Course Evaluations – what others have said about Barry’s in-service training days and his presentations and workshops at conferences:

“I would like to thank you very much for getting our first G&T conference off to such a tremendous start. The impact lingered all day! It is rare for someone with such academic expertise to convey messages with such clarity, humour and self reflection. It inspired everyone.”

“Once again, enormous thanks for motivating and entertaining us with such panache. It was one of the best INSET days we have had at Highfield.”

“… your evaluations are consistently in the 'outstanding' box. The word 'inspirational' was 'writ large' on many forms. You offered our Heads a great balance of challenge, 'core purpose' reflection and grounded ideas they can (and will I hope) take back to our schools on Monday. Great to hear of someone with your educational philosophy working with and supporting our schools.”

"A big sigh of relief that I am not alone in the doubts I have as a teacher. Helped me recharge my 'faith in myself' battery and can't wait to get back to the job I love."

“I just wanted to write to say thank you for the INSET you delivered for us on Tuesday. It was inspiring. The feedback I have received was entirely positive with all teachers very enthused by the day. Thank you.”

“Just wanted to say thank you again for the wonderful training today. The evaluations were as overwhelmingly positive as ever. Many mentioned feeling inspired as well as shattered! They felt the day was 'beautifully paced'. One reflected that she had 'learned to let my thinking go 'off-piste'.”

"Rarely am I so inspired when attending a course. My own children are in for a treat as well as the children in my school. I really have held a mirror up to myself today. Slightly ashamed and very excited. This needs to be one of the courses that every teacher should attend."

“Phenomenally inspiring and displayed a level of empathy with his ‘students’ unlike any I have previously encountered. A creative and intelligent approach to training. I am mentally exhausted but looking forward hugely to putting all this into practice with my pupils.”

“A high-calibre keynote speaker – brilliantly informative.”

“I am grateful for any presentation which encourages my staff to think more critically about what they are doing in the classroom, and their reasons for doing it. I am additionally grateful when such a presentation is done with so much skill, expertise and flair.”

“Since attending your outstanding course, I have been including your suggestions in my teaching.  They had immediate and significant effects on learning and, something I did not predict, greatly improved my relationships with students.  I know them so much better because they communicate their ideas to me - rather than the other way round - and they inform me about what they learn and how they learn it.  This is true of all ages and all abilities. It's truly inspiring to have such stimulating relationships with my students.  We are all so motivated in our joint learning.  It's fantastic!”

“You'll be glad to hear that six months on, your inset still reverberates around the school; you seem to be a point of reference for many. Structurally, and in teachers’ practice I think things will take a little longer, but germination is well underway!”

“My experience of courses run by yourself is that I leave with the sense that I've been encouraged to take part and step back within the same day - and that's rare and valuable.”

“Never 'preachy' - your presentation was grounded and full of humour and a sense of the 'real', whilst clearly underpinned by sound research and a real passion for what you believe in. I felt your presentation was able to remind me of why I am in education and really enable me to feel confident about approaching some pretty radical curriculum changes I am leading in my current school setting.”

“I would like to thank you most sincerely for your most insightful, thought-provoking and interesting input, all delivered with sincerity and amusement!  The staff were all buzzing this morning and full of positive comments and ideas for action.”

“I can't tell you how excited I am about this year.  It's the first time in eight years of teaching (since I qualified) that I feel I know what I'm doing and feel confident about doing it. And this is of course all down to your training, which I have been incorporating into my teaching over the last year. It has so clicked with my personality / beliefs that I feel so authentic with my teaching.  I am being / acting / talking so congruently.  It makes me feel very strong and happy.”

“Many, many thanks for your presentation yesterday. People were asking for your details all day.  Somerset will not forget you and I'm sure you will get further requests in the future.  The evaluations were excellent and the words ‘inspiring,’ ‘I’m going to change my ways,’ ‘wonderful,’ ‘everyone in my school should hear this (inspirational),’ ‘practised what he preached, inviting questions and a personal response – fantastic,’ were but a few against your name.”

