Case Studies

On the Arrowsmith website, you can find a range of peer-reviewed research into the efficacy of the programme. However, in the daily happenings of the Arrowsmith programme,  we see the real-life, wider impact of what Arrowsmith can do. Below are the stories of some of our students who have been in the programme, and the benefits they achieved both during and after the programme. These stories are told from the perspective of the student, their Arrowsmith teachers and parents to give an overview of what the programme gave them.

Morgan

Morgan is a resilient, kind student who is passionate about the natural world, science and medical advancement. Through his early years at school, Morgan had struggled to learn how to read, write and participate in mainstream learning.

As a young child, Morgan was diagnosed with ASD and global developmental delay, and had speech and occupational therapy as well as reading support through his early years.

Morgan’s mum, Sandra, says, “Schooling was consistently hard for Morgan, with the ever-increasing differences between what he could do and what other children in his class could do impacting Morgan’s self-confidence, and his perception of what he can achieve both at this stage and later in life.  Morgan used to frequently tell us that he was stupid, and that he wished that he could be clever.”

Morgan started Arrowsmith at the beginning of Year 6 and was in the programme for 2 ½ years. During this time, he worked on exercises that worked on his motor skills connected to writing, his memory and speech articulation, reading and comprehension and his processing speed and relational understanding.

After a term in Arrowsmith, staff across the school began to notice Morgan’s growth in confidence. He began to engage more socially in games with his peers, where he became an ace at 4 Square. After two terms in Arrowsmith, Morgan’s speech became clearer to understand, as did his printing and handwriting.  Sandra reflected, “Since beginning Arrowsmith, Morgan had massive improvements, particularly in his writing ability and style. His handwriting is now the neatest out of our three boys, and Morgan can meticulously write out a sentence after previously being restricted to single words”

Morgan’s writing at the start of his Arrowsmith journey

 

Morgan’s writing 10 months into his time in the Arrowsmith programme. He was able to use a talk to text app to explain his thinking and then could copy it out, unlocking a world of being able to write out his complex and interesting thoughts.

 

 

Morgan had success and this motivated him to work hard and give his all. As a result, he moved through his Arrowsmith exercises at an accelerated rate. He was suddenly able to be successful and see results for his effort and hard work. As a result, his self-confidence and self-esteem grew immeasurably. Sandra says, “Some of the pressure comparison between Morgan and his peers reduced as there wasn’t direct classroom competition between their individual achievements.  In Arrowsmith, Morgan competes against himself, against his previous levels, and what he has mastered so far.”

 

Morgan’s success also had further reaches outside his exercises in the programme. During his first year of Arrowsmith, Morgan did not do classroom maths. One year after he started Arrowsmith, he completed his PAT in Maths. Despite not having a maths lesson for a year, he jumped up 3 stanines into the average bracket. He was now able to comprehend questions, and understand mathematical concepts and relationships.

 

Morgan’s PAT Maths results from the beginning of 2023 to the beginning of 2024.

At the end of Morgan’s first year in the programme,  when asked for his reflection, Morgan said, “This year I have got better at believing in myself and I feel more confident about making it through life.’”