• Rural LA school 348 pupils in Buckinghamshire
• Ofsted rating: Good
• FSM: 10.6%

Review rating:

Average rating across all Purple Mash reviews: 4.2/5

On the whole it is a versatile and useful resource. The spellings are particularly good for prep for SATs.

How well does it match the curriculum?

Well: It covers the curriculum as well as we expected

Lots of ideas, resources are versatile, one aspect e.g a leaflet can be used for all sorts of subjects.

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 challenge

The word banks and some aspects such as sentence starters do enable the lowers to be supported with some scaffolding. Extension is usually by outcome, which doesn't always get the best results.

How well does it engage and motivate pupils?

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

The same with most things, all children need a varied diet of resources and ideas, so we wouldn't use one resource solely for delivery, it would always be mixed up with other aspects.

How well supported is it by any included formative assessments?

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

Not really used this aspect I am afraid.

How well does it support planning?

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

The plans are almost too detailed! Sometimes the detail means you get a bit bogged down when you are then having to convert them to your school format.

How well does it support home use / independent learning?

Well: Pupils could be expected to use this at home or independently, with a minimum amount of support or additional resources

This was a real bonus as children where familiar with it and knew how it worked when they were at home.

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

There's a lot there, I am not sure I always use as much as I could. Is there any training available?

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

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