Blog

An update for the Mashcot Design Competition
The entries have been flooding in since we announced our Mashcot Design competition back in January and there were thousands of imaginative and detailed designs. Find out more about the winning entry here.

We get asked all the time if schools still need to collect evidence of children’s learning. Our view has always been a resounding “Yes, absolutely!”. There is no doubt the introduction of new frameworks and methodologies created a narrative that collecting evidence was no longer needed. This message was received with open arms from early years practitioners who were fed up with the amount of time they were spending collecting evidence and assessment data. As a result many schools simply stopped collecting evidence because they believed that was the message coming from the experts. However, we have spoken to several schools that gave up collecting evidence and are now regretting the fact that they no longer have a collection of the exceptional practice and learners' magical moments; those experiences are lost forever.

All state-funded maintained schools and academies (including free schools) in England are required to administer an online multiplication tables check (MTC). Read the guidance and how you can help prepare students through our fantastic Multiplication Tables Check tool.

Shakespeare Week is an annual celebration giving primary school aged children opportunities for enriching and enjoyable early experiences of Shakespeare. There are a range of resources within Purple Mash and beyond that lend themselves well to supporting any introduction to Shakespeare.

Each month we highlight a #MashoftheMonth, focusing on a tool or application within Purple Mash and how it can be used within the classroom to support learning across the curriculum. During the month, if you share how you have used #MashoftheMonth, you will then be entered into a draw to win a 2Simple Goody Bag!

Our #MashOfTheMonth for March is a helpful application within Purple Mash – 2Challenge. Designed for teacher use, 2Challenge is a great quick-start tool for supporting learning engagement, promoting challenge, inspiring children and getting them thinking.