“Just wanted to drop you a quick mail to say a very big thank you for the session that I attended on Tuesday.  I found the whole day really very captivating, motivational, inspiring and, at times, at times quite soul-searching as I can see myself in some of the situations you referred to! I think the session will have real benefits for the whole school and will hopefully give us the impetus we need to keep moving on.” (Governor)

“The most thought provoking and stimulating inset training I have attended in twenty years of teaching.”

“ … Thanks even more for your very radical course. It provoked so many ideas for new approaches to the subjects I teach that I made excited notes all the way home on the train and for two hours at home and have rethought my lessons for the rest of the term. It was a truly inspiring experience.”

“I am already taking action tonight on some of the things you brought to the front of my mind. Your presentation and enthusiasm was infectious so thanks very much for the impact you are going to have on my teaching and more importantly on my kids learning.”

“It’s the best set of conference evaluations we’ve seen as a team of South London Borough Coordinators.”

“Superb delivery – carried people with him. Learning extended, and he practised what he preached.”

“Many thanks for your stunning contribution to the conference last Monday. Judging from the evaluations it’s quite clear that you changed a few lives there! Your involvement gave the whole event the drive and excitement it needed.”

“Your input today was excellent. It was that great combination of affirming people and challenging us to do it differently. Thanks once again. I don't usually do feedback but found today stimulating.”

“I just wanted to write a short note to say a massive thank you for the course on Tuesday in Leeds. I found it extremely useful and I have already started to use some of the ideas in my lessons at school. We are looking at ‘rolling out’ your ideas across the whole school in order to utilise the different learning strategies.  I know our students will benefit from your innovative approaches.”

“Not only was it a thoroughly enjoyable morning, but it has already had an impact on our planning. I have received, and am continuing to receive, loads of positive feedback. It is sometimes difficult to ‘move on’ from a Training Day but this is one occasion when the ripples are spreading from the proverbial pebble in the pool.”

“Many people said how thought provoking it had been and that it had been the best INSET ever offered by our school.”

“A master of his craft – watch and learn!”

“As an adviser, today was for me an education. He’s hugely knowledgeable, but shared this in a way that made me feel that I already knew this too – very enjoyable and useful.”

“It’s a long time since I’ve felt so motivated/inspired/switched-on at a course. I have to admit to coming to Lea Marston more out of a sense of duty, but I was mesmerised by the sense of what you were saying.”

“Two weeks after your course in Birmingham we had an OfSTED ‘benchmarking’ visit and, for the first time in my career, I had a lesson given an ‘outstanding’ rating by the inspector. I’d like to think that this was at least in part down to your guidance.”

“Thank you again - I drove to the first day thinking I could ill afford two days out of school but you gave me back my long term vision after the constant short term hurdling of the last year.”

“It is refreshing to get the opportunity to develop ideas and strategies without having to adhere to a pro-forma which is being “delivered” as a package. Great opportunities to think about my own teaching and how this relates to the whole learning experience.”

“Even ‘uncomfortable’ ideas/thoughts were productive learning opportunities.”

“This has been a fabulous day for me. I am now ready – after some years of looking into this area (G&T) – to take forward the dream of really meaningful education systems. Although I achieved a roundness in my knowledge today, I am very aware of the learning and work still to be done – and which only I can do.”

“Both the course leader and the material were inspirational. This was the most valuable course, personally and professionally, I have taken part in in years.”

“Thank goodness there are still voices of reason and truth out there! I have returned to school full of enthusiasm. My Head is delighted with the response and wants me to trial P4C with Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 and I cannot wait! This is what I hoped education with children would be all about! Watch this space!”

“Thank you for delivering the latest P4C Level 1 course. The comments on the evaluations are the most consistently stunning that any of us have ever seen.”

“Thank you again for such an uplifting day. All too often I find myself overwhelmed by the paperwork and red tape that I am required to respond to or act upon. Days like yesterday serve as a gentle reminder of why, from the age of five, I only ever wanted to teach and share my enthusiasm for learning with expectant and open young minds.”

