Addressing the curriculum needs and challenges of new Ofsted Inspection framework

UK school leaders and teachers will be able to join Britannica’s Bett stand (stand NC60), themed the Britannica Curriculum Clinic. There, Shireland leaders, teachers, and curriculum designers will be available, in partnership with Britannica solution engineers, industry experts, and education professionals for collaborative conversations that address the pain points UK schools are grappling with in meeting the new curricular expectations of the Ofsted Inspection framework.  The Clinic will also cover the ever increasing demands of schools to maximize return on investments while maximizing student learning outcomes and optimize workload of teachers, who carry a heavy share of curriculum planning, material sourcing, and personal financing.

Headlining the educational-technology solutions the company will preview at its stand are new LaunchPacks, a rigorously and locally curated collection of online content resources that contain structured lesson plans, knowledge-rich informational texts and multi-media content to deliver high-quality lessons. The resources include professional implementation support so that teachers not only have the best tools but also the support and knowledge to use them effectively in their classrooms. This is particularly important as often times Humanities – due to teacher shortages – are taught by non-subject specialists.

Built by education leaders and teachers at Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust along with curriculum experts, editors, and product pioneers at Britannica, LaunchPacks places students and their development at the heart of learning. With lesson routes, learning journeys, unparalleled, safe content from Britannica, and an EdTech platform that is seamless for teachers and students, LaunchPacks support teachers in delivering a structured programme that provides curriculum scaffolding and reduces the amount of time spent planning.

The innovative partnership between Shireland, its CEO Sir Mark Grundy, and Britannica is one of the first collaborative solutions to support the Government’s new EdTech Strategy. This approach is especially valuable and important in light of the new Ofsted Framework, under which the ratings of nearly 1/3^rd of the schools evaluated since September have declined from their previous reviews, while close to half are deemed to be failing.

Among the challenges identified by the Department for Education (DfE) is the burden placed on teachers who, in an effort to meet the needs of their students, spend up to 9 hours a week planning lessons, a root cause for teachers leaving the profession. LaunchPacks do the “heavy lifting” on theme, lesson and progression planning, while still allowing for teacher autonomy.

The LaunchPacks solution provides a structured framework for new and non-specialist teachers to meet requirements, while at the same time allowing tenured teachers agency to customise and have more time to bring their expertise and professionalism into their classrooms.

In creating LaunchPacks, Britannica and Shireland have developed a Complete Curriculum Programme (CCP) that provides everything a teacher needs to cover a national curriculum subject across an entire key stage. LaunchPacks is launching into the market as a CCP for Key Stage 4 History and Geography, with plans to expand into primary stages and other subject areas.

The challenges that schools face in Britain are emblematic of those confronting educators everywhere – how do we prepare young adults for the 21^st century needs and help them on their journey: education to employment to economic independence, according to Karthik Krishnan (KarthikOnTheGo), global CEO of the Britannica Group.

“There’s global crisis in education,” said Krishnan.

“In many parts of the world, children who should be in school aren’t. For those who are, their schools often lack the resources to provide them with adequate instruction.  At a time when quality education is arguably more vital to one’s life chances than ever before, these children are missing out on the learning they’ll need to participate in the world economy, contribute as responsible global citizens, and grow into adults who can lead active and fulfilling lives.

“The future of our world depends on education leaders addressing these problems, and one of the ways to do it is through partnerships with ministries of education, innovative schools and expert educators. Britannica is excited to partner with Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust to deliver an engaging learning experience for students, and save teachers time by providing curated modular content in multiple digital learning formats that are tied to meeting the new Ofsted requirements. This partnership is one of many Britannica initiatives aimed at addressing the global education crisis and deliver on our brand promise — Save time. Learn more. Be sure. Be prepared.” 

Visitors to the Britannica stand will also get to explore the Britannica School, a trusted online learning resource that allows students to access differentiated and safe content from the Britannica knowledge bank. Also LumieLabs, the company’s new video creation and digital storytelling tool that is a finalist for this year’s Bett award for Classroom Aids for Learning, Teaching, and Assessment.

UK educators who are interested in continuing the conversation can join an exclusive online Curriculum Strategy MasterClass with Sir Mark Grundy. Attendees will consider how to shape, broaden, and resource a high-quality, progressive curriculum mapped to the new Inspection Framework, and by the end of the MasterClass will understand how to apply best-practice to their curriculum planning and ensure that it supports the Ofsted Framework.​