Academic Excellence at Mercia School

About the school

Mercia School, located in Sheffield, offers an academically rigorous environment that focuses on assisting their scholars in achieving their full potential and preparing them for top Russell Group and Ivy League universities. With an Outstanding rating from Ofsted, Mercia School is the number one school in the country for disadvantaged Pupils and third place for progress overall, currently outperforming hundreds of schools in London. Their emphasis on the importance of taking STEM subjects has resulted in around ¾ of the Mercia Collegiate Sixth Form cohort being onboarded to at least one or more of the six A Level subjects Up Learn has to offer.

About the teacher

Louise Heritage’s teaching career began as a French and Italian teacher in 2013, before completing a Master of Education at the University of Cambridge. Her background in linguistics lends itself to fostering a culture of dedication and confidence for the cohort she oversees at Mercia Collegiate Sixth Form, facilitated greatly by their use of Up Learn.

STEM at Mercia

Mercia scholars are extensively using Up Learn to supplement their studies. Louise talked to us about the Sixth Form’s distinct approach to A Levels, aiming to attract elite pupils from Sheffield and beyond and become the top destination for post-16 provision. The cohort is small and highly academic, with scholars dedicated to achieving top A Level grades. Maths, Biology, and Chemistry are the most popular subjects, as a large proportion of scholars undertake STEM subjects with a view to studying Medicine.

The current cohort have had access to Up Learn from the start of Year 12 to accompany their independent study. Independent study sessions are timetabled into their week, along with scholars being able to access Up Learn from home. Louise explained that scholars studying Chemistry, Biology and Psychology are encouraged to spend at least two hours a week on Up Learn, especially as exams approach.

Independent study

Teachers assign four hours of independent study a week, half of which is dedicated solely to Up Learn for those studying Sciences and Psychology. As the year goes on, Year 12 scholars tend to use the platform more and more effectively, recognising its value in both revision and exam preparation. Louise shared that Mercia scholars have had “a lot of video-lesson time and have found it very helpful.” The scholars then “move through the different components of their subjects, and as they grow more confident, they engage with practice papers and use mark schemes for feedback.”

Scholars frequently praise Up Learn, particularly for Chemistry, Psychology and Economics. Chemistry students, many of whom find the subject challenging, have seen significant benefits from Up Learn, which allows scholars to revisit and consolidate difficult concepts. The platform has been essential, as Louise explained, “the opportunity to recap topics independently and work on topics that they find challenging has been invaluable.” Building their exam confidence has also been key, with the Chemistry department in particular noting that scholars found it “absolutely essential to their confidence so that they feel prepared for the exam.”

Teacher dashboards

The Mercia initial January mock results were promising, with Up Learn playing a crucial role. The new dashboard feature which enables teachers across all six departments to track student activity has been particularly useful, with Louise praising its “really informative insight.” It allows for monitoring work and ensuring scholars are meeting their required study hours. The correlation between Up Learn usage and scholar success is evident, reinforcing its value. Mercia Sixth Form has seen huge value in the platform and are very much looking forward to using it again next year.

Benefits for the teacher

• –Teacher dashboards allow insight into user activity
• –High quality independent study work guarantee
• –Able to set scholars specific topics to complete
• –Bronze ADCN Lamp (Digital Craft)

“The Chemistry teacher speaks of being able to see if they have done their two hours with a clear check. It’s the monitoring of work and input that Up Learn’s display screen and tracking abilities that really help.”

Benefits for the scholars

• –Gets scholars into a positive, easy revision routine
• –Access to a high-quality learning tool from anywhere; school, home or holiday
• –Detailed feedback from teachers

“Mercia scholars always speak so highly of Up Learn. They have found it absolutely essential to their confidence so that they feel prepared for the exam.”

Tips & tricks

• –Incorporate Up Learn into independent study time
• –Utilise teacher dashboard for data and insights
• –Encourage watching video lessons earlier in the year
• –Bronze ADCN Lamp (Digital Craft)

“For many of the cohort, half of their independent study time is spent on the platform. Up Learn has allowed them to revisit, consolidate, understand, go in their own time, watch again, etcetera. That recap and time on their own to work on the areas that they find challenging has been invaluable.”

Impact & outcomes

• –Promising January mock marks
• –Direct correlation with scholars committing to the platform and achieving high grades
• –The platform grows scholars’ confidence and increases exam readiness

“The keenest ones that revise the most then grow in confidence, and therefore they’re doing better. It’s cyclical, so there’s definitely a correlation with success and usage. I can totally see the value which is why we’ve invested in it and look forward to offering it again for next year.”

Want to find out more about how Up Learn can help your school and your students? Get in touch with our team: https://uplearn.co.uk/schools/