Marshfield Primary have been using now>press>play since 2017 to support their use of the IPC curriculum. In this case study, hear from KS1 teacher Jake Dunn about how now>press>play helps the school develop cross-curricular skills for its pupils through sensory, active learning.
now>press>play’s impact across the curriculum
We started using now>press>play three years ago and it is used regularly in our school. We follow the IPC curriculum and now>press>play matches the units of work brilliantly. It is such a cross-curricular resource that even if we are doing a maths experience, we can link it to literacy.
now>press>play allows us to incorporate the use of technology with all the year groups, from EYFS to KS1 and KS2, over a wide variety of subjects and topics. We use the Experiences as entry points or stand alone lessons.
The impact is cross-curricular in all Foundation subjects. The knowledge they are taught is compounded with follow-on resources and really comes across in their writing. It also impacts their personal skills such as listening, following instructions, and talking and sharing about how it made them feel. I love how these transferable skills overlap into the different subjects.
How now>press>play supports our SEND and EAL learners
now>press>play works well for the children in our school with SEND and EAL and is very inclusive, giving the children the sense of a 1:1 lesson. Each child has a unique experience that is special to them and at the same time they are all living it together so that gives a sense of comradery.
In my class we have a child from Syria, and they had only been in the UK for two weeks. They had language development needs and were struggling in the classroom. But when they participated in the Arctic Experience, they were able to follow the movements of the other children independently without support from a TA or teacher, and they really felt included in a way that is hard to achieve in the classroom.
Using now>press>play resources to embed learning across multiple lessons
The now>press>play Experiences provide the children with a lesson that is different from their class teacher’s and this variety creates greater engagement with children of all abilities. It also provides the opportunity for spoken comprehension and creates a greater awareness and understanding.
The follow-up lessons that are provided really link to the immersive Experience and compounds the children’s understanding. We use the scripts and highlight the significant words and talk about them with the class before they do the actual Experience. We place the words on the classroom walls, or as pictures in EYFS, and then we use this to increase and enrich the children’s vocabulary.
The discussions at the end of each now>press>play Experience are rich and are an opportunity to extend their vocabulary and delve into emotions. For example the discussion after the Arctic Experience led into a deep dive about Climate Change and how we can look after the planet and make changes at home and at school.
Teacher workload / support
now>press>play reduces the teacher workload as it provides you with a ready made, fully researched lesson that is quality controlled. It provides teachers with an immersive lesson that contributes to our teaching sequence and is now part of our normal teaching practice. now>press>play supported us to map their Experiences into our curriculum and this helped us to fully embed the resource.
The company is very responsive and the few times we have needed tech support they have always been responsive and resolved the issue within 48 hours.
We also use now>press>play in other ways by connecting the transmitter to other audio sources to play back through the headphones to the children. We might be listening to some classical music to help focus their attention or to watch a video or follow an audio book. This gives the resource a great degree of flexibility to support a teacher in whichever way they choose.
now>press>play is very cost effective, especially if it is used as regularly as we do. School trips can be costly and not always approved and now>press>play provides the children with stimulating experiences that inspire not only the children but the staff too!
Thank you to Marshfield School for sharing their experience using our resources. As a now>press>play Flagship School, we’re thrilled to continue supporting the school in developing cross-curricular skills for its pupils.
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