How LEO Academy Trust ensured a successful edtech rollout with CENTURY

LEO Academy Trust consists of nine primary schools, serving over 4,500 pupils from across the London Borough of Sutton and Surrey. We spoke with Cheryl Shirley, Director for Computing and Digital Skills for the Trust, about how they piloted and successfully embedded CENTURY across the group. 

How did you first hear about CENTURY and what prompted you to choose CENTURY for LEO Academy Trust?

I initially learned about CENTURY through several colleagues who had seen it being demoed at a few events. We were looking for a way to address individual children whilst also supporting our teachers. Its emphasis on personalised learning, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience-based recommendations aligned with our Trust’s goals.

Could you describe the process of how you successfully rolled out CENTURY and any advice you may have for other schools/MATs implementing CENTURY?

Successful rollout was about clear planning and excellent communication. We began with a pilot phase across two of our schools, trialling across a range of year groups and allowing for teacher feedback and buy-in. CENTURY provided zoom training prior to launch as well as follow-up in-person training. As part of our ongoing professional development we make sure to incorporate 15 minutes at the start of staff meetings to share CENTURY best practice. At each of our schools we have dedicated ‘Digital Champions’ who can support in-house. My advice is to involve teachers every step of the way. The account managers at CENTURY are always on hand to answer any questions and happy to jump on a call to show us things. 

Which elements of the platform motivate learners to succeed?

One of the most notable successes we’ve seen with CENTURY is the positive impact it has had on student engagement. The streaks feature has been particularly effective in motivating students to stay engaged and focused on their learning.

“The students like to show you what they’ve achieved.”  – Jessie Adams, KS2 Maths Lead, Cheam Park Farm

How are you currently using CENTURY at LEO Academy? Has this changed since you first implemented CENTURY?

We use it for homework, differentiated in-class activities, formative assessment in class, starters/plenaries, and targeted intervention. I think it’s great that there’s never any lost learning time, children always have somewhere to go once they’ve completed class work.

What impact have you seen since using CENTURY? 

CENTURY’s data analytics have allowed us to pinpoint knowledge gaps and proactively address them. We’ve seen a significant lift in attainment for disadvantaged groups, in particular.

Have students engaged well with the platform? How do you measure their engagement, time spent/questions answered?

Student engagement has exceeded our expectations. CENTURY’s platform tracks usage data, providing insights on time spent, questions answered, and nugget completion. They love it!

Beyond attainment, can you describe any positive changes in student attitudes or overall learning experiences since implementing CENTURY?

We’ve observed a marked increase in student confidence. CENTURY’s personalised pathway reduces frustration, and immediate feedback motivates learners. Students demonstrate greater ownership of their learning and enjoy the interactive elements. 

How has CENTURY supported your teachers in terms of lesson planning, delivery, or general time savings?

Its ability to automatically identify learning gaps saves hours on assessment and data analysis. Teachers use CENTURY’s resources to enrich lessons and its diagnostics for differentiation. Many report significant time-savings on lesson planning and marking.

Looking ahead, how do you see CENTURY aligning with your long-term strategic goals within your MAT?

We envision CENTURY becoming an even more integral part of our personalised learning and assessment strategy. We’re exploring how CENTURY’s data can support early intervention for emerging needs. As the platform innovates, we see potential for further collaboration across our Trust, sharing best practices driven by data.

 

“There is a dignity of learning, students are all working, but on things that are personalised to them. They do not know they are different.” – Emma Potter, Deputy Headteacher, Cheam Park Farm

To find out more about piloting the CENTURY platform, click here. If you’d like to learn more about using CENTURY as part of a Multi-Academy Trust, click here.