students have always given me excellent feedback about the training they received and how it had fully met their specific needs. STAT Northern regularly go the extra mile for students - something which I know both the students and I appreciate. 

Communication between myself and STAT Northern has always been timely and effective and I feel that this ensures that the student receives a high-quality service with a smooth journey for them which ensures that they make good effective use of their recommended equipment and software."

    DSA NEEDS ASSESSOR (FREELANCE) 

"One of the key elements of DSA support is the assistive software that is frequently recommended to support disabled students. The software is not enough though. We are asking students with identified difficulties to make profound changes to the way that they approach study tasks. The software is not a generous added extra; for it to be effective and assist the student fully, the student needs to develop a thorough understanding not just of ‘how this works’, but ‘how does this apply to me’. It is the gap between the two that often presents barriers to learning for the students I see – inference is hard, knowing how to start a piece of work, how to better structure and organise information for each essay, how to engage more thoroughly with materials to ensure better understanding and retention. 

STAT Northern trainers fully understand these principles. They are not software engineers/sellers, and don’t see their job as simply taking a student through all the features of a piece of software. They get to know the student, understand the strategies that the student needs to learn to better use the software independently in direct relation to their own path of study, and take care to ensure that the student develops confidence as well as knowledge. 

STAT Northern listen and respond to student need to the extent that they developed a piece of software to meet a need that was repeatedly raised by students – how to better capture, organise and retrieve key digital information. Pro-Study is incredibly well-received. This demonstrates how an independent training company can take the time to focus on listening to the student, rather than simply ticking off how many hours of training have been delivered ‘at’ students. 

Independent AT trainers, notably STAT Northern, seek to raise quality in their field. Their focus is on turning the recommendations in the report into embedded methods of working. Being able to recommend companies that are locally-based and entirely student-focused is critical to bring good value to the DSA field. One size does not fit all; delivering training to a student with SpLD studying History requires a different approach to delivering training to an autistic student studying Maths. Simply ticking off features covered in TextHelp is not enough. I strongly believe that the added value of independent trainers is that they make a connection with students that goes beyond clocking up the hours. STAT Northern are exemplary at making this happen."

     MANAGING DIRECTOR AND ASSESSOR 

AIM ASSESSMENTS 

"We regularly recommend STAT Northern for DSA NMH Specialist AT Training and feel that they deliver a tailored, strategy led approach that enables our students to flourish on their course. They have the knowledge, experience and skill to integrate: 

• study skills and strategies in HE 
• course knowledge and requirements 
• specific disability knowledge 
• awareness of neurodiversity 

It is incredibly important for us as an assessment centre to know that a student’s next 1:1 contact in the DSA process is with an experienced and dedicated professional. STAT Northern regularly demonstrate that they are able to train students with AT on an individual basis that will ultimately enable the student to get the most out of their course. 

STAT Northern are able to pull on many years of enhancing and developing their specialist AT Training within the DSA sector, having focused purely on AT Training and integrated strategies. We feel that DSA students benefit from quick responses to initial bookings and appointments and that their long-term course goals are taken into account when training." 

    "I had an excellent teacher, very professional and their subject knowledge and training was excellent. I enjoyed and benefitted from her wealth of knowledge and she represented your company very well and I am proud that your organisation STAT northern conducted the Software Training for the Assistive Technology." 

     "Julie was fantastic! She made sure that I understood each thing before we moved on and was really clear, friendly and helpful. I usually feel really nervous doing things like this but I felt really at ease with Julie"

     "Chris was really great to work with, he managed to make both our sessions incredibly helpful and at the same time enjoyable. I found him really easy to get on with, Chris made me feel very relaxed about using a load of equipment that would have previously just ended up stressing me out."

 "Kim is very helpful, has a great communication skill and very friendly. I felt really relaxed with her as she made everything possible to learn easily. I believe she is one of the best trainers that I have ever met. Above all, she is perfect for her rules." 

  "Anne was very thorough and made me feel very comfortable, she understood my needs and helped me when I was stuck and was also very approachable with any questions that I needed answered. she was happy to go at my pace and made me feel at ease the whole way through." 

  "I would like to say a huge thank you to Julie for assisting myself with the technology training. At the start, I wasn't very confident with some of my software, but she was so patient and now I feel that I will be able to use the software to its full potential at university." 

"I felt comfortable during the training sessions when talking to Julie. She made the sessions personal to my course making me able to visualise how I am able to use the technology within my course after the training finished. She made sure to explain everything in detail, helping me to understand what I would use and how I would use it to further help my education. We had to spend lots of time and effort adjusting the technology so it was better suited to my Chromebook, which was done efficiently when communicating with the technology company. Over all of the hours that I had training with Julie, I do not have a single negative thing to say about her or the service I received. Thank you for your time." 

  "Benny discussed everything in detail so that I understood what he was explaining. Benny was also very patient with me and allowed me time to absorb the information and repeating where needed. I was really pleased with Benny's kindness and polite manner. Benny went the extra mile to support me with all computer problems that I had even when he didn't have too and provided extra support where needed. I can't fault the support or training I've had this past year. I have used and understand the programmes. Benny has provided me with shortened information files that I might find useful instead of reading the long information booklets. Overall, I am very thankful for Benny's support throughout my training." 

"They taught me at a pace suitable to me. They adapted the sessions to suit the software I wanted to get to grips with most, or wanted recapping on. They made it easy to understand and easy to take on board. They were friendly and kind. They inspired me of with ideas of how the software’s and technologies could help me on my course specifically, that I had not considered yet" 

"I am very happy with the training. The training was clear, concise and very friendly. The trainer gave me a really in depth look into the Mindview software and I feel like the trainer really knows their stuff! They kept the training very informal as well which I felt helped me pick it up so quickly." 

"Anna-Marie was lovely, patient, and helpful at showing the practical applications for the training that made the time worthwhile. She was always approachable and understanding if i needed to readjust times or take breaks and was wonderful start to finish." 

"My trainer was very nice and made all the sessions enjoyable, we had a good laugh throughout. She explained everything very well and was very willing to re- explain things a few times when I was understanding the programs. I will miss my weekly meetings!"