We recently sat down with Rachel Sullivan, Head of School at Lansdowne Primary School, to discuss the successful implementation of Clicker across the Stour Academy Trust.

The trust has been using Clicker for over three years now. During that time, they have expanded their usage across multiple schools, received praise from Ofsted for their use of the software for SEND provision, and seen dramatic improvements in writing.

In this blog, we will explore the key steps the trust took to ensure Clicker success at scale.

Identify the key problem you want to solve

Large-scale projects like implementing new software across a setting are more likely to succeed when their purpose is clearly defined. Having a specific goal in mind makes it easier to both stay on track and measure success.

For Rachel, the problem was clear. Her Year 6 class had a high level of writing need. But without a TA, she could not easily cater to each child to ensure their success.

Clicker’s ease of use and adaptability for different levels of writing skill made it an ideal solution. With Clicker, children can work independently on tasks that have just the right level of scaffold for their needs. Crucially, this is achieved without creating more demands on teacher time.

Start small and implement in stages

Any new software has a learning curve. Starting your implementation on a smaller scale will give you the time and space to build your understanding of the software. You can then troubleshoot any issues in a lower-stakes environment. This will make moving the project to a larger scale much smoother

Rachel started using Clicker first with a small group of children in her year group. She focused on training herself and one other teacher to deliver lessons with Clicker. These initial sessions gave her valuable insights into how the children responded to the software, which allowed her to adapt and improve her approach before moving on to use Clicker with larger groups.

Create structured plans for expanding and improving

Rachel used the evidence she gathered from her small groups to justify expanding Clicker usage across KS2. The evidence from KS2 was then used to justify expanding to the wider school, and eventually to multiple schools across the trust.

At each stage of expansion, a clear plan was put in place. There was buy-in from all key staff, including senior leaders, and a realistic timescale to allow for training, troubleshooting, and adapting and reviewing practice in response to new evidence.

Measure success across multiple metrics

It’s important to track the impact a new tool or piece of software is having on pupil progress. One of Rachel’s goals when implementing Clicker was to increase writing independence. This can be straightforward to witness in a class, but tricky to track at a whole or multi-school scale.

In addition to recording improvements in writing for individual students, the Stour Academy Trust was able to measure their progress through a variety of specific metrics such as Ofsted reports and assessments.

You can also track progress in specific areas like vocabulary, length of writing, and spelling within Clicker via the built-in analytics tool. Plus, you can use our pupil surveys to gather evidence about how pupils feel about Clicker’s writing support and the impact it’s having on their learning experience.

The results

“With Clicker, the children with the most need are able to be supported. It has enhanced engagement in the writing lessons, it addresses individual needs, and it builds the confidence of the children.”  - Rachel Sullivan

The Stour Academy Trust has achieved significant gains in writing and pupil independence since adopting Clicker. Their structured approach provided clear guidance for rolling out the tool, helping them build on its impact with each new phase. Following our conversation, they have extended Clicker into their EYFS classrooms and renewed their subscription to continue improving writing across the trust.

You can watch the full webinar with Rachel to learn more about Stour Academy Trust’s journey with Clicker.

If you’re interested in how other schools have boosted writing attainment with Clicker, you can review our success stories.