Case Study: The Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur

The Alice Smith School offers an international education from ages 3-18 based on the British curriculum, IGCSE and A Levels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Their purpose is to spark courageous exploration to inspire a better world.

• Taking the pain out of revision
• Using ExamSimulator
• Providing data-driven insights

Anna Sheppard was the Head of PE at Alice Smith school when this case study was conducted. She is now the Director of Sport at King's College International School, Thailand.

Anna's journey with The EverLearner

Not all of us are early adopters, enthusiastic about every new piece of technology or software claiming to ‘save us time’ or make life easier. The time it takes to learn how it works or to get to grips with its functionality can feel like a chore, even if it will be worth it in the long term. We spoke to Anna Sheppard, Head of PE and Sport at The Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur. Despite initial reluctance, Anna has become a huge advocate in the use of The EverLearner to support her PE and Sport lessons.

Having first come across The EverLearner when she joined her previous school in Bangkok, Anna was initially sceptical about getting on board. "My initial reaction was, it’s like lazy teaching", Anna admits. However, the other teachers at the school loved The EverLearner, so she gave it a try despite her misgivings. "They were raving about it, but I was of the thinking that ‘surely it’s not as good as the teacher standing up in front of the class'!"

Over time, Anna came to better understand the platform and to see the value that The EverLearner could offer, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. "It’s been really useful", says Anna. "I think COVID was probably the turning point where I actually realised that this is better than we first thought", as they began using the platform more fully. During the pandemic, Anna found lessons became fragmented as some students were absent and they had more students joining GCSE PE halfway through the school year, making catching up harder. "That’s when The EverLearner came into its own", says Anna.

Her school in Bangkok ended up upgrading their subscription to The EverLearner to include the ExamSimulator functionality, in order to set exam questions and get access to detailed analysis on students' writing performance. They have also been using the checkpoint feature (mini end-of-unit tests across topics) to keep tabs on student attainment, and this has provided staff with crucial insights into student progress.

Taking the pain out of revision

For Anna’s students, the checkpoint functionality has been a game changer when it comes to revision. With her students often finding the return from the Christmas break challenging, being able to map checkpoints onto the syllabus for the school year gives students a structure for their revision, and the different topics they have to revise for. "There are sample exam questions that have been set, so it's been brilliant for the revision part of it, definitely", Anna explains.

The EverLearner contains a rich database of engaging video content, designed to reinforce learning across a vast array of topics throughout the curriculum. Videos can be assigned by staff for students to watch as homework, or watch for revision, at any time. These videos have not just been useful for students, but have served as handy refreshers for staff too! "We might only teach biomechanics once every one to two years, so it’s not at the forefront of our brains", explains Anna. "Sometimes we need to re-learn it ourselves and then teach the kids!"

The ability for users to self-learn through the videos on the platform has a crucial advantage: it frees up teachers' lesson time for practical sessions. "We use it a little bit in the classroom, but we prioritise our time with our students to be as practical as possible", explains Anna.

That’s been the biggest journey for Anna: realising the way The EverLearner can support in-person teaching and learning while equipping teachers with the resources to enhance attainment and access crucial learning insights.

Providing data-driven insights

The data provided by The EverLearner’s ExamSimulator has been invaluable in a number of ways, such as being able to back up any feedback given to parents when discussing their child’s progress and where their child has room for improvement. "You've got data," explains Anna. "You can follow up with parents to say this is what the teacher has set and this is what your child has chosen not to follow up and do."

This evidence-based approach means a clear course of action can be set to remedy any issues and keep students on track with parental support.

Easy access to attainment data has been a real highlight of The EverLearner. "I’d say ExamSimulator is the best feature. It’s amazing. Amazing!", says Anna.

Despite her initial reluctance, Anna is now a huge advocate for The EverLearner, having used the platform for six years.

When asked if she would recommend The EverLearner to others, she told us: "Definitely! We had an email this week from a Head of PE who was asking about The EverLearner, and I wrote back saying 'Yes, you need to get it! Make sure you get the ExamSimulator because it's even more helpful' ", Anna smiles. "So yeah, definitely."