Katherine Plowden Roberts

Katherine Plowden Roberts, BA (Hons), MA, Dip OCR (SpLD), SpLD APC

Katherine Plowden Roberts has worked at Helen Arkell since 2007, initially as a specialist teacher, assessor and course tutor and latterly as Head of Assessment on the Senior Management Team. She is currently working as a Helen Arkell Specialist Assessor (HASA) and Lead Tutor on the Level 7 OCR professional training course at Helen Arkell.
 
Katherine acts as a mentor to new and existing assessors and is able to offer advice and guidance to them as needed and ensures that current Helen Arkell practice continues to be of the highest quality.

In 2004, Katherine started retraining having had her family. She took the Level 3 Teaching Assistants course at Helen Arkell as she planned to work at that level.  She enjoyed the course so much she immediately continued her training with the Level 5 and Level 7 OCR courses.
 
Katherine has taught across the age range; infants to adults, including time in a Dutch school tutoring EAL children.

Katherine has carried out hundreds of diagnostic assessments for the Centre covering all ages from young children through to adults.  As well, she also undertakes exam reviews, university reviews, maths assessments and handwriting assessments.
 
As a course tutor since 2006, Katherine has delivered Level 3 teaching assistants' courses, the Level 5 OCR Diploma training specialist teachers and the Level 7 OCR Diploma course which specialises in training students in assessment.  This involves lecturing on a variety of subjects associated with dyslexia, marking assignments and providing tutorial support to groups of students.  Katherine was involved in devising Helen Arkell’s own Level 5 and Level 7 courses following the withdrawal of the OCR courses.

Katherine relishes the breadth and variety of her work in the field of specific learning difficulties.  Every day, week and year is different!