We went from reading being this frustrating, painful experience to reading Magic Belt

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Nicky was first introduced to Phonic Books when trying to help her children who are dyslexic. She knew the books coming home from school weren’t right but wasn’t sure what would work until she discovered the Magic Belt series. 

“This was a game changing moment for us in our family. We went from reading being this frustrating, painful experience where my youngest really truly didn’t believe she would never learn to read – and reading books she called babyish and that looked like a book designed for a much younger child – to us reading Magic Belt.

“She was a child who loved quests and adventure so it really sparked her enthusiasm and, of course, she could succeed with them and she could move forward with them. They didn’t have those words that tripped her up because the books are fully decodable.“

Nicky then took those books to her child’s school and the school got on board quickly and bought the Phonic Books series using them as intervention, and she began using the Talisman card game as part of her work with Dyslexia North East.

Nicky joined Toucan Education to deliver bespoke learning to children who are struggling in school. The children range from six to 16 and they come to the centre on different days. Nicky works on literacy with the children and first they read the books, then they play the games. The children continually ask if they can carry on with the series or if they can take the cards and play themselves in smaller groups. “I’ve never met a child who doesn’t engage with the Phonic Books materials. We have gone from children who didn’t want to read – didn’t believe they would read – to arguing about whose turn it is to go first.”

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When Nicky returned to her native Northeast after working in London, she was offered the opportunity to Project Manage the design and installation of a multimedia learning space in a local SEN school. She went on to Manage the Media Arts Studio there for 11 years working with children with a range of SEND & SEMH aged from reception up to sixth form. Nicky wrote and delivered STE(A)M schemes of creative and cross curricular learning using animation, photography, filmmaking, coding, and robotics etc. The Media Studio facilities were accessible to the local partnership of schools and the wider community and so Nicky also delivered workshops to many schools across Northumberland as well as CPD and training for staff. Nicky has had training to support children with ASD, ADHD, SpLDs in various ways and worked 1 to 1 with children who were having various problems accessing or engaging with learning in the classroom. She is a trained Lego Therapist and Arts Award Advisor and was a licenced Thrive Practitioner. She is always interested in multisensory and creative learning methods. She loves to help in her local community providing workshops and organising family events and has recently started her own company ‘Thinky Dinky Do’ which aims to get children having fun while thinking and doing.

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