We wanted an intervention that could be used at home as well as in school
We looked into Third Space Learning in November 2020 as we had funding from the National Tutoring Programme, and we knew about Third Space as we had done it previously. This discounted bundle was an obvious use of the funds, and as the Headteacher expected another lockdown, he wanted to invest in a platform that could be done from home as well as in school. When it was announced schools were to close again in January 2021, we were able to get our pupils set up for their sessions from home.
Accessing the sessions from home has worked really well
We’ve had two weeks of Third Space and four sessions in total. For the Tuesday session, we had all but one of the children join. I think there’s probably a correlation between the children at home having a school laptop provided to them and children signed up to Third Space. So luckily, we’ve only had to send out one or two additional laptops. I phoned the parents to explain about the sessions and I also sent out a helpful video that Third Space Learning had made. They also sent out some additional headsets when we requested them. It’s working really well and the children are all attending.
We use the intervention for catch up learning for a range of different abilities
There was a highlighted group of students that were behind where they should be in terms of maths, and not necessarily all lower ability. We have a whole mix of abilities doing Third Space, it’s whether they were behind where we believe they should be in terms of their personal maths attainment. The fact that we can do a range of abilities is nice, and this has been made more accessible through the additional funding from the National Tutoring Programme (NTP). I would advise other schools to take advantage of the NTP. You can get a lot more bang for your buck by utilising it. We know that catch up will need to take place due to Covid and students not being in a school environment, so the NTP seems like an obvious choice as it is a discount for catch up. I would absolutely recommend Third Space Learning to other schools in our area. I am confident it will have an impact.
“Our Year 4s really really love it. Some kids who we wouldn’t expect to excel in Third Space are doing really well and are really enjoying it, so Third Space could be a new way of learning that gels with them. Kids are constantly asking when Third Space is happening. If you were to say “we’re about to do maths” a lot of them would groan, but this is maths disguised as something else.”
The one to one sessions are enjoyed by all pupils
The kids really enjoy it. Our Year 4s really really love it. Some kids who we wouldn’t expect to excel in Third Space are doing really well and are really enjoying it, so Third Space could be a new way of learning that gels with them. Kids are constantly asking when Third Space is happening. They seem to really enjoy it, and the one to one is nice.
If you were to say “we’re about to do maths” a lot of them would groan, but this is maths disguised as something else.
Watch a session in action
See how Skye guides pupils through a full one-to-one session.
