Independent Study

Independent study refers to any task or assignment a student completes in addition to timetabled lessons. This could be completed in a number of places including at home, in a co-curricular Independent Study club or in the library at lunchtimes.

Research by the Education Endowment Fund has found that students who regularly complete Independent Study can make five months additional progress in comparison to those who do not. They are therefore considerably more likely to be successful in their GCSE examinations if they are motivated and extending their learning time through Independent Study.

All students in Years 7-9 will be set Independent Study according to the timetable below e.g. all students will be set Independent Study for Maths on a Thursday and Science on a Friday. All Independent Study will be set on a website or an app. Students will then have one week to complete the task. The advantage of using apps is that a number of these will adapt the difficulty of the questions based on the responses students give providing a more targeted revision opportunity. Most also self mark providing students with instant feedback.

KS3 Independent Study Timetable

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At KS4, Independent Study may look different in different subjects but it is likely to include opportunities for students to practice and apply learning that has been covered in lessons, retrieval practice of topics covered in the past, revision for exams and some extended projects. Some subjects make use of a variety of online apps such as Sparx, GCSE pod and Seneca. We encourage students to access these regularly, beyond what is set through Independent Study to extend their learning. Completing Independent Study will also support students in developing effective revision habits in preparation for their exams and improve key skills valued by colleges, universities and employers such as self motivation, resilience and organisational skills.

All Independent Study set will be recorded on Arbor for both students and parents/carers to view.

Download your student how-to guide for accessing Abor assignments here.

Independent Study Resources

At Stockport Academy we actively encourage students to extend their learning beyond the classroom, and promote independent study through a variety of mobile apps, websites and revision tools.

A list of resources can be found below to support students.

Independent Learning and Revision App Guide

United Learning Pupil Curriculum Site