Customer Story: Delta Academies Trust

• Increased Learning Time: GCSEPod has provided an estimated 285,567 extra learning hours across 16 secondary schools, equating to approximately 2.2 years of additional learning.
• Improved Student Performance: Top users of GCSEPod saw an increase in their Progress 8 scores.
• High Engagement: Students have watched over 1.4 million pods, highlighting the platform's engaging nature.

We spoke to Richard Ward, Director of Science at Delta about embedding GSCEPod across the trust and what insights could be gathered.

How to successfully embed a digital resource across a large number of schools?

Richard highlights the importance of choosing a digital resource that caters to the specific needs of their schools. Many Delta schools have a high proportion of disadvantaged students, and traditional methods of encouraging additional learning outside the classroom can be challenging.

Recognising that young people today gravitate towards online learning and interactive technologies, Delta prioritised selecting a platform that aligned with these preferences.

The way young people interact and spend free time isn’t necessarily using books or writing worksheets etc. It’s online, it’s watching, it’s interacting with technology.

Strategic Implementation

Delta acknowledged that a "one size fits all" approach doesn't work when implementing new digital resources across a large number of schools. To ensure successful integration, they took several steps:

• Careful Selection: Extensive research was conducted to identify the most appropriate platform for their diverse student body.
• Leadership and Communication: Strategic leads were assigned within each academy to facilitate communication and best practice sharing. This allowed Delta to learn from on-the-ground experiences and adapt approaches as needed.
• Infrastructure and Training: Understanding the national issue of limited access to devices and internet, Delta ensured all their schools had the necessary infrastructure in place. Additionally, training was provided for staff, students, and even parents to maximise platform utilisation.

The infrastructure within each academy must be in place and supported. We know there has been a national issue regarding devices and internet capabilities for many families, so we ensure our schools provide the necessary avenues to access the digital platforms either in school or by issuing devices for them to use.

Fostering Engagement

Delta went beyond simply providing access to the GCSEPod platform. They actively encouraged engagement through various methods, including:

• Parental involvement: Regular reminders, letters, celebrations of student achievements, and student rewards keep parents informed and involved.
• Inter-Academy Competitions: Healthy competition between schools is fostered through trust-wide competitions, further motivating students.

By following these strategies, Delta Academies Trust has successfully embedded GCSEPod into their curriculum, enhancing student learning and engagement.

Primarily it’s through the product and through our consistency and belief in it. A platform like GCSEPod has everything a student and a teacher could ask for in terms of videos, questions, exam papers, revision tips, promotional material, but the main important feature is its useability, which for an already disengaged student, is paramount.

Securing Teacher and Student Buy-In

Delta identified several key factors that contributed to their success with GCSEPod. Recognising that user-friendliness is paramount, especially for students who might be disengaged from traditional methods, they prioritised a platform with an easy login process, clear teacher notifications, and an intuitive interface to ensure a positive user experience.

Understanding the significant burden on teachers, Delta also emphasised the platform's ease of use for assigning tasks, tracking student progress, and implementing various learning strategies – a win not only for teachers' time management but also for fostering a variety of effective learning approaches.

Finally, Delta fostered a culture of encouragement by acknowledging students for their online pod activity. This positive reinforcement strategy, along with the platform's usability and reduced teacher workload, all played a crucial role in securing buy-in from both teachers and students, ultimately contributing to the program's overall success.

At Delta, we discuss with students their pod activity when they arrive at the front door. We reward students verbally there and then. When we see a student who has put the time in that week online and see them on the corridor or at lunch in the dining hall, we engage in positive conversations.

Cultivating a Strong Partnership with Your Digital Supplier

Delta highlighted the importance of building a collaborative relationship with their digital resource provider. Here's how they fostered a successful partnership with GCSEPod:

• Open Communication: From the outset, Delta established open communication channels. As a "boots on the ground" teacher, Richard Ward would regularly share suggestions for improvement with his GCSEPod liaison. This feedback was valued and acted upon, demonstrating GCSEPod's commitment to user experience.
• Mutual Benefit: Delta acknowledges the importance of reciprocity in any relationship. They actively participated in supporting GCSEPod through activities like case studies, conference appearances, and providing data for impact reports. This ensured a win-win situation for both parties.
• Shared Investment: Delta emphasises the principle of "getting out what you put in." Their dedication to working closely with the GCSEPod team ultimately benefited their students by ensuring the platform continued to evolve and meet their needs.

Streamlining Management for School Leaders

The leaders at Delta highlighted the numerous advantages of using GCSEPod from a management perspective. The platform's centralised structure offered immense convenience. Leaders could effortlessly switch between schools, assign resources to any student within the entire trust, and monitor usage data from a single login point. This streamlined approach saved valuable time and simplified resource allocation.

Additionally, GCSEPod provided comprehensive data reporting, enabling leaders to track usage compared to averages, analyse student performance in specific activities, and filter data by subject, student, or class. This granular level of detail facilitated informed decision-making, allowing leaders to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement across all academies.

Every month I am updated with trust data, and along with any additional data, this is shared with all our principals and strategic leads to disseminate through their academies. What I want to see from my position is which academies are engaged and which are seeing engagement decrease and I can see all these things immediately or contact Pod and they’ll have the data with me usually the same day. The beauty of pod is its integration with our school systems and once set up it’s consistent across each academy.

Furthermore, efficient communication was fostered through monthly trust-wide data reports shared with principals and strategic leads. This ensured everyone remained informed about engagement levels within each academy.

Leaders also had the ability to access real-time data on demand, empowering them to address any concerns with swiftness.

Finally, Richard emphasised the seamless integration of GCSEPod with existing school systems. Once set up, the platform offered consistent functionality across all academies, eliminating the need for additional software or complex configurations. This streamlined approach ensured a smooth and efficient user experience for leaders, teachers, and students alike.

Conclusion

Delta Academies Trust's remarkable achievement in boosting student learning through GCSEPod serves as a powerful testament to the transformative potential of well-implemented digital resources. Their commitment to strategic selection, fostering engagement, and cultivating a strong partnership with GCSEPod has yielded significant results.

Ready to unlock similar gains in your own schools? Schedule your live demo to experience firsthand how GCSEPod can revolutionise your approach to learning and assessment.