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New Ofsted framework is good news for now>press>play schools

On 23 Apr, 2019 By With Comments Off on New Ofsted framework is good news for now>press>play schools

At last, there is hope on the horizon.

now>press>play Account manager Alex explains why the new Ofsted framework is good news for now>press>play schools.

In October 2018 Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Ofsted, announced some important changes to downgrade the influence of exam results in favour of focusing more on what is being taught and why. As such, the existing quality of teaching, learning and assessment judgement by Ofsted will be broadened to include a quality of education judgement based on the curriculum and outcomes. For teachers this means focusing more on the three “I”s:

  • Intention – Why do you teach what you teach?
  • Implementation – How do you teach it?
  • Impact – What progress did your children make?
A pair of pink now>press>play headphones.


If you’re one of the 160 now>press>play schools, this is good news. You already own a secret weapon to achieve this. A set of pink wireless headphones and access to over 60
EYFS, KS1 and KS2 curriculum Experiences across a range of topics from humanities, science, numeracy, and literacy.


Emily White, Head of Curriculum Development at Crab Lane Primary School, delivers a broad and balanced curriculum through using now>press>play regularly in her humanities lessons.

We have seen our children transported to Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt and on board the Titanic, to name but a few. Historical understanding and geographical knowledge are plentiful within the Experiences, along with providing an engaging stimulus for writing. Teaching fractions whilst ‘on board’ the Titanic makes learning purposeful and gives real-life context to abstract mathematical concepts. Emily White, Head of Curriculum Development, Crab Lane Primary School

Implementation is simple and as soon as the children see the pink headphones the class is excited and engaged. Ofsted have a new judgement criteria isolating the behaviour and attitudes of the students, so an active lesson stimulating their imagination and using collaborative learning meets this need. The follow on resources serve as a time-saving aid to lesson planning or inspiration to create your own activities.

Amanda Flint, Assistant Head at Pipworth Community Primary School, comments:

The variety of resources available enables us to plan for and make links between subjects, linking themes and concepts together. Children are motivated and enthusiastic about their learning when using the resource. It has supported children with their listening and discussion skills too. Amanda Flint, Assistant Head, Pipworth Community Primary School
War is declared. You are evacuated to the countryside. How will you fare in this unfamiliar world and will you ever see your family again?

For David Mordue, a year 2 teacher at Lanchester E.P Primary School, immersive learning has captured both the children and teachers’ imagination:

The children (and staff!) absolutely love using the headsets and it’s really helped us to give the children a richer diet of learning experiences. We can’t physically go back in time to the Stone Age for example, but having the now>press>play Experience is certainly the next best thing! We often use an Experience as a stimulus for cross-curricular writing too, which has led to some outstanding work from the children. Would highly recommend now>press>play to schools looking for more breadth and balance across their curriculum. David Mordue, Y2 teacher, Lanchester E.P Primary School

Kimberley Devlin, a year 3 teacher at Greenmount Primary School observes:

now>press>play allows our children to really immerse themselves in their learning. They are so motivated and captivated by the sessions, it’s certainly one way to get their undivided attention for a full half hour! now>press>play also meets our needs for a more active classroom. Children can move and roleplay stories whilst being completely engaged in the lesson content. A simple piece of kit can offer so many possibilities! Kimberley Devlin, Y3 teacher, Greenmount Primary School

In fact, every single teacher we spoke to would recommend now>press>play to a colleague and with a strong focus on a broad and balanced curriculum, now>press>play is a simple and effective way to achieve inspiring learning for all.

Join the growing number of schools across the UK who are using sound, movement and imagination to encourage writing skills and contact Indigo at hello@nowpressplay.co.uk to book your free audio adventure.

Alex, Account Manager for now>press>play
Alex is an account manager for now>press>play with over ten years of experience working in education. In 2010 he trained as an English, Media and Film Studies at a leading South London academy. Later in his career, he retrained as a primary school teacher and worked as a KS1 teacher at a junior school in Hove, East Sussex.
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