Burnside Primary School
Burnside are using Chalk to save time and deepen thinking.
Burnside Primary in Stanley, County Durham, have been using a Chalk Team subscription for 20 staff since September 2025.
"Staff are really enjoying using Chalk Learning. It's made their lives much easier."
Paula Renwick
Deputy Head Teacher & Year 6 Teacher
What Teachers Love
Differentiation Made Simple
"Really being able to have just the vocabulary for some groups of children, icons for some groups of children. 8 words the students need to know or 5 words."
Words in Context
"Everybody loves it — it's really helpful if you can see the words in the sentence."
Creative Learning Tasks
"Hexagons for a fact file. I've created hexagons — stick them in the book and write a paragraph."
How We Use Chalk Across the Curriculum
📖 Reading
Creating PowerPoints with the key vocabulary that children will find in their texts, preparing them for reading sessions.
🔬 Science
Using hexagons when we want children to use key vocabulary in their explanations, building scientific literacy.
📚 Vocabulary
Frayer models for introducing new vocabulary in science or any non-core subjects across the curriculum.
Great Teaching in Practice
Deep Thinking
Burnside's use of hexagon activities shows a commitment to connecting ideas. Rather than isolated facts, students build conceptual understanding by linking vocabulary and writing paragraphs that demonstrate comprehension.
Accessible for All
By tailoring vocabulary lists—5 words for some, 8 for others, icons where needed—Burnside ensures every learner can engage meaningfully with new concepts without barriers.
Dramatic Time Savings
"Tasks that were taking half an hour. Now with Chalk within seconds it's created the list of words with icons, with the definitions I want the children to use. It saves a huge amount of time."
Estimated ROI for UK Primary Schools
Based on the time savings reported by Burnside Primary, here's the potential value for a typical UK primary school:
Calculation basis: UK primary teacher average salary ~£35,000/year (~£27.67/hour). If teachers save 29 minutes on vocabulary tasks performed 3× weekly, that's ~6.25 hours/month per teacher redirected to direct instruction, student support, or work-life balance.
📋 Ofsted note:The Education Inspection Framework assesses how leaders take account of staff workload and wellbeing under Leadership and Management. Tools that reduce unnecessary workload while maintaining quality contribute positively to this judgement area.
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Case Study by Chalk Learning • chalklearning.io