Case Study - North London Junior School - Academic year 2008/9
(Based on the visit to the school by Turnabout Education in July 2009 and statistics supplied by the school.)  
Description of the school - (from the most recent Ofsted report)
This is a larger than average size junior school. About one third of pupils come from White British families with the other main groups being from Turkish and Black African backgrounds. The proportions of pupils with English as an additional language and those entitled to free school meals are much higher than the national average. A high proportion of those with English as an additional language are at the early stages of speaking English. The number of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average.
Staff training
This school decided to have all of the staff trained in the practice of the Turnabout Programme, using one of its training days, so that all the teaching staff and support staff would be aware of the underlying principles and the procedures. The staff undertook the standard one day Turnabout training. This includes recognising the broad range of characteristics associated with dyslexia and ADD/ADHD and understanding the impact of these conditions on learning and behaviour. The majority of the training day is in the form of a workshop in which the participants practice the Turnabout table-top mental exercises on each other.
Around six weeks following the commencement of the programme, Turnabout Education carried out the usual follow-up visit, in which all staff who deliver the programme are observed and minor adjustments to their practice may be recommended.
Pupils selected
This school has a high proportion of pupils with learning and behavioural difficulties and thirty of these children were selected for the Turnabout Programme. The Turnabout Programme was delivered by the teaching assistants each of whom worked with two or three pupils, under the guidance of the Assistant Head for Inclusion.
Results after 12 weeks
The school carried out the Turnabout Programme rigorously and as recommended. Almost all of the pupils received the full twelve week intervention, receiving three twenty minute sessions each week.
Turnabout Education recommend that the impact of the programme on the pupils be measured by the school through reading age tests, National Curriculum measurements and, for behavioural and concentration changes, through pupil assessments taken before and after the twelve weeks of Turnabout activity.
The results as measured by the school matched the Turnabout Programme ‘norm’ of around 70% of the pupils making significantly greater progress than would otherwise be expected (e.g.one year or more advance in reading age in 12 weeks).
The impact of the Turnabout Programme on the pupils selected was outstanding when compared to the expected progress for all pupils and even more so when compared to the expected progress for pupils with learning difficulties. Progress was measured in three categories as below:
70% of the pupils  made Accelerated Progress - one year’s expected  progress in three months.
27% of these pupils made Exceptional Progress - two years’ expected progress in three months
17% made Outstanding Progress - three or more years’ expected progress in three months -
measured in National Curriculum levels.

One of the selected pupils was an ‘elective mute’ prior to Turnabout training. After twelve weeks of Turnabout he became a “non-stop chatterer”. We would not want to assert why  but it may be related to improved memory retrieval or perhaps just enhanced self-esteem.

     Year      Reading Age                          N/C Reading           N/C Writing