Testimonials

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“Ed has been providing our Year 9 girls with Financial Education during our enrichment week for many years now. The sessions are informative, engaging and extremely relevant and by using small groups, the girls get individual attention. Thank you, Wizeup.”

Angela Smith - Head of PSHCEE & Enrichment Co-ordinator

Ed's workshop was extremely well received by our Sixth Formers. Professional and interactive with excellent pace and content. We hope to work again with WizeUp in the future. Highly recommended.

Anthony Mitchell - 

Learning Leader PSHCE. Careers Lead

I am a geography teacher responsible for all of the Enterprise education at school, and like most teachers with extra responsibilities, have little time in which to deliver this. From the moment I contacted  WizeUp I felt totally at ease, Ed listened to my requirements and immediately responded with a variety of options  and suggestions to suit. Wizeup products and services can be an extremely useful off the shelf option but what makes them stand out is their flexibility, willingness and ability to accommodate individual school’s requirements.

When I initially spoke to Ed 3 years ago about WizeUp participating in a new Enterprise education day about the world of work for our year 11 students, he not only agreed to help facilitate the day, but offered to deliver whatever type of workshop we wanted – that’s flexibility!

The overall aim of WOW is to better equip our students to be more competitive and influential in the increasingly global world of work. More specifically, it is to give our students an insight into the skills and attitudes required for the world of work and to give them the opportunity to practise, develop  and demonstrate these in a familiar environment BUT with unknown professionals. All students attend in business dress and participate in a number of employability skills workshops as well as a mock interview with an external professional who gives invaluable personal verbal and written feedback to each student.  WizeUp supports us all day in delivering not only an interviewing skills workshop  but then a  financial skills workshop.

Delivering a day such as this to a whole year group of 210 students is no mean feat and Ed Flack / WizeUp is key to not only informing and inspiring our students but enabling myself as the organiser to focus on the inevitable “on the day” small issues rather than worrying about what is happening in the classroom!

Fiona Bell - Enterprise Education Co-ordinator

Firstly Mel – can I say another massive thanks for your session yesterday.

I thought the way you delivered a potentially ‘tricky’ topic was great – the kahoot at the start certainly got them engaged and then the real life examples worked very well.

Then I thought them actually trying to work out the tax reductions on the sheet highlighted tax really well. I sat with a few students at the back and went through it with them and when it clicked they were genuinely impressed with themselves. Plus then you had those nice students at the end come and see you to check their answers. Great work 😊

Please could we book in another session, this time on ‘first impressions and interview technique’?

Sam Stretton - Assistant Head of Post 16

"We were delighted that Ed agreed to come into school to speak to our sixth form students. He catered brilliantly for the wide spectrum of post-18 options, ranging from student finance for our university applicants through to budgeting to tax codes for our students going into the world of work. Ed is a brilliant speaker and really captivated the students with his relatable tone and humour. We will definitely be using WizeUp again!"
Kim Mather

Coordinator UCAS and Future Horizons Lead

“My experience of dealing with WizeUp was exemplary.  From an initial enquiry to the delivery of the session to the students the levels of communication were excellent and Ed was very accommodating about putting together a session in response the specific topics requested by our students.  The talk on the day was interactive and highly informative and I am sure that the students will make use of the wide-range of information and support that Wizeup offer as a follow-up to the talk.  I shall definitely be asking Ed back to speak to the students next year.”

Mary-Clare Startin, Deputy Head, Sixth Form 

“Another terrific talk by Ed to our Sixth Form.  No-one was left in any doubt about the value of budgeting when off to university or out in the real world.  The examples were spot on the for age group and the students knew they were learning something important.  Ed has the ability to make difficult topics seem like plain common sense.”

Laura Redman – Head of PSHE – Berkhamsted School.

Ed is very professional and engaging, delivering sessions that are relevant and up to date. The students responded well.

Judith Crimes - CEIAG Leader

Once again – thank you for an excellent day.  As you will see from the feedback attached, the students found all that you did useful. What you were able to provide has proved to be of real help for our students and will give them the foundations that they need to move forward into adult life.  I really look forward to working with you again next year.

Patsy Wilson - Head of PHSE

It was well planned and all of my concerns I had about student finance were answered by the end. 

Student

Good insight into grants/scholarships etc. that I was not aware of.

Student

Introduced me to how to deal with landlords and the costs of financing university. 

Student

Gave all the key information I need to know and in a very well presented manner that was easy to understand.

Student

Ed's passion for improving young people's financial literacy was clear through his engaging presentations, making it relevant to our students. His use of examples and experience helped to break down ideas that students otherwise might not have been able to grasp.

Tim Marshall - KS5 IAG Co-ordinator

"Thank you for coming to speak to the girls yesterday. The feedback from both girls and staff has been really positive. Apparently the girls were doing their budgets in the common room later on yesterday and comments such as 'It's really depressing: I spend £300 and only have £100 coming in each month' and 'I spend so much money in Starbucks' were heard to be made! I will reiterate the use of the website to them."

Katie Banks - Assistant Head of Sixth Form

"Our students were very appreciative of all of the information about finance that you provided them.  Always good to have an expert delivering the important content rather than just me."

David Rutt - Deputy Head"

Thank you so much for being here. Already I am hearing wonderful feedback from your talks from both students and staff. I’m so glad you were able to make it and hope to be in touch soon about future events."

Pollyanna Langford-Lacny - Careers Lead for Sixth Form

“The talk I attended was on budgeting and student finance. I found the talk very helpful as I had not yet applied for student finance because I was unsure of what loans I could apply for and what the different loans covered. The Powerpoint presentation was clear and engaging and the speaker’s interaction with the group was positive because all questions asked were answered clearly and effectively. It was an overall enjoyable experience and I learned useful information that will help me budget, not only during my time at university but, throughout my adulthood too.”

Sophie – Year 13

“The talk on student finance was interesting and engaging. It helped to make the process seem less daunting and gave a step by step look at the application process simplifying and explaining each point to us. It gave me a better understanding of what I am going to get from the loan and put me at ease regarding the re-payment process. In addition the budgeting talk helped me to know the best way to spend my money in a smart way at university."

Jake – Year 13

“I found the talk really useful - the anecdotes used were beneficial. It was also reassuring learning about how university fees aren't as patronising as they are made out to be. Seeing how we could ration our money next year whilst still enjoying the university experience has really put me at ease and made me even more excited for September.”

Jai – Year 13

“As a school we were really impressed by the quality of the provision provided by Wizeup. Both the quality of the content and the presenter lead to a really engaged group of students who all came away having learnt something useful and feeling more comfortable about their financial future. We will definitely be using them in the future and just wish we had come across them sooner.”

Matthew Whitley – Assistant Head of Sixth Form.

"The CV skills workshop is excellent.  The presenter was able to fully engage and inform our year 12 students for one full hour which is not always easy with this age-group of young adults.  

Students themselves declared this session one of the best and most useful enrichment sessions they have experienced.

I would fully recommend this workshop for all A level students."

Mrs Donna Wright Head of Sixth Form

“Ed’s workshops are now a regular feature of our Year 9 curriculum. His varied resources and informative style educates and engages students on a range of Personal Finance topics.” 

Rachel Marshall, Head of PSE and Careers.

“I thought it was extremely useful as it gave me a much clearer understanding of many aspects of student finance. I found it surprisingly interesting, considering the amount of information that was covered. I thought it provided some very useful Life Skills that, I am confident, will prove to be important in the future. Glad to have had it.”

Sixth Form Student

“Ed’s expertise in the subject and knowledge about the current intricacies of Student Finance is invaluable to our students. They really respect and appreciate a specialist coming in to talk to them, and he is able to engage our students with his charismatic presentation style. We have received very positive feedback from all our parents and students, and look forward to him visiting us again next year.”

Rachel Golding, Head of Sixth Form

"I’m writing at last to thank you properly for your input to our Conference this year. As I said, you really are the backbone of what we put on, both for students on Monday and Tuesday - and now for parents on Monday evening - and we are always delighted when we hear that you are able to come again and that HRBS are continuing their invaluable sponsorship.

The student feedback was as positive as ever from all of your sessions, with the overwhelming majority feeding back that it was ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ for them in terms of usefulness, interest and clarity. Typical examples of their comments:

‘The speaker was energetic and approachable’

‘Very interesting’

‘Valuable and very useful information’

‘A very knowledgeable man’

On Tuesday the group were particularly appreciative of your input on CVs, but many also commented on the information about tax and banking. You provide the information that no-one else quite manages to tell them and that so often they don’t even know which questions to ask about."

Janet Paterson - Head of 6th Form 

Ed provided a fantastic, informative yet simple delivery for our students on the financial world. This was nicely paced and activities engaged the audience. They particularly enjoyed the Kahoot, which was a great interactive way to assess their learning from the seminar. There was certainly a ‘buzz’ after Ed’s talk and prompted questions and an inquisitiveness in the students. Would definitely have Ed back and recommend the seminars to other Sixth Forms!

Anna Sargeant - Head of Sixth Form

Wize Up Financial Education worked with both our sixth form pupils and parents on financial management and student finance.  The talks were led by Ed Flack, who provided a wealth of knowledge and expertise along with humour, to make the sessions enjoyable and engaging.  The feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive.  His talks not only inform the decision-making process about the cost of higher education but can also help parents and families save money by offering valuable insight into bursaries and grants.  We look forward to working with Wize Up Financial Education again in the future.

John Branney -  Assistant Head, Academic     

"The speaker we had last week was very charismatic and gave us a lot of useful advice on the future which I intend to use in great effect. He was very open and inspiring." 

James and Rio - Year 11 students

"It helped me prepare and relax for my future interviews, it was also enjoyable and fun to interact with him." 

Tabitha. - Year 11 student

"It felt like last week was great, it gave me a confidence boost because now I know how to perform well in an interview." 

Dot  - Year 11 student

"Really helpful and made me more prepared for my future. I really hope he comes again as I thought he was really kind and useful." 

Dolly - Year 11 student

"WizeUp delivered an excellent session to our Year 11 student to prepare for their college interviews. Our speaker had the students’ full attention from the beginning thanks to his friendly approach.  Ed’s talk gave students a deep insight into the world of interviewing and he used personal experiences in order to captivate our students. It was so much better than having someone go through a series of simple instructions. Overall, he has made the students feel very comfortable when facing an interview. The role play type of activities were a great tool to engage students and provide immediate feedback. I would definitely recommend them."

Miss Charlotte Magniez  - 

Head of PHSCE

Thank you so much for delivering the session yesterday, the interns really enjoyed the activities and they are not always easy to please! It was great that your session tied in so well with our desire to get them into paid work, and hearing from you the benefits of working I hope will be inspirational.

I look forward to working with you again next year, if you would like to give me some dates I can book this in as soon as you like.

Catherine Stargatt
Lecturer in Foundation Learning (Project SEARCH) Inclusion 

Dear Lee and Ed,

Thank you for taking the time to come out and see us. I understand that you were extremely busy, so I thank you for coming out to see us. I had a lot of fun yesterday learning about the different accounts and services that we could go into, as well as the different aspects of earning an income. You made us feel very welcome and helped us out whenever one of us struggled with an answer. Also thank you for the section about “First Impressions” – I am sure that I will find it invaluable when I go for my interview.

Thank you for the lesson in working to get paid and then buy from your shop. I also enjoyed the trip to the Bath Building Society and learning more about the company.

I look forward to seeing you at Graduation in June if you can make it there.

Jordan - Intern

Dear Lee and Ed 

Thank you for giving your time up -to Bath to teach looking after the money. 

I really enjoyed the shopping task and folding the leaflets.

I really enjoyed the Bath Building Society and talking  about the pass book. 

You are friendly and helpful and made us feel welcome.

Holly - Intern

Dear Lee and Ed

 i really enjoyed  your visit yesterday.  I enjoyed  meeting you  both. You made us feel welcome. Thank you for giving  your time to us and giving us an interesting day. Thank you for teaching us about keeping money safe and  first impressions. That will really help me when I go for my  interview. I really enjoyed going to the Building Society. The staff were really helpful and  polite.  It was really kind to give us our  goody bags. 
Max - Intern

WizeUp have been visiting QEGS Sixth Form for over ten years. Ed never fails to engage our students and provides invaluable advice and information on budgeting, student finance and first impressions. The information provided to both students and parents enables them to understand the complex area of student finance and I am yet to find a question on this that Ed can not answer. His sessions form part of the enrichment programme for Sixth Formers and we really value his input, his sessions are tailor made to our students, who largely move on to university, and his presentations succeed in getting all involved. Long may he continue to provide this service!

Vicki Smith - Head of Sixth Form

I thought it was helpful in getting our heads around how student loans actually work and expelling some of the well perceived myths surrounding them. Very glad the school arranged the session as they are life skills that need to be taught!

James Lennon - 6th form student

I found the talk really helpful, and it answered a lot of questions I had about student finance. I learnt about various opportunities for funding that I wasn’t previously aware of, such as bursaries.

Grace Allen - 6th form student

I thought it was interesting and the speaker was really good at relaying the information to us. I have come away much more informed on what my options are if I was to go to university in terms of finance. 

Nathan Walker - 6th form student

I thought it was informative and genuinely like helped me get the whole thing about uni loans. 

Ben Walker- 6th form student

“Thank you so much for your time yesterday. The content was incredibly insightful and your knowledge and expertise really helped the students gain a greater understating. I learnt a lot too!

I have now had the opportunity to share your pdf resources with students and their parents/carers. They have been very well received and feedback has been positive.

Thank you again for your time. We would certainly welcome the opportunity to book again next year.

Chris Buller - Head of Sixth Form”

" The workshop which Ed prepared and delivered was really well received by our year 12 students. Ed is a confident and very knowledgeable speaker who answered their questions with good humour and kept the workshops running at a good pace. It was helpful to have an input into the planning of the lesson.  We will happily work with Ed again and encourage our students to look at resources on the WizeUp website. The students gave the lesson very positive feedback - always the end goal"

Ms J Haggett - Assistant Headteacher/Head of Sixth Form

"Ed Flack is always the first booking we make every year for our Sixth Form PSHE programme. He is a highly entertaining speaker who provides our students and parents with vital financial information about budgeting and the essential advice they need to know about the cost of university. Wize Up’s information is second to none and we only wish we had space for them to visit us more often."

Alun Lloyd - Head of 6th Form