Saving money this school year

GCSE Pod

We are the only publisher to provide in-depth online subject knowledge for 20+ GCSE subjects: every exam board and 150 different specifications. We are committed to a real time publishing programme to ensure we keep up-to-date with all changes. We are the only resource with a 40,000 strong dynamic Question Bank. This is backed up with the auto-identification of knowledge gaps and the provision of learning to fill them.

Website: www.gcsepod.com Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Image courtesy of supplier. Image courtesy of supplier.

Measuring value for money isn’t easy, but for school leaders it has become essential. According to a shake-up announced by secretary for education Justine Greening, £1.3 billion is to be reallocated within the schools’ budget over the next two years. Nonetheless, school leaders around the country have many tough decisions to make about how and where to allocate budgets for the year ahead.

In the current climate, school leaders are under more pressure than ever to make every penny count, and at GCSEPod we understand the responsibility we have for evidencing the value for money delivered by our service.


Launched initially as a revision resource for today’s students – a generation of children that are entirely used to consuming content on demand through desktops, laptops and mobile devices - GCSEPod is increasingly being used as a classroom and homework resource to help free up valuable teaching time to allow teachers to do what they do best – teach.


In a nutshell, GCSEPod is allowing schools to raise progress without breaking the bank.


Whilst the advantages of GCSEPod go way beyond financial gain, our digital content is without a doubt a far cheaper, more effective option than the traditional textbook and study guide.


Not only does it meet the needs of our digital natives, in an education system where curriculums do not stand still, we can constantly update our content to ensure that it is never out of date in the way that print study resources would be.


Jonathan Rowlands, assistant headteacher at Mayflower High School in Billericay, said: “In these trying financial times, we took the decision to renew our subscription to GCSEPod – because of the impact it has had and continues to have. It has been easy to gauge its impact on the students. In a time of constant change, GCSEPod has provided a consistent port-of-call for both teachers and students.”


There has been no shortage of debate over the introduction of Progress 8 into schools. However, it has made it far easier for our schools to evidence the benefits of GCSEPod usage vs progress.



Data we have collected from our 1000+ subscribing schools demonstrates that our Pods appeal not only to the highest-achieving students, but also those less able as well as reluctant learners in the classroom. It tells us that engaging with GCSEPod throughout the school year can produce a significant improvement on the Progress 8 metric. It also shows us that solidly embedding GCSEPod in a school drives usage over time, which yields the greatest benefits.


At Chipping Campden School in Gloucestershire, assistant headteacher Dominic Salles undertook a full investigation of the impact GCSEPod. He said: “In every subject a pattern emerged; students who had downloaded only a handful of podcasts had slightly underperformed, whereas students with the highest usage had greatly outperformed, often achieving a full grade higher than expected.


“Progress 8 provides a perfect platform on which to evaluate the impact of GCSEPod and because its target is set higher for more able students, we are able to get a true reflection of usage versus impact across the board.


“Two years ago it was clear to me that a £2,500 subscription was a bargain when compared to the £18,000 of a TA, or the £1,000 annual cost of a weekly hour of intervention; it was a no brainer.”


To find out how GCSEPod can help you to raise progress without breaking the bank, contact us on 0191 338 7830 / [email protected], or visit www.gcsepod.com.

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