10 Aug Writing a better story for pupils at Wayfield Primary

About Wayfield Primary

Wayfield Primary is a school of 260 pupils aged 3 to 11 based in Chatham, Kent.  The school’s motto ‘Proud to Achieve’ is reflected through the leadership team who work together to ensure that every pupil in every class reaches their full potential.

One area of focus for the school was handwriting. They wanted every child to be able to express themselves quickly and effectively through good quality handwriting.  For the classroom teacher, handwriting can be difficult to manage as getting around to each pupil in the class in a short timeframe is near on impossible, let alone trying to give instant feedback.  How do teachers know who is writing well and who needs some extra support?  For those that are making good progress, could they be progressing even higher if they had instant feedback?

For Wayfield Primary, they wanted to see how far pupils could progress with instant feedback on handwriting.  As a forward-thinking school already embracing EdTech, they started using Kaligo’s handwriting app to see what the impact could be.

A firm foundation

Writing is one of the key foundations in a child’s education and Wayfield was on a mission to ensure that every child’s writing ability was assessed, so that any pupil’s needing support got the interventions they needed sooner rather than later.

The traditional method of assessment saw a teacher sitting with each child looking at how they formed letters on paper, but this wasn’t sustainable or effective, as Tim Williams, Headteacher at Wayfield Primary explains:

“We are a forward-thinking school in terms of technology, and we looked to see what was available to help us improve outcomes for literacy.  We found the Kaligo app and could see that there is nothing else on the market that has functions like it.  Our teaching teams find it very helpful as we can see the starting point for every child in a matter of minutes and whether they need any support, which means that no one gets left behind.  Moving forward, we can also follow their journey to confirm that they are making the expected progress.

“During class, every child gets immediate, personal feedback with their handwriting this just isn’t possible without using technology.”

A unique approach

The Kaligo app uses the latest AI technology to monitor a child’s handwriting as they use a stylus to trace letter outlines on a tablet.

Looking at how a child writes letters can provide teachers with an overview of any neurolinguistic processes behind a child’s individual writing method. By seeing how they control the stylus on a tablet, and how long they take to form different strokes or letters teachers can easily see where a pupil is struggling and where they are thriving.

Using this information, teachers can see in a few minutes whether the pupil needs any extra support, or whether there are any areas they need to spend more time on.

Kaligo uses machine learning (AI) which provides pupils with real-time, automated and corrective feedback.  Based on 6 years of research at the Laboratory IRISA/INSA, Kaligo has collected and analysed 15,000 handwriting strokes.  Each handwriting stroke is analysed based upon shape, direction and order, and identifies any difficulties children as young as age 3 may have with forming letters, numbers or even if they have an issue with pencil control.

Fun to learn

The key thing is that although it is a process of continual assessment and feedback, the children thoroughly enjoy it, “Using Kaligo means that children are more engaged with handwriting and they can practice handwriting whenever they want. The instant feedback provided means that children can hone their handwriting through their own choice – and in school, we can see progress as children have a passion for it.”

“With Kaligo, children can select the app, they have all the apps on their iPads, and they continue to practice their handwriting in Kaligo at home.”

“Pupils enjoy handwriting with Kaligo.  They really enjoy the perfecting element to it; they can see instant progress. They can see that they are developing.”

It’s all ‘Good’

For Wayfield Primary, using EdTech has helped them on their journey from ‘Inadequate’ to ’Good’.

“Using EdTech helps us instantly see the progress for each pupil but also shows us the overall picture of how our children are performing as a year.

“There is nothing on the market that has the functions like Kaligo.  Our teaching teams find it very helpful.”

Improving performance

The impact of Kaligo is already delivering some positive outcomes for Wayfield Primary.

“For some pupils who require SEND support, it’s therapeutic. They find that Kaligo helps them focus better.  When a child writes on a page, they sometimes get easily bored.  With Kaligo it’s interactive, the pupil gets instant feedback which helps them with their writing.

The direct result of using Kaligo is that every child is on their own journey of self-improvement. It’s having a positive impact on how handwriting is viewed by parents, teachers and children at Wayfield Primary.

“The instant feedback given through Kaligo has a huge impact on handwriting improvement. And, for our teachers, in Kaligo they can record verbal feedback, photo feedback and keep records.

“But perhaps one of the best outcomes is that pupils get instant intervention without adding to teacher workload.

Looking ahead

As a school using EdTech to help deliver independent learning, what’s next for Wayfield Primary?

“Today, children need to have an element of independent learning and through giving children an apple pencil and the freedom to work on approved apps on their iPads, such as Sketches, Kaligo etc we are helping them to embrace their learning experience.”

At Wayfield, iPads and apps like Kaligo are cross curricular.  iPads are not stand alone; they are complementary. iPads are the vehicle Wayfield use to drive learning forward. It’s for school and home, it’s not just a gimmick.

“iPads and apps like Kaligo for hand-writing are part of our school strategy.  They make learning personal to pupils and today are as important in the classroom as the tables and chairs.”

The school is hoping to demonstrate the impact that apps have on learning by putting measuring the added value the apps deliver.  They can use this information to help parents, pupils and other schools understand the true value of EdTech in the classrooms of today and tomorrow.

“Kaligo is a powerful tool in the classroom, helping our teachers deliver individualised learning and feedback for every pupil and building a firm literacy foundation for their onward education.”

“The instant intervention is working and there has been a significant improvement in handwriting in our pupils.”

Make sure to take a look at our other success stories.