“This has been a totally fantastic, reflective day – really encouraging creative questioning of my philosophy of education AND LIFE.”

“Barry’s delivery was captivating and every opinion given to him warmly received.”

“I would highly recommend inviting Barry to spend a day in any school, as I defy anyone not to gain from the experience in a unique way. Do not expect easy answers though: Barry excels at leading open-ended questioning sessions that will hopefully lead you to devise the appropriate strategies for your school community’s own needs. A course with Barry is not an easy option, but if approached with the right frame of mind, it becomes a voyage of discovery of one’s own teaching potential.”

“Simply the best teacher training course I have ever been on.”

“Fantastic! Head spinning but very inspiring; motivated my own thinking – I’m dying to get back in the classroom!”

“Last September you led an INSET Day for all our staff. I want to let you know that we have just had our OfSTED inspection and have gained over 50% very good and excellent lessons. The input you gave us had a significant effect on this result – many thanks for your help.”

“A brilliant trainer, with lots of opportunity to try out elements leading up to an enquiry and to practise enquiries as a group. Best course I’ve been on …”

“Absolutely inspirational. Would love him to be my mentor.”

“I’ve been on loads of courses/conferences this year. This is the only one that I’ve enjoyed and felt inspired by.”

“The best keynote address I’ve heard in ten years of attending this national conference.”

“I leave the training feeling excited, inspired and confident that by using philosophical enquiry in my class I will enrich the children’s thinking and understanding. As a bonus, I am also sure that this will improve their academic performances.”

“Thanks again for a wonderfully informative and entertaining day. Even the old cynics in the department couldn’t help but express how much they’d enjoyed themselves!”

“Without exception, the evaluations indicate that you were the highlight of our two-day Heads’ & Officers’ Conference. Your session really set the conference alight.”

“Just a quick note to thank you so much for the wonderful INSET you gave last week. All staff are really fired up about philosophy now and every teacher has already planned their first activity for next week. Two classes have already done their first session and the feedback has been fantastic!”

“Staff said this was the best training session they’d ever had, and did not realise how fast the time had passed.”

“Confirms my belief in trusting children and giving them responsibility for their learning.”

“I just wanted to say thank you, on behalf of all the staff, for the inspirational and witty INSET that you delivered. People admired your style of delivery and enjoyed being back in school – which is a fantastic way to begin a term.”

“I only wish my colleagues could have experienced what I have this morning.”

“Refreshing – and getting back to the point of education.”

“You put forward provocative views that had the desired effect of making teachers question what they do and challenge their current practice. The feedback that I received was very positive, with typical comments such as “very inspiring” and “thought provoking.”

“Brilliant – entertaining, motivating, and because of this – you learn!”

“The quality and clarity of Barry’s thinking and presentation always leaves me inspired to think afresh around the area/issues of G&T provision in our school.”

“Well-paced and used a range of techniques to elicit responses. Informative and enjoyable.”

“Inspirational. Can’t wait to get involved. I feel like I’ve found my own strength in the education world.”

“What was particularly helpful was the opportunity to apply the principles to practical classroom scenarios.”

“Before today, I’ve never known our staff to applaud a speaker at the end of a training session. This was a first for us.”

“Such a thorough and enjoyable presentation is what INSET days should be about.”

“Very interesting to note that Barry demonstrated in his questions/activities the ideas he was informing us of. Could he come again?”

“Absolutely FANTASTIC!! The best course I’ve ever been on. I enjoyed ‘doing’ instead of merely looking at powerpoint slides. I can’t rate it enough.”

“Encouraging that we ARE allowed to think – and so are CHILDREN!”

“He made me want to teach again, and probably saved my teaching career.”

“We are all agreed that it is the most stimulating and inspirational day we have had as a staff. It has given us lots of food for thought and practical ideas which we will be discussing further at our staff meeting today.”

“This was one of the best and most thought-provoking courses I have been on in the last nine years – since I completed my training.”

“I know what we wanted was a little bit out of the ordinary, but you hit the button perfectly and the feedback from all the schools concerned has been excellent – thanks again.”

