• Urban Academy 418 pupils in Bristol, City of
• Ofsted rating: Requires improvement
• FSM: 38%

Review rating:

Average rating across all Discovery Espresso reviews: 3.7/5

It’s a useful resource which the children seem to enjoy.

How well does it match the curriculum?

Reasonably: It’s good enough for the money, but needs some additional resources

Covers whole primary phase so can be used consistently across the school. Limited content so have to use other resources.

How well does it support adaptation for different groups of pupils?

Well: A large majority of resources are suitably differentiated for pupils

Texts available for Year group content / topics with texts available for a wider range of reading abilities would be an improvement

How well does it engage and motivate pupils?

Well: Pupils generally enjoy using it and tend to welcome doing so

It looks modern and gets their attention. News features are good and up to date. More in depth content would be an improvement for older years.

How well supported is it by any included formative assessments?

Reasonably: There is some formative assessment included, but its usefulness is a bit limited

Don’t really use these as have other formative assessments and don’t have time to do any more.

How well does it support planning?

Reasonably: Mostly we can use it without an unreasonable amount of effort or additional resource requirement

Use it as a bolt on after planning usually if it’s appropriate. An in depth planning tool would be helpful.

How well does it support home use / independent learning?

Reasonably: It could be used at home or independently, but pupils would need some extra support or resources

Again only really use it as a whole class teaching tool rather than for children to access independently.

How would you rate it for value for money compared to similar resources?

Reasonably: It represents about the same value for money as similar resources I’ve seen

Cost is always a major consideration and is always under review. A lower charge might encourage us to keep it.

Would you recommend it to a colleague in a similar school to yours? 7/11

• Read more Discovery Espresso reviews

Search all reviews