A North-East school is top of the global rankings in an educational phenomenon that takes learning to a new level. Andrea Jones reports.

WITH the click of his mouse, student Ben Galloway launches himself into the cyber-space world of educational gaming.

And by doing so, he and hundreds of other Darlington students have catapulted themselves to the top of the virtual learning global rankings.

There is no questioning that today’s teenagers spend more and more of their time on PlayStations, Xboxes and Wiis.

But a school in Darlington has found a way of turning that all-consuming passion for gaming into a world-beating virtual learning experience.

Darlington School of Mathematics and Science (DSMS), which last year recorded the best GCSE results in its history, is top of the form in the I Am Learning games-based global leader board.

Used by hundreds of secondary and primary schools across the globe, I Am Learning is the UK leader in engaging and motivating pupils in games-based revision learning with more than 100,000 questions, supporting all subjects across GCSE and Key Stage 3.

Using the lure of modern day gaming to motivate learners, the online programme helps to facilitate effective homework, revision and exam practice while promoting independent student learning.

Darlington School of Mathematics and Science headteacher Calvin Kipling has been impressed with his school’s online learning progress so far.

He said: “The I Am Learning programme really appeals to our pupils’ sense of competition and love of gaming, and already we have seen some very encouraging results.

“The uptake of pupils using the software has been extremely high and, as a school, we have consistently remained at the top of the I Am Learning leader board for both hours of use and correct answers to the revision quizzes.

“There was a short period where we were overtaken by a school in Surrey. However, our pupils used this to motivate themselves and work even harder in order to regain the top spot.

“I think it is so important for students to have a motivational element which they can really relate to in their learning.

“It is hard to determine how much the software package has contributed to the improvement in our results, but we did see our best ever GCSE results last year and we intend to do even better again this year as part of the ongoing improvement agenda we have.”

More than 95 per cent of students at the school gained five or more GCSEs at A* to C grade last year. It was also named among a group of schools in Darlington that topped the tables for the best GCSE results in England.

STUDENT Ben Galloway, 15, of Darlington, who is studying for his GCSE exams, is a keen user.

He said: “I really enjoy gaming and probably spend more hours that I should on my own Xbox, so using the I Am Learning system is really an extension of game playing while learning.

“There are some very interesting games available and you are rewarded throughout with points to access even more games.

“I have already seen an improvement in my grades and the system really helps me to retain information better. With my GCSEs coming up, I think it will be a valuable, but enjoyable revision tool.”

Teachers can set homework tasks or assessment activities through the range of games and activities.

The system operates round the clock, allowing students to learn in and outside of school.

It allows pupils to set self-marking homework and produces follow-up reports. It also provides detailed knowledge of gap analysis to identify weaknesses, monitor progress and help improve learning.

Staff have also been trained to assign specific tasks, track pupil progress, as groups or individuals, and create subject assignments.

The school officially became a self-governing academy on January 1, launching a new era of education at the site, which has endured troubled times as Branksome over the years.

A new name, management and ethos has transformed the school into one of the most improved in the country and it is undergoing a multi-million pound facelift of facilities and curriculum.

ASSISTANT headteacher Paul Oliver, who oversees electronic learning in the school, said: “We recognised very quickly that the online learning package was an effective way of encouraging pupil participation by rewarding their hard work through game play.

“The students are engaged, competitive and motivated to get onto the leader board and beat their school friends, and the games on I Am Learning are enjoyable and fun. The students genuinely learn something from playing them.

“Even some of our more ICT-reluctant staff have embraced the technology and are now using the software very effectively within their classes.

“E-learning really does appeal to the new gaming generation and we did witness an immediate boost to our results after the system was implemented.

“The games continue to change all the time and pupils have to have a set amount of learning before they are able to move on to the next level.

“This dynamic allows them to study at their own pace and all of our 512 pupils are now registered on the system.

“Learning through gaming is just one of a number of fundamental changes that we are making to the way pupils are able to study here at DSMS, but our aim remains the same to ensure that each and every student is always encouraged to achieve their very best.”