testimonials
"Willows… Where do I start? My son J who has multiple diagnoses and complex needs was suffering with severe school based trauma. Both mainstream school and specialist provision had completely failed him. He had been an inpatient in a children’s mental health unit; a place that was supposed to help him, yet led to further trauma.
9 months ago J’s anxiety was consuming him. He was withdrawn, self-harming and would often talk about suicide. I knew he needed something positive to focus on, but I didn’t know what that looked like, until I stumbled across a Facebook post from Willows!
I pinged a message requesting further info. I was honest and open regarding J’s history and waited nervously for the rejection. The rejection never came! Instead I received a lovely reply and an invite to go for a visit so we could have a look around and chat some more – I sat and cried happy tears!
Our first visit was amazing! When we arrived J had his hood up, was hiding behind me and growling. Kelly wasn’t at all phased by his reaction, she was warm and friendly and chatted away as we looked around. J gradually moved away from us and went to explore. It was lovely to observe what some of the other children were doing. Some of the younger ones were doing cartwheels barefoot in the grass, others were building a den and climbing in the trees, another was reading in the hammock. All of them happy, relaxed and loving life! While we talked some of the older children approached J, his usual reaction would have been to growl and run away. Surprisingly he didn’t do either! He gave us the ’thumbs up’ and told them his name! From that moment there has been no looking back!
After not leaving my side for almost 5 years, J now attends Willows 2 days a week. He absolutely loves it! He has some wonderful friends, something he has longed for but always struggled with. He is starting to join in team games/sports, he is learning to understand feelings and manage his emotions. He is able to take risks in a supervised environment teaching him how to do things safely in the process.
There are occasionally situations J finds difficult to manage. The understanding and support J receives during these times goes above and beyond any expectations I ever had, and Kelly always checks in after a day or two to make sure everything is ok.
Kelly and her team are amazing. They are all so passionate about what they do and the children at Willows are thriving because of the environment, support and encouragement they provide. I genuinely don’t know where we would be if we hadn’t found Willows when we did. Thank you all so much for everything you do!"
"As a grandparent, I’ve watched all three of my grandsons – now aged 16, 14 and 11, face years of turmoil in mainstream education. My eldest grandson, in particular, reached a point where he felt completely broken. With a long list of diagnoses and no place where he truly felt understood, he became despondent. At times, he even felt hopeless and suicidal, convinced that no one would ever truly get him.
Then we found The Willows Child Development. Within just a few weeks, everything began to change. For the first time, he felt accepted. There was no judgement, no pressure, no expectations. They gave him space to be himself, something he’d never felt safe enough to do before. It was this simple but powerful shift that gave him the confidence to start believing in himself again.
For any family with a child or young person who is struggling in mainstream education or who needs a different kind of support, I honestly cannot recommend The Willows highly enough. The team are there because they genuinely care. They go above and beyond, not just for the children, but for the families too. Every member of staff works with compassion, patience and a deep understanding of the individual needs of each young person.
Now, all three of my grandsons attend The Willows – and they are thriving. I will always be grateful for the difference they’ve made to my family’s life."
"The Willows has been an incredible support for both of our children. Our daughter has really benefited from the one-to-one sessions, her mental health has improved, and having someone she can talk to has helped her feel less overwhelmed and more able to express herself. Our son also attends The Willows and has one-to-one sessions at Willow House. Since starting, his behaviour has improved significantly, and he experiences far fewer meltdowns. The Willows is a lifeline for families with children who have additional needs, their support has made a real difference to our lives."
"Our son experienced autistic burnout, which prevented him from attending his mainstream school setting. He started with the Willows as an alternative provision, and within hours they understood him and how to meet his needs. He has been attending weekly for over a year and has now secured a place in a specialist school, but without the help, love and support from all at the Willows, I don't know how we would have gotten through the past 12 months.
The whole team completely and selflessly dedicated their time and skills in helping him recover, constantly finding ways to help support and understand him and evolve with him. They operate a professional and compassionate provision, which we're really sad to be leaving!"
I came across The Willows Child Development in June 2024 and felt it would be a wonderful environment to support a child within our school. After contacting Kelly I was invited to go and meet Tanya and herself at The Willows and I was instantly in awe at the space, the freedom and the potential to offer children a unique provision that met their needs. Kelly and Tanya worked with us closely as a school to ensure we offered consistency for our young person and his family and that we were all aware of the progress that was taking place from week to week. The impact of time at The Willows has helped our young person to now integrate back into class and full time provision.
Assisstant Head
