As a former teacher, I first set up EDLounge in 2009, to give students who struggle with mainstream education the opportunity to access learning.

In my view, it’s all about changing mindsets.

The education sector’s focus on academic success and achievement is reserved only for those students sitting within the classroom walls; our aim is to ensure that this doesn’t happen! We talk about a personalised approach to learning but only within schools. We need to nurture and support all children, including those who struggle with ‘traditional learning’ techniques; the results are pretty outstanding! When you see the real impact that our service EDLounge, can have on students, their buy-in is phenomenal. We’re currently in over 140 schools across the country, all of which have seen incredible results to date.

The challenge that I regularly come across is the view that this only applies to a small number of students; it doesn’t. Many may still attend mainstream education but they will leave with very little.

While some of these learners may need alternative provisions, such as those offered by Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), other students’ needs may not seem ‘disadvantaged’ enough to consider removing them from mainstream education.

So, what affects some learners’ ability to thrive on the standard curriculum but causes others to fall through the cracks in mainstream education?

One factor that needs to be considered is whether the student has a desire to learn. If they can’t see “the point” in learning or don’t consider subjects valuable, then there is no motivation to focus and attain. This can stem from a number of reasons, one being the parent’s negative view of mainstream education.

Delivery of teaching is another factor that may cause students to disengage. If a student is completing tasks quickly or continually achieving full marks, or equally, if a student is really struggling in a lesson, then they’re going to become demotivated, which can often manifest in poor behaviour.

This is where parents also have a role to play, as parental engagement drives pupil progress. Ultimately, if a child is struggling at school, but has support from parents, this is going to have a positive impact on their self-esteem and their attitude towards school.   

We will be at Bett 2017 on stand E95 discussing the issues with suppliers, parents, teachers and educators of all areas and hopefully helping these children on their way to a fulfilled education and successful career.

We will also be meeting with publishers and examining bodies who are interested in our new products that we’ll be launching at Bett. EDExams is an all-in-one online exam and assessment platform that allows any size organisation or governing body requiring the use of online examinations to create their own examination. This is also used in schools for mock exams which can also be issued through the system, providing students with real practice opportunities, and helping them to identify and work on any knowledge gaps. The other product is EDQuals a pioneering assessment, coursework and verification portal that can be used by any school, educational organisation, training provider or governing body. The unique platform allows coursework to be submitted online, delivers assessment for qualification, monitors and tracks student progress, and provides instant verification and sampling.

If you’re interested in learning more about the issues surrounding what we do, please stop by our stand; we look forward to meeting you there.