How it works / Every lesson

Every lesson has the same shape

A consistent structure lowers cognitive load for pupils and teachers alike. Lessons are designed for 60 minutes and flex to 45 by trimming the Try It phase.

Remember When5 to 7 minFour quick retrieval questions from last lesson, earlier this year and a previous year. Spaced retrieval strengthens long term memory.
Link It5 minA hook that connects to what children already know from their own lives.
Learn It10 to 12 minExplicit teaching of one big idea and its vocabulary, with a worked example and a teacher think aloud. The AI Loop and IDEAL visuals are identical in every lesson (dual coding).
Try It15 to 20 minThe signature activity: collaborative, practical and memorable, usually unplugged.
Own It10 minPupils apply the idea independently or in pairs, usually by creating something.
IDEAL Check3 minWhich IDEAL letter did we practise, and what does it look like in real life?
Exit Ticket3 to 5 minThree short questions to check understanding and shape the next lesson.

Individual lessons adjust these phase timings to suit their activities, and some add a short real-life story, but every plan still totals 60 minutes.

Retrieve, never re-teachSlides build on clickUnplugged firstNo pupil accounts

Lesson 6 each year is the IDEAL Challenge and the end of unit assessment.

IDEAL moments

In each lesson, the day's IDEAL habit appears as a cue only on the click where pupils actually practise it. When the cue appears, the teacher points to it, the class says the habit together, and the teacher asks the action question given in the speaker notes. More on IDEAL

How it's built

Grounded in cognitive science

Spaced retrieval, concrete before abstract, worked examples and modelling, explicit vocabulary teaching, dual coding through consistent visual models, and frequent low stakes checks for understanding.

Designed with UDL

Every plan offers multiple ways to engage, to access content and to show understanding.

Slides built for low cognitive load

Every slide builds on click in the order the teacher teaches it, as if writing on a whiteboard, so pupils meet one element at a time. Visuals carry meaning rather than decoration: each AI Loop step, each IDEAL habit and each recurring idea has its own icon, used identically in every lesson.

Teacher-facing labels and sources sit in the speaker notes, not on the screen. New ideas and vocabulary are taught where pupils first need them; earlier learning is retrieved, not re-taught.