“The most thought-provoking course I have ever attended. The one I have spoken at most (confidence!). Very relevant to my needs – 50% of my class have special behavioural needs.”

“Time flew by. As a kinaesthetic learner, I did not doodle or look out the window.”

“Barry’s effectiveness: ice-breaking, bringing people into the discussion, communicating the theory simply, his sense of humour and thorough understanding of the topic area. I honestly do not think the day could be improved.”

“He addresses the heart of education as I see it. And practises what he preaches.”

“Tremendous speaker – got me thinking and feeling about pupil needs – left buzzing with ideas.”

“Excellent, well-paced delivery of relevant information. All delegates commented on the success of the day, all rating it with the highest score on their evaluation sheets. I therefore have no suggestions for improvement.”

“This is the best thing I have ever taken part in as regards my teaching career.”

“A fantastic concept delivered by an exceptional facilitator.”

“Thanks for a fantastic day. Many delegates expressed the view that it was the best they had ever attended, and I was one of them!”

“EXCELLENT session – practical AND philosophical – will influence my work.”

“Excellent speaker – fired me with enthusiasm. Well pitched.”

“Wow! Stimulating, interesting, entertaining and THOUGHT PROVOKING. Interactive, positive and extremely valuable – makes me think and think again …”

“Thoroughly enjoyed both theory and practical sessions. Was upbeat and full of useful tips and strategies for helping pupils to ‘think up’.”

“Brilliant! – Challenging perceptions. An inspiring workshop in educational thinking which left me feeling that my own thought processes had been liberated.”

“The two of us who attended have been absolutely ‘wowed’ by the experience and the excitement of introducing sessions into our school.”

“Awesome and inspirational.”

“Can’t wait to get started. I felt that the facilitating modelled by Barry was one of the most valuable aspects.”

“I can’t thank you enough for your brilliant input to our full advisory team last Friday. They are quite a difficult group to please but everyone was very positive about the session. Your warmth and humour added to your clear messages which engaged all the group – and which had people buzzing all day.”

“Normally I lose interest in the afternoon and don’t pay full attention. This was so interesting I didn’t notice the time go by or look at my watch once!”

“Brilliant speaker – very thought-provoking. I am now inspired to try new activities in the classroom.”

“Made me think about my own teaching and questioning skills. Good, practical, relevant activities.”

“Fantastic session, interesting and entertaining speaker. Informative and provocative. I really feel that I got a lot out of it that I can take back into school with me – thank you.”

“An excellent day. Well prepared. Easy manner. The evaluations were very positive.”

“Barry’s session was inspiring and interesting. Good delivery – a great mix of video, visuals and activities. Both thought-provoking and entertaining. I could have listened forever …”

“Charismatic speaker. Good delivery. Well-prepared. Relevant.”

“I want to extend my thanks and the thanks of all the delegates for an enlightening, intellectually stimulating and, perhaps most importantly on such occasions, entertaining day’s training.”

“Barry’s section of today was brilliant because it gave us the inspiration and ideas to take directly into the classroom.”

“Good knowledge of his topic and his ability to connect and empathise with the audience was excellent.”

“I felt the most valuable part was taken by Barry Hymer – both informative and inspirational. Definitely makes you feel you’re in the right profession (something that can easily be knocked out of you!)”

“Barry Hymer renewed the ‘buzz’ for me, and I will pursue it further.”

“Barry’s presentation very informative and interesting; obviously loves his work, knowledge very high and this showed.”

“The Inspector-Advisers’ evaluations indicated that Barry’s session was well-received, informative, challenging and well-delivered. He was a great success. From my point of view, as organiser, he was a model presenter.”

“Barry Hymer was inspiring. Made you think about the subject matter and question your experiences.”

“A very effective speaker, and triggered lots of ‘thoughts’ on the subject discussed. To the point, informative, new material, and brilliantly presented.”

“A star. I could listen to him all day. Some great ideas and discussion shared.”

“Very well-prepared. Delivery excellent with good humour. Very authoritative and fluent. Dealt with questions and answers admirably.”