Big Ambitions, Limited Budgets

The challenge: big ambitions, limited budgets

Like many primary schools, Greasley Beauvale wants to offer pupils rich, memorable learning experiences, but financial constraints make it hard to invest in new tools or approaches. 

Knowing that some children have very limited life experiences, which makes accessing the curriculum harder, Rachel Bailey, Deputy Head, sought out an affordable way to make learning more inclusive and engaging for every child.

And so they chose to invest in now>press>play

“now>press>play enhances our curriculum in terms of the experiences that children need to access that maybe they wouldn't without it. We're big on inclusion. We needed to find a different way of getting all learners to be engaged.”

With now>press>play, each child puts on a wireless headphone and is transported into the world of their lesson - whether that’s exploring ancient Pompeii, diving under the ocean, or travelling through space. For Greasley Beauvale, this opened up a new way to reach every learner and provide a rich, engaging and inclusive experience:

“Every child will put on a headset, and even if they're not acting it out, they are listening and they are immersed in what they're doing and taking the knowledge that we want them to. They are still able to experience their curriculum like their peers, which is lovely.”

Classroom impact

For Greasley Beauvale, inclusion isn’t an add-on - it’s fundamental. now>press>play has supported that ethos by creating learning moments that everyone can join in with, regardless of confidence, background or learning needs; this directly supports Ofsted’s emphasis on equity and removing barriers to learning.

Throughout the school, teachers use now>press>play from EYFS to Year 6, turning learning across the curriculum into immersive journeys rather than static textbook lessons:

”Because now>press>play enhances the whole curriculum, not just one subject, staff use experiences in English, maths, history, geography and more - from number bonds in Year 1 to grammar and clauses in Upper Key Stage 2 - and see it as a cross-curricular tool rather than a niche add-on.”

now>press>play is also particularly powerful for disadvantaged pupils who find it hard to access learning through traditional teaching methods.  The immersive audio stories give them shared experiences: 

“If you want the children to write a story about going on a train, the children need to have experienced going on a train… for some of our disadvantaged children that haven’t been to the beach, have never been on an aeroplane…” 

Every Friday afternoon, Reception ends the week with a now>press>play Traditional Tale like Goldilocks or The Gingerbread Man.  Half the class puts on headsets to listen and act out the story, the room becomes calm, focused and purposeful, and children are immersed in language, narrative and role play:

“They love acting it out… it’s so nice to end on a calm Friday afternoon with half of them putting the headsets on and just calm in the Reception classroom.” 

A cost-effective alternative to in-school workshops

While school trips are still valued, now>press>play has replaced many of the in-school visitor days that were becoming financially unsustainable.

Instead of paying per-pupil for a one-off workshop, teachers can run as many Experiences as they need across the year, without going back to parents for more money:

“We've had visitors come in, you know, dressed as Romans and do a Roman workshop for a day. They are really nice, but they're about £7 per head. Now, trying to get parents to pay £7 for a visit that's happening in your school rather than going out somewhere is really quite hard to sell. We end up having to try and find money ourselves or cancelling the day.”

This shift has made a real difference to both planning and equity.

How now>press>play supports the school

From the outset, now>press>play worked with the school to make sure Experiences were easy to use: a bespoke curriculum map shows staff exactly where each Experience fits whether that’s at the start of a topic to hook pupils in or mid-way to deepen understanding and a 20-minute online session with ‘now>press>play champions’ helped build internal ownership, with one champion later leading CPD for all staff to model how to go beyond the app and integrate Experiences meaningfully into lessons. 

“We had, like, a 20 minute meeting… with my champions… that was a really useful meeting, because then one of those leads actually delivered CPD to everybody, to all staff, to show them how it can be used, and not just using the app.”

This combination of clear mapping and peer-led training means now>press>play isn’t just “another thing to remember” but is embedded in how topics are planned and taught. 

Staff make regular use of the knowledge base on the now>press>play website for quick, self-serve help and ideas, as well as live lessons and events, particularly in EYFS and lower year groups, which NPP Champions share with colleagues when relevant. 

In a context where budgets are tight and staff time is precious, now>press>play has become a core part of how they bring the curriculum to life especially for the children who need it most.