Providing specialist support for School Can’t kids

At Roots & Wings, we recognise that not all children thrive in traditional school settings. We believe that feeling safe and valued is essential for successful learning. Our approach creates a nurturing and supportive environment where learners can develop the confidence to grow, explore, and soar.

We can provide specialist instruction in our Learning Hub for primary age learners in Geelong and The Surfcoast. We cover:

• Literacy

• Numeracy

• Creative Arts Therapies

Instruction is available on weekdays during term time. Check our current schedule for times, or contact us for availability and booking.

We also provide a limited amount of Saturday morning sessions and holiday intensives too. Contact us for our next scheduled sessions.

The Learning Hub

Our Learning Hub, located in the heart of rural Moriac near Geelong and Torquay, is designed specifically for School Can’t kids. We provide a safe, supportive environment where they can feel secure and stay engaged through individualised one-on-one instruction and collaborative learning experiences. In addition to our indoor learning spaces, we offer an outdoor area where students can explore, get hands-on, and spread their wings in a safe, natural setting.

Sessions

Roots and Wings offer a number of different types of sessions to suit your needs and circumstances.

All our sessions are limited in availability. Please get in touch with us to discuss what you need.

Daytime sessions

Our daytime program is uniquely designed for “School Can't” learners who find traditional school environments challenging. In our safe, nature-based setting, we offer small groups, shorter days, and personalized MSL (Multi-sensory Structured Literacy) instruction, tailored to support learners who feel overwhelmed by the additional demands of a typical school day.

The program focuses on building confidence in literacy and numeracy through evidence-based instruction, while Creative Arts therapy sessions support the development of positive identities, particularly for neurodiverse learners.
To enroll, learners must be registered as home-schooled or part-time school attendees.The cost of our daytime program is $5,000 per semester

There are 2 weekday groups. Group 1 runs from Monday to Wednesday and group 2 from Wednesday to Friday.

The weekday sessions run through Victoria school semesters.

Semester 1:

Semester 2:

The Learning Hub is not open on public holidays.

We also have a limited number of after school one-to-one sessions. For more information and our current availability, please contact us.

Weekly afterschool and weekend sessions

Our after-school and weekend programs are designed to support your learner through one-on-one, direct instruction in MSL (Multi-sensory Structured Literacy) literacy or numeracy.Following an initial assessment to identify your learner’s strengths and areas for growth, we tailor our approach to meet them at their current level of learning.

Using an evidence-based method grounded in proven research on how the brain works and how students learn best, we provide effective instruction to help your learner develop essential reading, writing, and numeracy skills.Creative Arts programs can be provided at request.Each session runs for 50 minutes and costs $90 per session for a term of 10 sessions.

Holiday intensive sessions

Our intensive holiday program is grounded in the principles of MSL (Multi-sensory Structured Literacy), an evidence-based approach designed to teach literacy and numeracy effectively. MSL combines visual, auditory, and kinesthetics learning strategies, ensuring that learners engage multiple pathways to strengthen understanding and retention.

This program is delivered over four consecutive days, with 50-minute sessions each day. The intensive structure allows for immediate recall, practice, and embedding of skills learnt, helping learners achieve greater confidence and mastery.
The cost for this program of four sessions is $250.

About Us

Roots & Wings was set up by Jo Kara Cozens. Jo has taught in schools for almost 30 years and has specialised in supporting kids with unique learning profiles. She is qualified in various areas of special education and has gained extensive experience in the field. However, Jo became aware that the learners who needed support the most were unable to access it, as the school with its many demands and expectations, was not conducive to their well-being and growth.So Roots & Wings was created to provide specialist instruction in Numeracy, Literacy and Creative Arts Therapies to School Can’t kids in an environment designed to foster a sense of safety and authentic engagement in learning.

As well as her many years of classroom teaching, Jo has trained in:

• Multisensory structured literacy (MSL) through IMSLE

• Dyslexia training through Dyslexia Action

• The Berry Street Education Model (BSEM)

• Trauma and Attachment Theory through YarraMe

• Holistic Integrated Creative Arts Therapies (HICAT)

• Multi-sensory Maths through Yoshimoto

• First Aid

Testimonials

We sought out Jo’s tutoring services for our daughter to help with her literacy studies and the outcomes for her learning have exceeded our expectations.
Jo’s calm and caring nature along with various art therapy techniques intertwined with her literacy teaching have brought benefits to our daughter’s education that we as parents can visibly see.
Jo’s empathetic tutoring style and commitment to her teaching role are highlighted by the enjoyment our daughter has when she is learning with her. This co-operative learning creates outcomes that are very hard to achieve in mainstream learning.
We have no hesitation in recommending Jo to any parent looking for or needing tutoring for their child - Tim & Claudia L.

Jo has been an absolute god send for our family. Our daughter has struggled with school refusal and anxiety, we believe as a result of the covid epidemic. Riley has suffered from a lack of school attendance and suspected dyslexia over the past 3 years and Jo has brought our daughter out of her shell and instilled confidence in her with her learning and as a little person. Jo has also been a pillar of strength for me as a worried mother supporting us all with Riley’s academic and emotional struggles and has been there to reassure us that this unorthodox way of learning will all come together and is the right path for our daughter. Jo’s fun loving personality has made Riley want to learn providing an enjoyable learning environment and we are seeing great results. We are so so glad we found Jo.

Contact Us

If you are interested in booking a place with us, or you just want to know the availability, please fill in this form. Be sure to tell us as many details as possible about your learner and the sessions you’re interested in and we’ll get back to you.