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SHERSTON | PROMOTION | 59
SHERSTON BOLDLY MOVES TO FREEMIUM MODEL
After more than 30 years developing award-winning software for primary schools, Sherston has made one of the boldest moves in education technology history – giving away over 3,000 English, Maths and Science resources to every UK primary school. Cathy Parker, Sherston’s Education Consultant, explains why
schools for multimedia resources. At the peak, Sherston almost couldn’t keep up with demand, but many developers reflect on this period as one of diluted excellence, with investors keen to capitalise. In August 2008, eLC funding ceased and the credit crunch burst the software bubble. Thanks to quality resources, Sherston’s
Back to the eighties… In 1982, the Department of Trade and
Industry started the ‘Micros in Schools’ project, persuading secondary schools to invest in microcomputers (above). In the first year, about 80% (5,000) of state secondaries bought computers. A year later, teachers Lou and Bill
Bonham saw the potential of ICT in primary schools, but couldn’t find anything that effectively engaged children. Working with BBC Micros, they authored their own programs which became instant hits. Sherston Software was founded and their titles are now found in virtually every primary school in the UK.
customers remained loyal. However, Sherston fell behind the technology curve. Start-ups like Education City and Espresso Education (both founded in the late nineties) recognised the opportunity to provide whole-curriculum solutions online.
Back to cutting-edge technology With fresh investment and a new team, Sherston started to return to a place its founders would be proud of. Their newly created online platform was intended as more than a content delivery system and, importantly, to use the latest technologies available. The team felt that the standard of online gaming offered to consumers far outclassed the digital equivalent in schools, so set about bringing gamification into the classroom.
Fast-forward to the noughties… Twenty years on, with computers rooted in education, the UK government launched eLearning Credits, allocating money to
So what is Planet Sherston? Drawing on only the best content, adding sophisticated gamification and breaking every activity into curriculum ‘I Can’ statements, the developers also created an adaptive learning engine that learns from individual pupils’ atainment, automatically selecting activities for each pupil at a mouseclick. Pupils’ work is automatically marked and individuals’ progress is tracked live, allowing teachers to see where their pupils are with regards to I Can statements. The teacher tools are simple to use, allowing easy navigation through over
Social impact In 2013, a leading team of educationalists recognised the unique contributions Planet Sherston could now make in the classroom, shortlisting Planet Sherston as a finalist in the BETT Awards Primary Digital Content category. At the same time, Sherston Software became one of the first to receive investment from a £25m social investment fund, Nesta Impact Investments, launched to invest in life- changing innovations.
3,000 activities, videos and games. The pupil interface matches the best in modern gaming sites, with content of unrivalled educational quality.
Announcing the investment in January
this year, Karim Derrick, Sherston’s CEO, said: “Their investment will help us to build on our strong pedigree to provide the best in online adaptive learning, and underpins our shared ambition to leverage technology to improve student atainment.” Ultimately, real social impact will
only be atained if every child has the opportunity to access Planet Sherston. Free teaching resources are everywhere.
Internet and social media allow educators to access a wealth of materials. But never before have teachers benefited from access to a completely free online learning world complete with over 3,000 curriculum mapped resources, adaptive learning, progress tracking, automatic marking and modern gameplay. See for yourself by visiting:
www.planetsherston.com ET UB
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