Customer Story: Overton Grange School
Positively impacting student outcomes with Access GCSEPod
At Overton Grange School, the integration of Access GCSEPod has led to remarkable improvements in student outcomes across various subjects, particularly in History. Consistent usage of GCSEPod has shown a clear correlation with enhanced performance, as highlighted by Mrs Buxton, a History teacher at the school. Analysis reveals that students who regularly engage with the platform tend to achieve higher grades than their predicted scores. Notably, top users of GCSEPod scored on average +1.23 P8 points higher than their less frequent counterparts, showcasing the effectiveness of the tool in supporting learning and exam preparation.
Access GCSEPod
Academy
Key trends
- Improved Predicted vs Actual Grades: The top 25% of GCSEPod users scored significantly higher than their predicted grades, achieving an average of more than one grade above expectations.
- Positive Impact on Pupil Premium Students: For pupil premium students, the difference in attainment between top and bottom users was stark: +0.73 points for the top users compared to -1.68 points for the bottom users.
- Enhanced Performance for EAL Students: English as an Additional Language (EAL) students who consistently used GCSEPod showed an improvement in their Attainment 8 results, with a variation of +0.13 points, compared to a negative variation of -0.46 points for the bottom 25% of users.
- Support for High Attainers: High-attaining students in the top usage group experienced a smaller drop from their predicted grades (-0.31 points) compared to non-users, who had a larger negative variation (-1.08 points).
The success stories from Overton Grange demonstrate the significant role Access GCSEPod plays in bridging attainment gaps and empowering students to exceed their academic targets.
Key takeaways
- Integrated into daily lessons: Access GCSEPod is used in every History lesson, with pods tailored to the exam specification for comprehensive support.
- Improved knowledge recall: The platform has enhanced students’ ability to retain and recall key historical facts and concepts.
- Engaging content and consistent presentation: The high-quality graphics, consistent language, and overall design of Access GCSEPod are valued by teachers.
- Regular quizzes for retrieval practice: Quizzes are used frequently to reinforce learning, though ensuring students fully engage with the material remains a priority.
Introduction to Overton Grange School
Overton Grange School, located in Sutton, is a mixed comprehensive school that prioritises helping students achieve their full potential. The school offers a rich curriculum designed to foster academic success and independent learning. Within this framework, Access GCSEPod plays a crucial role in supporting learning. Mrs Buxton, a History teacher at Overton Grange, integrates Access GCSEPod into every lesson, benefiting from its dedicated content aligned to the Edexcel exam specification. The platform’s structured resources help students strengthen their knowledge and prepare for exams effectively. Here she tells us more about their experience with Access GCSEPod.
Access GCSEPod provides a dedicated pod for every part of the Edexcel specification, making it an essential tool for supporting History lessons.
Reasons why Overton Grange loves Access GCSEPod
Comprehensive support for history lessons
Access GCSEPod has become an integral part of the History curriculum at Overton Grange. "I use GCSEPod every lesson because there is a dedicated pod for every part of the specification in History that we cover for Edexcel," Mrs Buxton explains. This ensures students are consistently engaging with content relevant to their syllabus.
High-quality content
Mrs Buxton appreciates the platform’s design and presentation. "I really like the graphics and consistency of the language and general look of the page," she notes. The uniform presentation helps students stay focused on the material.
Improved knowledge recall
Since implementing Access GCSEPod, students have shown noticeable improvements in recalling historical information. "Increased knowledge recall for History is better than before Access GCSEPod was a thing," Mrs Buxton highlights. This boost in recall aids students in their exam preparation.
Effective use of quizzes for retrieval
Quizzes are frequently used in Mrs Buxton’s lessons to reinforce learning. "We have one pod a lesson, not necessarily linked to the topic of the day’s learning, and they have a quiz of five questions per pod as a retrieval feature," she explains. However, ensuring that students engage fully with the content is an ongoing focus.
Plans for continued use and enhancement
Looking forward, Mrs Buxton plans to continue using Access GCSEPod for quizzes and retrieval practice. She also expressed interest in a new feature: "I would like the ability to remove pictures and video so that just the script can be heard, so students can listen on the move."
Top tips from History teacher, Clare Buxton
Clare Buxton, History and Citizenship teacher, as well as Careers and House Coordinator, shares her top tips for making the most of GCSEPod. Recently, she ran a “Pod Marathon” with Year 11 students, focusing on Chapter 1 of Elizabethan History. Each pod was paired with a different revision method using the Pod Book Activities PDF, ensuring varied and engaging learning experiences. In another approach, Clare created a retrieval list of pods for students to watch as “Do Nows” at the start of lessons, followed by quiz slides with corresponding color codes to track understanding. This innovative use of color-coding helped students check their recall as they watched the pods.
Clare also extended support beyond the classroom by sending parents of students who hadn’t logged in a tailored letter, accompanied by a sheet demonstrating how the course content was comprehensively covered through GCSEPod. These strategies highlight how creative and consistent integration of GCSEPod can significantly enhance student engagement and performance.
Conclusion
Access GCSEPod is a valuable resource for schools like Overton Grange that are looking to enhance student learning and exam preparation. Its structured content, aligned with exam specifications, and interactive quizzes make it a vital tool for both teachers and students. If you’re interested in exploring how Access GCSEPod can benefit your school, book a demo today to discover its full potential.