Figures published by the Department for Education in July this year show that for the third year in a row, the number of pupils with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) has risen. Meaning there are now 1.3 million pupils with SEND across the United Kingdom, equivalent to 14.9 per cent of all pupils. Yet employment rates for young people with SEND remain low and the potential of too many young people is being squandered. This is an issue we must all work together to address.

Young people with SEND understandably often find the transition from education to work difficult. For some, leaving the safe confines of school to find their own path and become independent can be a daunting and difficult prospect. This is why at West Lea we provide ‘learning for life’ from the moment a student joins us, right up to the point they leave, to prepare our students for success in the real world ahead of them, and to ensure they have the confidence and skills to fulfil their potential. 

Our approach to ‘Learning for Life’ is focused on ensuring that everyone is valued and included. This ethos is common across all our campuses and is centred on innovation, independence and inclusion. We aim to equip each pupil with a ‘suitcase’ of skills to help them build the confidence and knowledge to progress onto further education and into the world of work. We seek to challenge our students and teach them not to shy away from anything – we want them to understand the value that they, like anyone else can bring to society, and that nothing is out of reach with the right support. 

In order to have the greatest impact, the ‘learning for life’ journey must be engrained into every aspect of school life and must also go way beyond the classroom and the school gates, extending into the local community. 

Parental buy-in and understanding are also crucial. Real impact and successful outcomes are only possible when parents and carers embrace our ethos and we work closely together to help their child fulfil their potential. We work hard to achieve this and to bring parents and carers along on this learning for life journey by ensuring that they understand the end goal and how to work towards it. This involves a certain degree of trust and confidence, which is crucial to ensure that our students have the opportunity to test and practice their life skills and to take managed risks and push barriers. 

Our approach to ‘Learning for life’ is centred around our ‘passports’ approach. These passports contain five key areas based on research and evidence-based practice, that young people need to build skills around in order to succeed. These include community engagement; travel and work skills; managing medication; self-care and daily living; and, social and communication skills. The passports are used to monitor and guide students throughout their school life, both inside and outside the classroom. As students develop these key skills and complete elements within each section, achieving a certain level in each area, they receive a stamp and gain certificates. At the end of the year, we hold a graduation to celebrate their achievements.

The passports accompany pupils throughout their whole journey through the school. At different stages (as our school is split over three campuses) we use the passports to help motivate pupils to accomplish different things and gain new skills. The journey begins at primary level in the Meridian Campus where we begin taking our students out into the community for example visit the shops, learn how to handle money and budget, as well as teaching them basic cookery skills and how to navigate transport systems. For many, this will be their first taste of genuine independence and helps to inspire and give them the confidence to try new things and take on new challenges. We then gradually seek to build on this as they progress through the school.

Between the ages of 11 and 14, students attend the Haselbury campus where they begin to target more advanced elements in their passports. By this stage, a number of students have learned to travel to school independently, many go on residentials and take part in after-school clubs and trips. It is incredibly important that students engage and interact in activities within school and the community, building their confidence and learning to take managed risks. 

Student development continues further when they join the ‘Learning for Life’ campus (14-25-year olds). Here, our focus is on ensuring pupils are prepared for work, putting everything they’ve learnt and the skills they’ve acquired into practice. For example, all our Key Stage 4 students visit college one day a week and take part in work experience to help prepare them for their next steps. Experiencing the ‘working world’ and further education provides our pupils with a greater understanding of what to expect and lessens their anxiety about making the transition. Our passports allow us to assess pupil’s development and ensure they remain on track to be able to take that next step and thrive in whatever the subsequent chapter of their journey may be.

In addition to this, we provide supported internships for pupils aged 16-25 across Enfield. The programme offers four days a week in a workplace with the support of a West Lea job coach.

Our students tell us that the experience gained through these internships has been beneficial and inspiring. It has helped them to realise their own potential and reinstate belief amongst themselves and their parents that there are plenty of opportunities out there for them and that they have the skillset and knowledge to make a valuable contribution to society. It’s been fantastic to see our students gaining employment through this scheme (90% in an initial pilot) and the majority of these fantastic young people have remained employed. Last academic year, the number of students who secured internships doubled – with 75 per cent remaining in employment. These figures are particularly impressive when considering the current employment landscape. We believe this illustrates the difference we are making and how we are helping to society open their eyes to a pool of undiscovered talent.

