This has got to be our favourite bit of feedback from a happy client and shows that you don't get your average sort of INSET when you work with Independent Thinking.

That feedback in full by the way:

"Thank you for such an outstanding day- fun, memorable, useful, practical, inspirational and very interesting too. I can't wait to read your book- wish I'd asked if you had any with you! As soon as I saw 'seasquirts' I knew I was in for an exceptional day and I was exactly right. Simply the best I have ever been on and I know I will remember it and come back to some of the ideas. Awesome to see you at work. Hope you get down to Devon again."

And if you think that it's easy to impress classroom teachers but what about the more hard-nosed headteachers out there, this from a recent headteachers conference:

"I would like to thank you personally for your contribution to our recent Headteacher Conference. Response to your time shared with us has been overwhelming. You far surpassed expectations and the very exciting messages that are already printed in recognition of the work you do. From your initial greeting the group fully engaged with you. The headteachers appreciated your pace and the opportunity you created for them to share thoughts with others and reflect on your messages. Headteachers applauded your obvious and very evident commitment to the belief that all children need to have ownership of their learning and be respected for their individual developing understanding. I'm sure this message of thanks, only in part, conveys the true appreciation of those present. I am delighted to have met you and am so pleased I was able to share in the day as an equal participant. I felt truly uplifted.

Take Care"

And if it's those new to the profession we need to reach what about the following:

"I am an art teacher in Bolton and I recently attended your Inset at school. I felt I had to write to you to thank you for such an informative and inspiring day. As an NQT I have had to attend numerous lectures, talks and insets throughout the course of my training and  I can honestly say that none of it was as useful or relevant as that which you delievered last Friday. During training we never discussed the function of the brain or strategies to get pupils warmed up and thinking! I feel I have been sent out into the world of teaching without the most basic of teaching tools. Thank you for filling the gap so early in my career.
 
I look forward to going back after Easter so I can begin acting upon your inspiring advice."

We regularly receive letters, cards and e-mails of thanks following our work and  the most common word that crops up time and time again is the term "inspirational".

Here are some extracts from some of the kind expressions of thanks we have received over the past few years:

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your excellent presentation... and to comment on the fantastic impact on staff. During the course of the day and subsequently, staff have provided positive feedback and have been implementing the strategies you shared"

"Thankyou for your excellent INSET... For some it was reassuring to know that what they do intuitively has some science and evidence to support it, for others it was an opportunity to review how they teach and how children learn in their lessons"

"A really fun day as well as informative;wonderful timing - he could be a stand up comic"

"It was great to listen to someone who had actually done these things not just read about them"

" Your presentation at the SHA conference on Sunday... was enjoyable, full of insight and reminded everyone of the core values of the job of school leadership"

" Your after-dinner speech was a highlight of our conference"

"Your motivational session was indeed that - staff were inspired to look at the way they interact with young people and look at the way in which some young people "highly underachieve!"

"The change in the staff has been fantastic"

"Your sessions gave everyone a great deal to think about – I am writing up notes for teachers at the moment and it’s taking ages because there was so much practical advice given. I’ve already put an entry in the bulletin for parents as well, to let them know more about the ideas you raised. I have never organised an INSET day before that has received so much praise"

"Really enjoyed the day as it reaffirmed my values for life and learning: leaders need pointers and the INSET gave me the direction I needed"

"I would be grateful if you would be kind enough to pass on my heartfelt thanks for a superb INSET day enjoyed by all colleagues here"

"On behalf of the staff and students thank you for making a difference"

"I have been talking to Educators over the course of the conference and everyone saw your session as the highlight! Perhaps more importantly than that we now have lots of ideas (and energy) to move forward and make changes"

"Thank you for your entertaining, thought provoking and 'toast coloured' appreciation of our responses in getting us to think more deeply and laterally about learning"

"Your INSET day was both entertaining and profound...You have helped staff realise that there is a world out there and things are moving on"

"The presentation was invigorating and energising. It was encouraging to hear from somebody who believed in what they they're doing. It increased my interest in an area that I am keen to know more about"

"Personally, I was inspired again - my lasting memory of the session will be the flip-chart/Aretha Franklin review activity. How you timed it to such perfection was hugely impressive"

"It is always great to send governors out 'on a high' and you certainly achieved that"

"I loved the fast pace, energy, passion and self belief that you shared in such an amusing way"

"I sat with the Visual Art staff yesterday and they all said what an amazing day, everyone is buzzing today, talking about what they have already introduced to the classroom and discussing the feedback"

"You led all my staff in building a mission statement. The day was a huge success and the bond between various groups of staff is much stronger than I ever imagined possible. You were really effective and we achieved our aims for the day. The event had clear purpose, it was well structured and very importantly had imagination and humour"

"It was inspirational and gave me the confidence to put the sparkle back and not spend too much time at school!"

"The content of your 'lecture' was not only stimulating and relevant but had the added bonus of being very funny! There was a real sense of surprise that your session seemed to come to an end so swiftly... no mean feat in the after dinner graveyard!"

"Thank you again for the brilliant way in which you made the learning so accessible and such good fun"

"I don't think I've laughed so much at an INSET before. Thank you for such a fantastically motivating start to the year"

"Your presentation finished the evening on a high note and gave both students and their parents plenty to think about - not to mention me!"

"Thank you from all of us for a great day, which was so useful, relevant and brilliantly presented"

"Everything I'd hoped for from our training day - thanks!"

"A big 'THANK YOU' from the teaching staff for an inspirational and entertaining start to the school year"

"Superb. It needs to be shared amongst all of our teachers out there! Especially the long standing ones!"

"Delegates were unanimous in their appreciation of the day you led. Many use words like inspirational"

"What an inspiration. We all know how our approach should look but sometimes we need a slight redirection"

"What a brilliant way to start the new year - I feel armed with brainteasing ideas and motivated to experiment with creative ideas"

"Headteacher colleagues valued the opportunity to have much of their own thinking challenged"

"Many thanks for an extremely enjoyable and memorable training day - everyone appreciated your dynamic delivery and your passion for education"

"I work in behaviour support and feel this is crucial to motivating pupils to good behaviour"

"For the first time in my memory there was a unanimous 100% excellent rating for a speaker in our deputy heads conference evaulations"

"Informative, fun, intellectually stimulating"

"Knowledgeable and enthusiastic high quality speaker, mercifully free from Powerpoint/OHP disease"

"Light hearted, humorous, multi-sensory and energetic presentation"

"Your presentation made a considerable impact upon those Governors and Headteachers who were present"

"We had a brilliant day... I wish I could be in everyone's class tomorrow, you had such a tremendous impact"

"We should have more days like this"

"The day has given our work on learning a new and added impetus"

"Excellent - inspiring and motivating - we need more of this sort of course"

And perhaps the most regular comment at the end of a full day's INSET: