Susmita Roy-Testimonials

A fabulous day for all the children in Year 2. Hands on and exciting learning! Planning that was emailed across was excellent and detailed and communication was great. Thank you for the dancing, dressing up and storytelling – we all thoroughly enjoyed your visit to our school.

- Year 2 Teachers, Fordingbridge Infant School, Fordingbridge

All of the staff and children had a wonderful day, which really enriched the children’s topic work on India.

- Miss Butler, Year 5/6 Teacher,
Hyde COE Primary School, Fordingbridge

Susmita brought a flavour of India into our school for the day. She managed to offer a wide range of activities from arts and crafts, storytelling, music, dressing up and cooking. Due to the special needs of our pupils, Susmita was keen to take advice and adapt activities accordingly. All pupils were able to access activities at their own level and in a sensory way. It was a very successful day.

- Ruth Drewett, Deputy Headteacher,
Icknield School, Andover

The sessions were very well planned, with clear objectives and a timetable to follow. You had good communication via email, and we were able to organise resources with ease. The resources you provided were lovely, and really enriched the topic of Diwali for the children.

- Year 1 Teachers, Liss Infant School, Petersfield

The dolls brought to tell the story really held the children's interest and brought the story to life. Susmita had thought carefully about tailoring the workshop to our needs. Because of this all the children at our special school accessed the workshop at their own level, very inclusive, thank you. Susmita brought us the sights, smells, sounds, feel and taste of a Diwali celebration!

- Jane Brace, Deputy Headteacher,
Maple Ridge School, Basingstoke

"Our Expectations were that we needed someone to do an Assembly of about 30 minutes to a 4-11 audience to link in with our school value of Compassion from a Hindu point of view. We do feel that the expectations were met and that it was obvious a lot of hard work had gone into your presentation. The most useful parts were the story when you included aspects of your own life, as well as including the Hindu prayers and music. Thank you for your hard work. - One of my children came out and said, "I feel, I want to think differently now.

- Ms Sam Ottewell, Teacher,
Abbotts Ann Church Of England Primary School, Andover

"Both staff and children had a thoroughly lovely day last Wednesday and Susmita's contribution set the tone for the rest of the day."

- Mrs Marie McMillan, Class 5 Teacher,
Forest Park School, Totton, Southampton
(Age range covered - Early Years through to post
16 years, & dated 6.11.13)

"The dancing was a new and fun experience with lovely resources, and we all loved the dolls that were used to retell the Rama and Sita story. …."

- Mrs Jessica Lane, Y1 Teacher,
Freegrounds Infant School, Hedge End, Southampton

"Fantastic puppets for the story of Rama and Sita, great dancing sticks and music. Fabulous props so even the little children remained engaged. It was all great. …."

- Mrs Francesca Ingham Thomas, Teacher,
Froxfield Church Of England Primary School, Petersfield

"Susmita adapted the story to fit our age group. She used models to keep the children's interest and told the story simply-in words they could understand - fabulous. The models were spectacular and the small child-size garments wonderful."

- Ms Sally Wooster, Manager,
Heydays Preschool, (2-4 year olds),
Four Marks Primary School, Four Marks, Alton

"It was a good contrast to the May Day dancing the previous week. …… Although the children found it difficult to improvise dance moves at the start. After they had been shown a few and became more confident they really enjoyed making up moves to express themselves."

Year R-Y2 Teachers, Farnborough
Grange Nursery/Infant Community School, Farnborough

"The children engaged well with the lesson. They enjoyed the resources. The dancing was at a level they could all achieve at. …….. The children enjoyed the opportunitiy at the end to choose how they danced to the music."

Teaching Student, Farnborough Grange
Nursery/Infant Community School, Farnborough

"It was very useful learning about the Rangoli. The children really enjoyed trying the food and the dancing. The children thoroughly enjoyed being able to touch and use a range of resources."
"The most useful aspects were the visual and practical elements. As the children were able to physically see some artefacts they became familiar with the culture in a more tangible manner. The children enjoyed making the rangoli the most. It was very peaceful and the patterns allowed all students to be successful and to feel accomplished."

Teachers, Year 3 and 4,
The Bay CE School, Isle of Wight

The most useful aspect was the Indian dancing, as this will contribute to our performance at a local theatre. We have used the moves and ideas that Susmita gave us in our dance and added in our own steps. The Indian music was also very useful and the children really enjoyed the dance and drama to retell the story of The People Who Hugged Trees - which again we are using in a performance. We have continued the idea of 'freeze framing' and taken photographs for a display, so this reminds the children of the story.

- Emma Wynne, Year 1 & 2 Teacher,
Northern Infant School, Fareham

We loved the large Rangoli pattern and look forward to others. The children enjoyed the dance session and dressing up in Indian costumes.

- Year 2 Teachers, Orchard Lea Infant School, Fareham

It is always a pleasure to have Susmita visiting our school. She has a calmness which is very appealing to the children and they are captivated by her multisensory resources and storytelling. She provides engaging, 'handson' activities, such as making collages of Rangoli patterns and dressing up in traditional Indian clothes. We would highly recommend her services.

- Early Years Team, St Michael's C. E.
(Controlled) Infant School, Aldershot

We wanted and were expecting a fun, cultural experience, Susmita met and far exceeded all the school's expectations. The most useful aspect was the sheer authenticity of it all. We will certainly have Susmita in school again. She had so much to offer. The resources gave a true flavour of India and Indian culture and Susmita was very engaging. Thank you so much for the wonderful experience.

- Anna Brown, Headteacher,
The Waterloo School, Waterlooville

Our children were engaged in a day of purposeful learning full of sensory experiences. Quality resources were provided resulting in a school full of enthusiastic children. Nothing was too much trouble for Susmita as she was keen to ensure the children and staff had a memorable day – and they did!

- Year R/1/2 Teachers,
Wildground Infant School, Dibden Purlieu

"I think there are a variety of things offered and sometimes difficult to choose. However, I believe we had a good range of activities suitable for our children. Resources were good and appropriate. …."

- Mrs Linzi Rendle, Y3/4 Teacher,
Holbrook Primary School, Bridgemary, Gosport

"The children liked seeing real pictures of Rangoli and the real Saris. They also were interested in the dolls that were there for the Diwali story. …."

- Miss Helen Jones, Y1 Teacher,
New Milton Infant School, Hampshire

" …. Children enjoyed looking at the artefacts and sharing the food. Useful and attractive resources. The staff who saw the storytelling thought that it was rather lengthy.…."

- Mrs Dot Patton, Deputy Headteacher and Y1 Teacher,
Oakwood Infant School, Hartley Wintney, Basingstoke

"It continues to be a pleasure to have Susmita visiting our school again. The children enjoyed the, 'hands on' activities, such as making the giant sand Rangoli pattern and dressing up in traditional Indian clothes, as well as taking part in the Indian stick dance. We would highly recommend her services."

- Mrs Janet Pidgeon, Deputy Headteacher and Year 2 Teacher,
Orchard Lea Infant School, Fareham

"I expected the children to experience making bread from another culture and learn about 'Pongal' harvest festival. Yes, the session met and exceeded my expectations. Making the poories was a particular highlight for the children. Resources met the needs and enabled the children to fully participate. Extremely interesting and engaging session for the children."

- Mr Sam Fanzo, Y2 Teacher,
Springwood Infant School, Waterlooville

“We have had another wonderful day learning about India with Susmita. The children were captivated by her storytelling and the traditional clothing and music which she provided. Poori making was a great success and the children were keen to taste their creations and talk about the experience with their families afterwards. Thank you."

Miriam Thorley, Early Years Leader,
St. Michael’s C.E. Infant School, Aldershot

Useful aspects - "Reception: Dressing up and trying on the outfits. Yr 1 / 2: Watching the clips of the dancing and the River Ganges. Children enjoyed a go at copying the moves to the music. Yr 3 / 4: Exposure to a Hindu creation story."

Teachers, Reception/ Year 1 and 2/ Year 3 and 4,
Woodcot Primary School, Gosport

"The kids absolutely loved it and it was a fantastic experience for them to be immersed in your culture and learn so much from you."
"The most useful aspects were the hands-on opportunities provided by yourself, the students thrived having the opportunity to work independently with the resources and loved the creative side to it. The work was pitched just right for the students, there was a good level of challenge and it was informative and engaging."

Fiona Emma Turner, Year 7, 8 and 9, Activities - Henna/Mehndi & Rangoli, Bitterne Park School, Southampton