Customer Story:
Eggar's School

• Eggar’s School addresses the gender gap in academic achievement using GCSEPod.
• The platform serves as a versatile tool for revision, homework, and engagement.
• Higher GCSEPod usage correlates with improved academic outcomes, including Progress 8 and Attainment 8 scores.
• Teacher feedback emphasises GCSEPod's role in enhancing student learning and independence.
• Eggar’s School emerges as a top user of GCSEPod nationally, with significant increases in usage.
• The platform remains instrumental in Eggar’s School's pursuit of academic excellence and closing the gender gap.

Closing the gender gap

The performance gap between girls and boys in KS4 is a serious national concern. At this school, GCSEPod isn’t just being used as a GCSE teaching and learning tool for its Year 10 and 11 students, but has been rolled out across the academy as it looks to close the Progress 8 gap between boys and girls.

About Eggar’s School: A brief history

When ‘John Eggar’s Free Grammar School’ was founded in 1640 in the then small Hampshire market town of Alton, in the picturesque Wey Valley, it was an exclusively male establishment.

Eggar had long dreamt of providing a free to attend school to meet the needs of the local community, and in 1638 the gentleman farmer bought 39 acres of land to achieve his ambition. In 1642 the first head teacher was appointed – the date of which features on the Eggar’s School crest, the name by which the former grammar school is now known.

It has been through many changes in the near 380 years since those first boys walked through the door of John Eggar’s Free Grammar School. In 1969 it moved from its original 17th century base into a modern, purpose-built school on a new site in Alton. In 1975 it converted to a comprehensive school, accessible to all children from the area, and in 2012 took on academy status.

But perhaps one of the biggest changes in the school’s history came in 1911 when girls could attend for the first time – 269 years after its inauguration.

Firmly established as one of Hampshire’s best state schools, Eggar’s has been rated ‘Good’ with outstanding features by Ofsted. It has
maintained its position as not only one of the highest performing schools in its area, but in the top 10% nationally too.

Despite good GCSE results, girls were outperforming boys

In GCSE exams, 81% achieved Level 4 or above, with 84% in Mathematics and 86% in English. In Science, 78% attained Level 4 or above in two or more disciplines, with 63% reaching Level 5 and above.

Despite challenges from tougher standards, Eggar’s School succeeded in fulfilling its mission, preparing students for bright futures. However, concerns emerged as girls consistently outperformed boys in Progress 8, reflecting a national trend.

Addressing this gender gap, Deputy Headteacher, Martyn Reah, identified it as a significant issue. Historical factors and recent co-educational transitions contribute to the imbalance of male to female students.

An Ofsted report highlighted areas for improvement, particularly among boys. To tackle this, Eggar’s School utilised GCSEPod to enhance teaching and learning, aiming to narrow the Progress 8 gap.

The strategic use of GCSEPod in Eggar’s School

Typically utilised by Year 10 and 11 students as a revision tool, the school expanded the use of the online teaching and learning platform to include all year groups as part of a new Scholarly Attitude initiative. This initiative, encompassing engagement, revision, and homework, leverages GCSEPod alongside other resources.

According to Martyn, the premise was simple: introducing GCSEPod from Year 7 onwards would enable teachers to better target weaknesses, reinforce subject knowledge, and expedite progress. This approach emphasises precision revision over a scattered method, aiming to minimise variations across the school and enhance the quality of teaching and learning.

Utilising GCSEPod to improve Progress 8 scores

Martyn candidly addresses the school's challenges: Despite being a top-performing school in Hampshire, Eggar’s School has seen a decline in its Progress 8 (P8) score from -0.18 to -0.33 in recent years.

• Goal: The school aims for all students to achieve an average of grade 6 or above.
• Solution: Martyn believes GCSEPod plays a crucial role in achieving this goal, as evidenced by improved Progress 8 outcomes among students who engaged with the platform.

Year 11 GCSEPod Impact Report

High engagement with GCSEPod correlates with better Progress 8 and Attainment 8 outcomes:

• On average, the highest users throughout the year achieved 1.2 more Progress 8 points than the lowest users.
• During the exam period, high users attained 0.9 more Progress 8 points compared to low users.
• Main users throughout the year realised 8% more Attainment 8 points than the lowest users, translating to 2% more Attainment 8 points during exams.

Teacher Feedback on GCSEPod usage

• Chris Rowe, Head of Geography:
• Homework Approach: GCSEPod is assigned as homework every three weeks for years 10 and 11, using interleaving. It has led to an increase in specific knowledge, particularly about case studies, and improved students' ability to use facts and figures.
• Clare Daish, History Curriculum Leader:
• In-Class Use: GCSEPod is used in class to introduce topics, providing students with an overview of the subject's relevance and usefulness.
• Homework Strategy: Specific pods are attached to homework assignments to aid students, and they are also used to demonstrate how to create flashcards.
• Mobile Accessibility: Students can access GCSEPod on their phones during class, allowing them to watch relevant pods independently. This promotes resourcefulness and reduces reliance on the teacher for answers.

Results so far

• Increased Usage:
• Eggar’s School has seen a significant rise in Pod views, ranking as the third top GCSEPod user nationally out of 1,244 schools this academic year.
• Nearly 55,000 Pods were watched by the end of the spring term, with Year 10 students viewing over 29,000 and Year 11 students viewing 18,612.
• Factors Contributing to Increased Usage:
• Usage tripled through targeted department focus and utilisation of the 'Show My Homework' tool to track and monitor assignments.
• The school adopted a 'little and often' approach to learning, aligning well with GCSEPod's teaching style, which emphasises visual and auditory methods for better comprehension and retention.
• Martyn's Perspective:
• Martyn highlights the school's focus on ensuring every student achieves their top 20 target for progress in each lesson.
• The goal is not just to meet the minimum GCSE grade 4 requirement but to attain an average grade 6. GCSEPod plays a crucial role in achieving this goal.

Related resources

If you resonated with any of the topics covered in Eggar’s School’s success story, you can book a demo of GCSEPod or head over to the pricing page.

We have also launched new Key Stage 3 Content, which is a bundle within GCSEPod. It includes Year 7 transition assessments, structured activities, independent learning, and reporting and end of unit assessment resources. Find out more here.