COMPUTING & IT RESOURCES
Using software to support the delivery of best practice in the classroom
L
ancashire edtech company Learning by Questions (LbQ) is launching Wayfinder, an innovative new teaching and learning software that helps schools deliver the most effective teaching techniques that would otherwise be impossible for educators to do alone. Leading educational institutions such as the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) have long published evidence on what works most effectively in the classroom. However, in the context of an over-stretched educational system, embedding best practice on a day-to-day basis can be challenging for schools, as Former Headteacher and LbQ Ambassador, Rob Blanchet, explains:
“Every child’s starting point for learning is unique. Therefore, every child needs teaching which meets their individual needs. Delivering lessons which are both accessible to all and provide enough stretch and challenge to ensure that every child makes progress is a real challenge. On top of this, teachers also need to react to the children’s progress within the lesson – re-framing explanations, providing support or upping the challenge as the lesson unfolds. But how can they do this – day in, day out – without being buried under a mountain of marking and assessment?”
According to the Teacher Labour Market in England Annual Report 2025 undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research, teacher leaving rates have remained persistently high since the pandemic, and 90% of those that considered leaving the profession in 2023/24 cited high workload as a factor. Finding ways to reduce the burden of unnecessary tasks on teachers, whilst enabling them to apply what evidence has proven to be best practice, is the challenge that has been taken up by the creators of Wayfinder.
Greg Adam, Managing Director of LbQ, said: “We wanted to weave best practice into teachers’ day to day activities. Things like formative assessment, dynamic small group interventions, retrieval and spaced practices, and of course, immediate feedback, are all possible with digital support. In fact, Wayfinder actually frees up additional time for teachers to spend in
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www.education-today.co.uk June 2025 alternative and more impactful ways.”
Positive outcomes of the solution have the potential to be exponential, with Wayfinder being designed for Key Stage 2, from year 3 through to year 6. It features diagnostically empowered teaching resources, regular gap-filling checks, flexible intervention groups, personalised pupil tasks and regular retrieval practice.
“Wayfinder is a game changer. At Masefield, we simply couldn’t live without it,” says Andy Done, Head of School at Masefield Primary School in Bolton, which has been using the beta version over recent months. “It draws on the best evidence to drive pupil progress and achievement, helping us build a truly high-performing school. Not only does it give every child access to high-quality, purposeful questions, it also streamlines resourcing, reduces teacher workload, and gives me the strategic insight I need – all in real time. Wayfinder isn’t just another tool; it’s part of our school.” Wayfinder builds on the technology already in use in LbQ’s successful and widely acclaimed SATs Springboard product launched in 2023. In a survey of year 6 teachers that have used the platform, 100% said it reduced their workload and increased their wellbeing, whilst 98% said pupil progress had accelerated. Recently Springboard has been shortlisted for a BETT Award and Digital Education Award, and also been awarded Best Primary Product ICT in the Education Resources Awards.
For a virtual tour of Wayfinder, LBQ’s latest innovation to support teachers and enhance learning, visit
https://primary.lbq.org/wayfinder/
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