GCSEPod is an educational platform offering subscribers unique, audio-visual teaching and learning resources. Bringing together the key elements of content, assessment, and data, combining them with tracking and monitoring all on one platform, GCSEPod is proven to engage students, consolidate subject knowledge, and accelerate progress while – crucially – reducing teacher workload.
Evidence-based impact is at the heart of how we measure our company’s success in the market. In 2019 (the last exam- only measured IGCSE/GCSE’s) on average, regular users of GCSEPod achieved one whole grade higher per subject than non-users. GCSEPod is proud to boast a 4.8/5 rating on EdTech impact and the feedback from our customers evidences the effect the product has on school life and learning.
The main functions of GCSEPod can be split into four areas: teach, assess, monitor, and engage.
GCSEPod has been called the ‘Netflix’ of GCSE content. Using scientifically proven learning techniques, our content engages students in a way that builds confidence and self-belief, encouraging them to work smarter not harder. GCSEPod’s learning content covers 28 GCSE and IGCSE subjects and is relevant to the main exam boards used internationally.
Learning is delivered to students in the form of ‘Pods’. Each ‘Pod’ is a micro byte of 3-5 minutes of high-quality audio-visual learning, keeping our Pods short allows us to engage students without overwhelming them with too much information too quickly.
Our library of Pods is currently 6,000+ strong, covering 28 subjects. Schools can pre-select their choice of subject and exam specifications so that students see only relevant pre-created playlists, making it easy for users to organise their learning.
Students can either work through the content independently and at their own pace or their learning journey can be dictated by their teacher who can set assignments, recommend content, and mark summative assessments online.
The star of the assessment area is Check & Challenge, an assessment system that promotes learning not just testing. Using scaffolded support and common misconceptions – it is like having a "teacher in your pocket”! The data gained from Check & Challenge provides granular and actionable feedback, which translates to accelerated progress and no wasted time.
Our Exam-Style Assignments offers a unique way to practice essential skills and test knowledge. Original, exam board-specific questions, all written by experts, are now available for more than 20 GCSE subjects. Easy to set using our Ready-Made Assignments function and quick to mark, thanks to a partially automated marking system. This is backed up by clear marking support for every question, saving valuable time.
GCSEPod enables usage review by user (teacher or student), group, individual and category (e.g. EAL). A wide range of bespoke reports can be automatically created, ready to share with colleagues or export into school management systems.
Our bespoke MAT package was created with the advice of MAT subscribers and has been improving year on year to navigate the unique challenges faced by MATs; to make our approach the ‘gold standard’ when it comes to a Trust-wide subscription.
There is such a large proportion of students with differing needs and from different backgrounds and engaging learning both inside and outside of the classroom can prove very challenging. 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.
With a Trust, one size does not fit all so there needs to be a serious effort made to make integration and use as seamless as possible.
We have a dedicated MAT Project Manager assigned to each GCSEPod Lead on each site who will oversee the Trust Dashboard/ Strategy. They will help to plan a MAT scale launch creating a high-profile approach and all planned with assistance from GCSEPod to increase engagement across the curriculum.We provide all the resources necessary – from webinars, launch presentations to parents’ communications, letters, celebrations and student rewards.
A Trust subscription gives access to detailed Trust CPD, bespoke Trust support materials and resources, monthly impact and usage reports, annual impact reports and bespoke recognition and competition across the Trust.
There is a MAT dashboard which creates motivation and transparency across the Trust, giving Heads the ability to view usage Trust-wide with ease.
Specific assessment tools like Check & Challenge and Exam-Style Assignments create consistent resources to assess learning. The granular data available from these can be used across the Trust for assessment & Intervention.
We are always looking for ways to reduce teacher workload and there are many brilliant features across the platform – such as the Co-Marking option, Ready-Made Assignments and the independent nature of Check & Challenge. Another stand-out time-saver is the option for subject specialists to create bespoke assignments and share across all schools within the Trust – standardising lessons and data.
We have an annual national PodGames competition and a MAT version to hold your own ‘inter-MAT’ PodGames,
There is also a tailored pricing structure to take advantage of economies of scale.
Take a look at this free digital magazine from Access Education, packed with insights, opinions, and real-life stories from those working within the education space.
GCSEPod has developed hugely since its beginnings in 2010 as an independent learning and revision tool. This evolution has been catalysed by the changing pressures facing schools: time strapped teachers, slashed budgets, tougher linear examinations and higher expectations. And that was before the global pandemic. Not only has GCSEPod adapted to changes in the UK, but it has also expanded into 40 countries and over 1,700 schools worldwide and won a Queens Award in 2021 for International Trade. Cultural sensitivities and differing school environments have necessitated innovative ways to reduce staff workload whilst driving results.
For many schools, the number of hours in the classroom is no longer enough to teach the whole syllabus to the required high standard. Independent learning and flipped learning have become essential. Over 70% student usage of GCSEPod is done outside school hours, creating the equivalent of more than 111 extra study days over an academic year (average usage per school: 10,000 pods; average Pod length: 4 minutes = 667 hours/6-hour school day = 111 extra days of learning).
For all in the sector, GCSEPod is a safe place to send their students. The unique 3-5 minute, highly concentrated, ‘Pods’ are expert written, rigorously quality assured and created in-house to precisely match the latest specifications for all major IGCSE/GCSE exam boards. These Pods are constantly updated to keep the learning fresh.
Last year, over 8 million Pods were watched (over 18 million hours of learning). In effect, GCSEPod creates more hours in the day for both teachers and students with no additional investment in hardware.
For the cost of £1 per student in KS4, GCSEPod provides digital content across 28 subjects – futureproofed against further specification or subject changes.
Schools are under pressure to demonstrate the impact of their initiatives and a return on their investment. Data from over 600 English secondary schools shows a positive correlation between GCSEPod usage and the impact on Progress 8. Read this case study from the Garibaldi School and Kevin Chatten, who did his own analysis on the impact of GCSEPod.
Exam-Style Assignments were launched in time for Schools to be able to evidence their Teacher Assessed Grades and the granular reporting available to schools is, by far, the best on the market.
GCSEPod’s support follows a coaching model, ensuring schools maximise their investment.
It is based on 4 key principals:
1. Consistency of contact with a trusted advisor
2. Regular, meaningful support
3. Pro-active engagement
4. Intervention when required
The PM is a key point of contact for everything (setup, technical support, advice) throughout their whole subscription, including termly catch ups to ensure objectives are being met. The PM pro-actively maintains regular contact. Subscribers can access a suite of valuable teaching tools and unlimited support, guidance and advice. The GCSEPod subscribing community shares best practice, collaborates on innovative e-learning projects and are invited to attend networking events.
GCSEPod is flexible, perfect for blended learning, with ground-breaking assessment and works with Google, Teams, Satchel One, Frog, Firefly, Class Charts or as a standalone online learning platform. This reduces barrier to entry for students and removes all burdensome manual tasks for school IT teams as everything is synchronised automatically daily.
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Company no: 05303883
Charity no: 1107640
