With schools and colleges currently closed to all pupils, except for those of key workers and vulnerable children, studying for vital exams has become much more difficult for many. But now online learning platform GCSEPod is offering a free closure period guarantee to any school or college purchasing GCSEPod for the first time, or renewing their subscription, from 1 March 2020. What is GCSEPod? GCSEPod offers a learning tool that is suitable for all students, but it is primarily aimed at those in Years 9 to 11 who are preparing for their GCSE exams. The tool features a selection of three to five minute revision videos which are presented in a Netflix-style layout, allowing students to create a playlist of videos for any subjects they, or their teachers, feel they need to improve. The platform covers 27 UK and international exam subjects across 4,000 teacher-written audio-visual podcasts that have been produced specifically for learning, homework and revision. The ‘Pods’ are mapped to the current GCSE curriculum and contain facts, quotes, keywords, dates and annotated diagrams that students need for exam success. There is also a self-assessment tool, called ‘Check and Challenge’, designed to help promote further learning, enabling students to build on their knowledge in sequence. Who can use GCSEPod? GCSEPod can be used by both students and teachers to enhance learning, and is currently used by more than 1,800 UK-based and international schools. Along with the educational videos aimed at students, teachers can also make use of the tool to devise lessons, set homework and create revision playlists. Additionally, parents are also able to sign-up to tailored packages. The tool has already proved popular in China during its lockdown, having been used at The British International School in Shanghai while schools were closed. Anthony Coxon, co-founder and director of GCSEPod, said: “Schools are having to embrace new ways of delivering learning to ensure their students can continue to study and develop in this most challenging of times. “EdTech is the obvious solution to learning remotely. “It is a field that GCSEPod has been at the forefront of for the past 12 years, and we are ideally placed to not only help students continue their learning during this disruptive time, but to support teachers as they endeavour to deliver the same high-quality lessons as they would have before the Covid-19 pandemic forced so many countries into lockdown. “Our global community stretches to 47 countries, and despite the GCSE’s being cancelled this year our evidence shows that students are still anxious to learn, even those in Year 11, some of whom we know are not happy about the grades being predicted, and who may feel they wish to still sit the exams when schools reopen.” How do I use GCSEPod? Schools who wish to use the online learning tool can subscribe to GCSEPod for free during their period of closure. For more information visit gcsepod.com What other online learning tools are there? The government launched a new online learning platform called Oak National Academy on 20 April, which provides access to 180 video lessons per week, for every year group from Reception through to Year 10. The lessons span a broad range of subjects, including maths, art and languages, and feature a corresponding quiz and worksheet. Each lesson lasts for one hour and the portal will provide the equivalent of three hours of lessons per day for primary students, and four hours per day for secondary. The BBC also launched its own education package on Monday (20 Apr) across TV and online, called BBC Bitesize Daily. The learning resource features a host of celebrities, including David Attenborough, Oti Mabuse and Danny Dyer, as well as lessons from 200 working teachers. The education package provides three new lessons every week day, which include videos and activities, for primary, secondary and post-16 pupils. Joe Wicks, also known as The Body Coach, launched a series of 30 minute fitness videos for children to do at home, called PE with Joe, in a bid to keep youngsters moving, while British Astronaut Tim Peake has launched a series of free learning resources for parents and children. The astronomical-themed activities aim to offer an exciting and engaging way for children to learn about science and mathematics.