• Rural Academy 249 pupils (oversubscribed) in Gloucestershire
• Ofsted rating: Good
• FSM: 37.3%

Review rating:

Average rating across all Education City reviews: 3.9/5

How well does it match the curriculum?

Well: It covers the curriculum as well as we expected

Good vocabulary/terminology matches.Unfortunately, the range/variety of sessions always requires technology. There are very few ways in which the programme can be taught without a computer.

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

Reasonably: Essentially there’s enough for most pupils but there isn’t enough support, extension or challengeDepends on the unit.

Some of the worksheets could be simplified with more images, rather than wording. The extension activities could also be more pictorial than wordy. Reading is often a barrier, so flowmaps/charts or visuals would be more beneficial.

How well does it engage and motivate pupils?

Reasonably: We can’t use it too often or for too long

They like some of the activities, but children are often asking for how they can do this without a computer. Some children don't seem engaged by the PowerPoint presentations, so tweaking these to use real life contexts or interesting characters and scenarios, may be helpful

How well supported is it by any included formative assessments?

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

The assessment isn't rigorous enough.

How well does it support planning?

Brilliantly: It has everything you could need and is straightforward to use with classes

Each plan has clear objectives and success criteria, with easy to see objectives for children, e.g. 'I can statements. The structure of each plan is clearly sectioned with differentiation evident. Well worded and the use of long term and medium plans is great for overviews and seeing how sessions are planned. Weakness - it would be more beneficial to see how units coul'd build upon previous learning - although I'm aware the units can be taught in whichever order each individual teacher prefers.

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

There are some examples on each plan which support what has been taught.

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

Each unit would benefit from examples of how other users have used resources and more 'unplugged' activities. Unplugged activities are more inclusive

Would you recommend it to a colleague in a similar school to yours? 8/11

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