How The Grange Junior School enhanced homework engagement and outcomes with CENTURY

Matthew Pearson, Deputy Head (Academic) of The Grange Junior School, shares insights into how their school utilises CENTURY for homework, and the positive impact it has had on pupil motivation and academic outcomes.

What initially prompted the decision to adopt CENTURY for the school?

We sought a means of providing consistent homework across classes within each cohort, whilst simultaneously reducing the marking workload, thereby allowing teachers to devote more time to providing detailed feedback to students. After presenting several options to the staff, it was agreed that CENTURY was the most promising solution.

How was CENTURY successfully implemented?

We began with staff training. This was followed by a carefully structured four-week training programme for the students. During the first week, we focused on familiarising students with logging into CENTURY and navigating the platform. In the second week, we modelled how to complete a ‘nugget’ together. It is crucial that students develop the right learning habits when using CENTURY, such as having a whiteboard or pen and paper to hand, and actively engaging with the learning material. The gradual rollout, executed with great care, proved to be highly effective. As a result, we received very few queries from students or parents later on.

How is CENTURY currently utilised at the school?

Each week, the teaching teams meet to review the curriculum and identify what has been covered. We only assign nuggets that align with the material already taught, thereby reinforcing the learning from that week. Diagnostic assessments are conducted in school at the start of a new unit, ensuring that any further work undertaken via the Recommended Path is always linked to that unit’s learning.

Do you have any advice on motivating students to engage with CENTURY?

At the end of each half-term, we organise a competition. For each year group, any pupil who achieves an average score of over 70% across all their nuggets is entered into a prize draw. To encourage further engagement, the nugget boundary is set slightly higher than the number required for homework. For instance, if a pupil must complete 35 nuggets over a half term, we set the boundary at 45, prompting them to engage with additional nuggets through their Recommended Path. During the final assembly before half-term, we select five names per year group, and these pupils receive a reward from the catering team. We also run a separate competition that rewards the pupil who completes the most nuggets with an average score above 90%. This became quite competitive last year, with many students striving to complete additional work on their pathway and achieve top marks.

Has CENTURY contributed to reducing teacher workload or saving time?

The detailed breakdown of nuggets has been particularly beneficial during one-to-one discussions with students. Teachers can review the individual questions where students have struggled, especially those scoring below 70%. The ability to access class-wide results at a glance has also been extremely helpful. Teachers are incredibly busy, so it is essential to have data that can be accessed and acted on in a click of a button. Having this level of analysis enables teachers to quickly target whole class misconceptions and provide direct feedback to the class.

How else has CENTURY been beneficial to the school?

CENTURY has also served as an excellent tool for maintaining student engagement during the summer holidays. In the past, staff would prepare work booklets for pupils to take home. Now, all the work is available on CENTURY, enabling students to complete tasks on their personalised Recommended Path, tailored to their individual needs.

What are some additional advantages of using CENTURY?

Students are aware that we can monitor the time they spend on each nugget. In the early stages, some pupils claimed, “I tried really hard but didn’t achieve over 70%.” However, as teachers, we can see exactly how much time was spent on the learning material – in some cases, just 33 seconds! Once students, and indeed parents, realise that we have full visibility of their efforts, they become more inclined to focus and engage with the platform properly.

Have you noticed any changes in students’ attitudes towards homework?

Yes, we have observed a marked improvement in both the overall uptake of homework and the level of student engagement. Teachers have reported that certain pupils who previously struggled with homework are now completing their assignments regularly. In some cases, these pupils are even engaging with additional nuggets on their Recommended Path, motivated either by the desire to improve or by the competitive element we have introduced. This positive change has been observed across the school.

What feedback have you received from parents regarding CENTURY?

We have conducted several surveys with parents, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Many parents have commented along the lines of, “You’ve given us our lives back.” Children appear less stressed, and the homework is seen as more purposeful. They now have learning material that they are eager to engage with, as well as the opportunity to complete extra work if they wish.

What are your future plans for the use of CENTURY?

Next year, we intend to schedule a 30-minute homework review session into the timetable for each class, providing an opportunity to review homework in greater detail.

For more information about how to embed CENTURY in your primary school, click here. If you’d link to set up similar internal CENTURY competitions, you can find our competition resources here.