We aim to ensure that the work we do makes a tangible difference to these young people’s lives, improves their prospects of employment and enables them to play an active role in their communities, whilst more broadly helping to alter societal perceptions of young people with SEND. We are aware that our students will still face tests and challenges as they go out into the world, but the opportunities are there, and we believe we have developed methods that can truly make a difference and help all our young people to find a purpose and fulfil their potential.

Read more about West Lea at www.westleaschool.co.uk.

By offering an engaging learning environment that speaks to young people’s experiences of consuming information, we can capitalise on their innate (but not always well-directed!) thirst for knowledge. In most subjects there are edtech resources available to help us achieve this, but English Literature stands alone with very few resources, leaving us with traditional books or eBooks. 

I know, for example, that if I made the students read through the whole of a Shakespearean play without any variation in my teaching methods, I’d lose them. So the first thing I do is introduce the story with the key plot; to a certain extent you do have to focus on the central story lines to grasp their interest, but it needs to make sense to them in a personal way. 

Is this teaching to the test?

In my view, it’s actually quite the opposite. While all schools are under pressure to achieve good SATs and GCSE results, I have found that teaching to the test is the least effective way of drawing my students into the stories, poems and plays.

What has been particularly effective at Cardinal Wiseman in terms of learning and revision, is using videos that ‘play out’ the story lines. The students love it because learning is delivered in a style that is familiar and meets the needs of the YouTube generation who expect content on demand. Educators love it because it doesn’t take away from the autonomy or expertise of the classroom teacher.

Take Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol as an example. After watching very short videos of the key narrative of Ebenezer Scrooge’s vision of the ghosts and his reaction when he sees the ill Tiny Tim, the children are naturally more engaged in the story as they have something to pin their knowledge to when they read. It’s about giving them the confidence to read the story and ignite their independent willingness to learn.

Research shows that students who visualise (or internalise) information are far more likely to retain it and be able to apply it in a meaningful and relevant way. The videos we use are ideal to create a mental connection between existing knowledge and the knowledge being taught. 

Each day, the opening lesson is a recap of the previous lesson. This often takes the form of playing one of the videos and discussing what we learned.

We tend to use the videos that cover the more difficult to understand sub-plots as it helps the students get a deeper and broader understanding of the text as a whole. There are a whole host of audio-visual clips on the Internet, but many only focus on generic overviews and have little benefit without an explanation of their purpose, and where they fit into the story. We use GCSEPod videos designed for the GCSE curriculum to support a developed interpretation; also ideal for homework and revision!

So, for all English Literature teachers out there, you can use the media that young people are so au fait with to hook your students into the books, plays or poetry that you teach them. Take it from me, it’s worth it.

Matthew Everett, Senior Assistant Principal, at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, in Coventry, uses GCSEPod for its cross-curricula videos and supplementary learning content.

Through the promotion, shoppers who spent £30 or more in Aldi stores received Team GB stickers to help their school complete a Kit for Schools poster to win incredible prizes! There were over 15,000 entries for the prizes this year, with 20 schools each winning a grand prize £20,000 for their school, and almost 15,000 sports kits winging their way to schools for every poster completed.

The 20 lucky cash prize winners now have the opportunity to invest their reward funding in creative ways to support a healthy legacy at their school. These investments include building outdoor learning areas, creating all weather surfaces for physical activity, improving library facilities and mental health initiatives. Over the past two weeks, schools got to play host to a top Team GB athlete, including Aldi’s Athlete Ambassadors, including myself and my brother Jonny Brownlee, taekwondo double Olympic medallist Lutalo Muhammad and other Team GB stars such as gymnastics medallist Amy Tinkler and member of Team GB’s gold medal winning hockey team, Hollie Pearne-Webb.

The Kit for Schools campaign is part of Aldi and Team GB’s long-standing efforts to get young people active and eating well ahead of this summer’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Their award-winning schools programme, Get Set to Eat Fresh, has reached over 1.6 million young people, using Team GB athletes to inspire them to eat well and gain the skills and confidence to cook fresh, healthy meals. 

The influence of Get Set to Eat Fresh can be seen in winning schools such as Bellsquarry Primary School in Livingston who are developing a school garden for growing vegetables and Pengam Primary School in the Islwyn region of South Wales that are investing part of their funding in cooking stations to help teach pupils about healthy eating.

Aldi is delighted to offer this much needed funding to these UK schools and provide primary school pupils with the tools and resources needed to stay healthy and active during this key stage in their development. 

You can find the full details here and show your support on social media using the hashtag #GetSetEatFresh.

Around 4 years ago, the Head of Surrey Virtual School envisioned our product, Britannica School, as a support tool for staff who ran revision sessions for Looked After Children. He wanted something that was safe for their vulnerable pupils to use without limiting their capabilities or need to explore. From this, they went on to purchase our resource. This is where our journey started.

Years later, through the fantastic advocacy of individuals, we have expanded into a much broader role, encompassing the whole community. Other Virtual Schools saw the endless advantages of Britannica School and expanded its use for Looked After Children through classroom support, engagement for the whole foster family and assisting Personal Education Plans.

The internet can be a dangerous place. Innocent search terms can lead young people to biased views or misinformation, and their views are shaped heavily by the things they see online. This can be incredibly worrying for carers and educators who want to feel assured that young people in their care are using a safe and reliable tool; a tool that they can explore freely and independently.

This is where we come in! All of Britannica’s information is written and edited by subject specialists, guaranteeing the child or young person is receiving the correct information from a trusted source. Unlike a lot of the content one may find online, our site is checked regularly to ensure the content is age-appropriate, up to date and educational. There are also no adverts or links to any unsafe websites, allowing young people to focus purely on their learning.

“I have always found supporting with homework projects really difficult, as searching on the internet doesn’t guarantee you get the right information, but using Britannica has sorted this out in our house as we know it’s safe, it’s checked and it’s accurate. All my kids love it, including foster children and my birth children.”

Looking specifically at literacy skills, it is no secret that many children in care may struggle to keep up with their peers if they have encountered disruption in their personal life. We have also supported this challenge through a plethora of literacy tools. For instance, the read-aloud function highlights sentences in yellow to encourage young people to read along as they listen, focusing on a sentence at a time and assisting aural learners if reading is difficult. When they do stumble upon a word that is alien to them, by double-clicking on the word they are provided with a dictionary definition to enhance their vocabulary and understanding of the text. We also offer a translation tool to support children where English may not be their first language. For those who are more visual and kinaesthetic learners, or reluctant readers, Britannica also offers videos, images, games and interactive tools to engage young people with a learning style that suits their needs, ensuring no child is limited to expanding their knowledge.

“My 8-year-old came to us with significant gaps in learning as he’d not been in school regularly up to then. He had massive confidence issues and was really down about school, but Britannica has helped us to support him at home with learning and he loves it as the pictures are great and you can toggle the level of literacy to suit the child. Knowing that it’s totally safe and accurate means I don’t worry about what he might read online.”

As you can see, we recognise that all children have different needs and this is why we allow our schools to create a customised space for Looked After children; an area where educators can cater learning for their interests or collate schoolwork for extra revision at home. It is a personalised area to increase engagement, support Personal Education Plans and allowing communication between school and home easier.

We strive to cater for each Virtual School, as well as the individual. In the past, we have run competitions and attended events in efforts to promote the usage of the resource, as well as to understand more about the Looked After community and their priorities. For us, it is always a pleasure meeting the different teams involved in the education of Looked After Children and learning new ways to support them. It is so refreshing to see the different communities and how passionate they are about the education of their children. A passion we, too, share and will continue to support in any way we can.

More information about Britannica School’s impact can be found on their EdTech Impact profile.

References

NFA (2020) ‘Britannica Digital Learning with the National Fostering Group’. NFA. Available at: www.nfa.co.uk/stories

Now, this may sound rather limiting but it is good advice. The internet, as we all know, is like an endless rabbit warren. You go online to look for one thing and invariably end up, after some time has elapsed, somewhere else entirely. 

Use or Be Used 

So, my friend’s counsel is actually very wise. It represents the difference between using the internet as the amazing tool it can be and falling prey to its endless possibilities. But, surely, possibility is a good thing? Well, yes, it is. However, it’s the ‘endless’ bit that is problematic. Whether you are a teacher, an assistant, a carer or a parent, you don’t have limitless amounts of time available. But it’s when we have the least amount to spare that we are drawn into wasting it through appealing diversions. So, we need to build ourselves a strategy to avoid this happening. 

Subtle Manipulation 

Generally, you will go online because you either need to look something up, find something out or fulfill a web-based task (say, filling out a form). The internet is so full of well-designed distractions, that it is very rare that you will only perform that one task. An ad will pop-up, directly in response to something you previously looked at; or a video clip will automatically launch into another, once it has finished; or you will be redirected to another page, once you have filled something in… and so on. These things feel helpful at first but are actually subtle forms of manipulation. So, it is important to tell yourself, at the outset, that you won’t be drawn into engaging with whatever else appears, once you have completed the task in hand. Or, even, before you get to the thing you want to do. 

Drive for Efficiency 

But, you say, some of these things are useful. Yes, of course they are. But they aren’t what you are looking for right now. So, the thing to do is to make a note of the article, web address, email, company name, telephone or whatever it is that has caught your attention. You can then come back to deal with at a later time. Again, you may argue that this is surely inefficient. Why not make the most of your time online now and get multiple tasks out of the way? And this is the real stumbling block: the constant drive for ‘efficiency’. Ironically, that imperative is the cause of a whole world of procrastination, diversion and inappropriate time wasting. 

Mentally & Physically Refresh 

What’s more, our brains aren’t built to cope with constant input. It is far better to do one thing and physically remove yourself from the computer, phone, tablet or implant (only a matter of time… and then, of course, it will be too late). Simply by moving away from your device, you will give your brain a chance to refresh. And the chances are it will then come up with something else you really do need to accomplish. Even if this then means returning to your screen, you will have had some mental space. If you’ve also walked away, you’ll have had a chance to physically realign too. Let’s not forget the bodily demands of sitting in one position for prolonged periods, either. 

The Here & Now 

Children are often chided for not being able to stay in one place for more than a short time. Perhaps we should view this as a positive thing. Let’s allow them to roam, fidget, dance and play, in between the more focused tasks expected of them. And, while we’re at it, we should only expect them to perform one task at a time. It’s what children are good at, being – in the main – firmly rooted in the here and now. It’s something we adults can often only aspire to. So, perhaps we should let the children be our guides in that respect. 

Too Busy? 

As they get older, our children too may be drawn into the vortex of online confusion. But it’s our duty to not only make them aware of the inherent dangers but also stand as fitting role models. And we can’t do that if we’re too busy ‘just finishing this off’ online!

Over the last ten years, we have been lucky enough to take part in a whole range of international projects thanks to the platform eTwinning – supported in the UK by the British Council. We have designed board games for one another, shared favourite traditional stories, celebrated special events and even helped to reduce the amount of plastic waste within our different communities. These collaborations have helped the children fully appreciate the value of teamwork, collaboration and communication.

So this year, as a means of supporting our Finnish partner school with a project where our Y6 pupils were asked to help teach their children English grammar skills, we were delighted to be introduced to the fabulous Microsoft Translator app by the magnificent Donna Vaughan (@medv2). One of the barriers that we get with primary children collaborating with each other, is the issue of language and the children being unable to fully express their opinions to one another, which can obviously become frustrating and means that projects aren’t always able to delve as deep in to a subject area as much as people had initially hoped.

However, since we have started using the app, the children are able to fully express themselves due to the instantaneous translation that it provides. Through the free app, the two schools are given a safe and secure space to communicate with one another by sharing a unique code. For example, my class will type in their question or response to our Finnish partners in English, but then our partners receive the details in Finnish as well as English to ensure that they can fully understand what is being said. They will then respond in Finnish if they prefer and then my children will receive that response in the two languages as well. It really is that simple and incredibly accurate.

To say that the children have absolutely loved taking part in the project is an understatement. They have been so excited, teaching friends what adverbs are, how to use them and then giving quick-fire questions as a means of seeing whether or not their input has been useful. It has not only helped our colleagues in Finland to learn about the English language, but it has reinforced these grammatical terms for our own children as they have had to create special crib sheets with fully explained definitions, with example sentences as well as responses to expected questions in preparation for the sessions.

Alongside the teaching of grammar, the children have also been able to find out about the different hobbies and interests that the Finnish children have. Previously, when we have tried this, the response from our partner school has understandably been limited due to the language barriers. Children have been left saying what their favourite hobby is but not being able to fully explain why it is their favourite, due to their limited language skill. However, since we have started this project, we have found that we have been able to have much deeper discussions between the children. They are now able to find out so much more about each other and recognise many more similarities between one another due to the language limitations being removed. We have had the children discussing what they have done on holidays, how they have stayed safe online as well as comparing and contrasting the two schools. Rather than the teachers having to slow lessons down to translate what has been said or clarify what a child is trying to express, the conversations have been able to flow smoothly and coherently. 

As the project progresses, we are not only hoping to continue to support one another with developing specific grammar skills, but also to discuss further aspects such as hopes and dreams for the future, as well as opinions on issues such as climate change and health and wellbeing. These are areas that we previously would have found difficult to fully explore, however, now that the children have the freedom of using their own language to fully express themselves, we think that the discussion will be much more insightful and challenging. Exactly what the children will want and exactly what they will need.

For more information about Shaw Wood Academy http://shawwoodacademy.co.uk

Let me explain how.

Firstly, in terms of being more effective, I refer to a comment from Amanda Spielman, HM chief inspector of education, children’s services and skills. In 2017, she said that “schools are focusing on preparing pupils for SATs and GCSEs at the expense of giving them a “rich and full knowledge”. 

It appeared she was highlighting some schools’ tendency to teach to the test. With the pressure we’re under to raise standards, this isn’t really surprising. However, with the video pod resource we use, teaching those aspects of a story that are harder to grasp (often sub plots to the story – crucial but not the main concept) actually became a lot easier. By bringing the plots and sub plots to life visually, literature at Cardinal Wiseman is now made much more ‘real’. The students appreciate its meaning; they understand how the storylines evolve and relate to the world around us. This is a big part of making English Literature engaging to today’s students.

Put simply, using these videos helps the students to gain the “rich and full knowledge” that Amanda Spielman was calling for.  

In terms of making homework easier for teachers to manage, I feel we’ve achieved this too. Once we have studied and discussed an aspect of the story or play we’re working on as a class, I set the student’s assignments and homework based on any gaps in their knowledge. The fact that I can do this so easily, with related videos as support and the relevant pre-loaded multiple-choice questions, is a real game-changer. The marking is done for me and I am automatically notified of any students who haven’t grasped the learning objective. This tells me how much knowledge each student has, and the areas where they need extra support in a much more meaningful way.

We see more research that suggests video technology is ideal for grabbing attention in many areas of learning but, for me, it’s ideal for English Literature. The mixed-media approach just resonates with young people incredibly well. 

By following this teaching pathway, our students develop an in-depth understanding of the wider context of plays, their themes and the complexities of their characterisation and purpose.

Back in 2013, Cardinal Wiseman was rated inadequate, and one of the major issues identified was the consistency of our teaching. By ensuring that all teachers use curriculum-based and curriculum-aligned technology, we’ve been able to standardise the content, minimise planning time and ensure our students get consistent delivery of the highest quality of learning. We’re now rated as outstanding, and our approaches and the resources that we use play a major role in that achievement. 

Matthew Everett, Senior Assistant Principal, at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, in Coventry, uses GCSEPod for its cross-curricula videos and supplementary learning content. 

Several reasons lie behind this growth. Of course, rising internet penetration in households around the world has paved the way. Another reason is the increasing importance of STEM education around the world – key for clearing highly competitive university entrance exams as well as it leading to increased job opportunities – and the leg up online tutoring can provide. Yet the most compelling reason is the motivations and behaviours shared by those behind the demand – Generation Z.

Widely defined as those born between 1995 to 2010, Generation Z is the largest generation in the world, comprising 32% of the global population, and is the first to have grown up as true digital natives – immersed in digital technology, the Internet, and social media throughout their lives. Exposure to technology from an early age has produced a generation that expects connectivity and instant access as standard, but one that is also comfortable with collecting and cross-referencing many sources of information, as well as integrating virtual and offline experiences. The vast amounts of information at their disposal are enabling them to be more analytical in their decision making than previous generations, with 65% of those surveyed in a report from McKinsey last year saying they particularly value knowing what is going on around them and being in control. Raised at a time of global economic stress, Generation Z are also more responsible and pragmatic than Millennials, keenly aware of the need to save for the future as well as tending to value job stability over high salaries.

It’s no surprise then that this generation should be particularly comfortable with online tutoring. The flexibility and instant access online tutoring offers are ideal for self-directed and responsible Gen Z learners who are looking to supplement their day-to-day studies and are used to seamlessly integrating online and offline experiences.

The market around online tutoring is rapidly developing and expanding in terms of features that are available to meet young peoples’ needs: self-assessment tools, chat features, interactive whiteboards, file sharing, and the ability to consult with tutors behind the scenes or tap into a supportive peer network – particularly important for Gen Zers who have social media as a central part of their lives. Young people can access exactly what they want in terms of study and career development, and parents are given more options to help improve their children’s academic results.

Young people should nevertheless weigh up the pros and cons of online tutoring to fit their needs. On one hand, technical issues, the availability and vetting of quality tutors, as well as the issue of ensuring student motivation through remote learning are just some potential challenges to bear in mind. On the other hand, flexibility to access tutoring around busy schedules, the ability to access more than one expert on particular subjects, and tailored packages that save time and money by not locking a student into regular appointments they may not need are just some of the advantages.

Just like Millennials before them, Generation Z are disrupting the provision of education itself, and the onus is on educators and EdTechs to understand and meet their needs. A Barnes and Noble College study of 1,300 American middle and high school students found that Generation Z expect on-demand services with low barriers to access – learning for this cohort isn’t limited to just the classroom; it’s something that can take place anywhere, at any time. They also tend to be more career-focused earlier on in their college careers and are increasingly becoming the directors of their own futures – almost 13% surveyed in the study already have their own business, and an additional 22% plan to own a business in the future. All these things must be considered by those trying to reach this group of learners. An awareness of Generation Z’s online and social media habits, providing updated and meaningful content, and enabling the widest possible level of personalisation will be crucial for educators and EdTechs trying to make the biggest impact.

The Premier League (PL) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have partnered with one another to use their reach and appeal to encourage primary school children across England and Wales to celebrate diversity.

United by a shared goal to encourage inclusion and inspire people to respect and value individual differences, the sporting organisations have created ‘Roar! for Diversity’, a curriculum-linked PSHE resource and competition for 7-11-year olds. The pack includes lesson plans and video resources featuring contributions from England cricketers Adil Rashid, Sophia Dunkley and Chris Edwardes (Captain of the Men’s Learning Disability Cricket Team), as well as  Premier League match official Sian Massey-Ellis.

The headteacher, Mark Rigby, and I were really pleased when our school – Lawrence Community Primary School in Wavertree, Liverpool – was chosen for the Roar! for Diversity campaign launch. Our pupils come from all over the world – 28 languages are spoken and 88% of our pupils (we have a 414-pupil roll) speak English as an additional language (EAL). 

We already have strong links with the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, so we knew the children were in for a lovely surprise when Liverpool Football club player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Cricket World Cup winning Captain Eoin Morgan made their surprise appearance. 

It’s a privilege to work in our school. We have bilingual staff and when children first arrive we have support ready and in place for all our EAL children to help with their social language (general vocabulary, how to ask to go to the toilet, etc.) as well as technical language (vocabulary to support their academic achievement). We use lots of visuals and first hand experiences including educational visits in order to support the language development of all our pupils.

A lot of children who arrive may not have prior experience of schooling and may not even speak any English, so need a lot of help with their vocabulary and with settling into school. Settling the children, easing their fears and welcoming them to into the school community are vital first priorities. The Roar! for Diversity resources will help us to ensure every single child feels welcome and included by the whole school.

We already do a lot of work on diversity with all the children. We work with the Anthony Walker Foundation, and through them, all the children have signed up to pledge to respect one another, no matter what their race, religion, ability or appearance. 

We also do all sorts of sports – all the usual sports such as cricket and football, but our pupils also have opportunities to experience pony riding, water sports, boccia, new age kurling and many others. Many of our pupils wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to do all these sports as we’re located in a deprived area and it would be unaffordable for many families. However, we believe there’s a sport for everyone and the range of sports mean children will shine at something.

We encourage everybody to participate and cooperation between one another is really encouraged. The children soon appreciate that it’s the participation rather than the winning that counts.

I recall how one KS1 child came to the school speaking little English but through lots of sport participation he learnt things like shaking hands, teamwork, etc. Then a few years later, during a mayor visit, he went up to him – totally unprompted – to shake his hand, saying it was a pleasure to meet him. He was reflecting the values that sport and the school environment had taught him – values such as working together, greeting one another and showing respect for one another. It was a very proud moment.

I welcome the Roar! for Diversity resources as a great addition to some PSHE project work the whole school has previously worked on. There is an emphasis, from nursery upwards, on celebrating differences and working together to be friends – mirroring how sports teams work. This is also reflected in our curriculum intent, based on respecting one another, being open minded, active, independent, respectful, resilient, creative and forward thinking. Sport helps to develop these qualities. 

It has been fantastic to have the players from ECB and LFC here and see the children so engaged with the Roar! for Diversity resources. It will be a day the children will always remember.

The resources are available to download for free from PLPrimaryStars.com and ECB’s schools’ partner, ChanceToShine.org. The Key Stage 2 resource will enable teachers to discuss with their class how diversity within a team helps to make it stronger. Pupils can then create an advert celebrating diversity which can be entered into a competition and can win match tickets or a school visit from the Premier League or Cricket World Cup trophies.

I have long been a believer in the power of personalising (adaptive) retrieval practice as a means of underwriting students’ base knowledge and helping them to make huge improvements in their academic performance. This is why I built Tassomai for my students in the first place, and I have seen its impact first-hand. Finding the evidence to give other educators the confidence to use Tassomai and support its proper implementation in their settings, however, has been a major undertaking.

Assessing the impact of any strategy or intervention is a notoriously difficult task, particularly when one considers the external factors at play in any given setting that can dramatically affect the results. When decisions around purchasing or adequately resourcing implementation strategy comes into play, the requirement to show evidence becomes increasingly vital to school leaders.

It’s no less of a vexing question for providers like me: finding evidence of impact is crucial to decision-making processes around the development of products and content, and to be able to assure customers that their investment will prove to be time and money well-spent.

We’ve conducted many trials and experiments over the years to measure impact – and pride ourselves in being a leader in research-led, evidenced EdTech. Having completed an impact study with the IoE into the effect of our videos on knowledge retrieval and retention, Tassomai was awarded an EdWard from UCL. Our correlative analysis on 60,000+ exam results against usage in the product has been well-publicised, showing that over 90% of high users achieved a strong pass in their GCSE.

The challenge, however, was to investigate the effect of our adaptive, personalised spaced retrieval practice on students’ academic progress – we wanted to demonstrate that, whatever the prior attainment, using Tassomai would increase outcomes.

In short, the experiment was a pre and post test of student subject knowledge on what we term ‘mastery questions’. We looked at the data of around 1,500 students around the UK who used Tassomai between September 2018 and May 2019, separated the lower and higher ability based on how they fared on quizzes in their first month of use, and then looked at how their scores in mastery questions improved over time.

Our results showed that, in both groups, students improved in test scores and that this improvement increased with increased usage. Superimposing the graphs for each user type against their respective baselines of attainment, however, showed that the effect of the program was to close the attainment gap between them.

We continue to conduct research on mass cohort data and in collaboration with schools and universities. If you would like your school to participate in a study, please get in touch as we’d love to work with you.

Tassomai is an adaptive learning software that supports students in science, maths and English at KS3 and KS4. Using principles of behavioural and cognitive science, the program provides intelligent, personalised daily retrieval exercises for students that teach, test and reinforce knowledge. Teachers and SLT access data on student engagement and understanding through a live-marked interactive PLC to plan schemes of work and intervention.

To learn more about Tassomai’s impact in schools, visit: https://edtechimpact.com/products/tassomai.