Lyfta and Djanogly Sherwood Academy win Global Edtech Award 2023 for Best Co-Production Project

It has been our sincere pleasure to see the impact Djanogly Learning Trust, and in particular Djanogly Sherwood Academy have achieved with Lyfta over the last couple of years and this win is very much dedicated to their work (you can read more about their journey below).

We are so proud to know that our immersive storyworlds are creating such an amazing impact for students, schools and communities like Djanogly Sherwood. You can read more impact stories by viewing this selection of case studies.

The Global EdTech Awards follow an anonymised judging process to create a more equal judging environment for everyone, with redacted versions of the submissions provided to the judges to remove any bias.

The Best co-production project category recognises the strength and effectiveness of a working relationship between an edtech company and a school, and was introduced by host Mark Anderson and judged by Rachelle Dene Poth.

"As I was judging the entry, the more I read, the more I explored - I really appreciated the narrative, I was really impressed by all that went into it. So congratulations for being this year's winner."

RACHELLE DENE POTH

"I know that so many schools are absolutely bowled over with the impact that Lyfta is having on young people and on communities as well."

MARK ANDERSON

Djanogly Learning Trust's journey with Lyfta

Djanogly Learning Trust is a collection of eight academies with over 36 different languages spoken by its diverse student body. The trust prides itself on offering an education that provides the best opportunity to succeed and places great importance on values such as innovation, resilience, and excellence.

With a high number of EAL students and many children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, it was important for school leaders to find solutions to help nurture cultural capital, encourage children to celebrate differences, and empower them to make positive changes in their community. To support these aims, the trust rolled out Lyfta's immersive, storyworld platform in September 2021.

Djanogly Sherwood Academy's curriculum is based upon 5 conceptual strands (Environmental Concerns, Nottingham, Women in History, Power, and Innovators) linked with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Lyfta's innovative real-world learning solutions help learners adopt key skills that prepare them for our fast changing world by supporting their sense of 'global connection' and belonging, and increasing their exposure to different ways of living and being. With all content mapped to the SDGs, Lyfta seemed like the perfect fit to support the approach of the school.

The Lyfta platform brings the world into the classroom, through real human stories presented through 360° spaces and soundscapes with rich media content and short documentary films. The resources act as a powerful tool to develop empathy and an appreciation for diversity, while also nurturing a deeper understanding of complex social, economic, and environmental issues.

Michael Brothwood - Assistant headteacher, Djanogly Sherwood Academy talking about their use of Lyfta

One year after implementing Lyfta, Djanogly Sherwood Academy noted sustained improvement in children's engagement with the curriculum, community involvement, teamwork, leadership skills and a positive improvement in attendance.

"Lyfta has made our school a better place and the children feel like they have a place they belong."

MICHAEL BROTHWOOD

ASSISTANT HEADTEACHER, DJANOGLY SHERWOOD ACADEMY

Below is a timeframe showing Djanogly Sherwood Academy's Lyfta journey.

September 2021

From storyworld Beachcomber

Students were introduced to Lyfta and explored the 'Beachcomber' storyworld featuring Rob, an artist and environmental activist who lives in Cornwall and collects ocean plastics, which he turns into works of art to raise awareness of plastic pollution.

The Lyfta experience involved the children exploring 360° spaces and soundscapes of the cliff top, the beach and Rob's home, and watching a short documentary film about his work and motivation.

The impact was remarkable. Many students had never visited a beach before, indeed many had not left their local area so their experience outside their immediate community was very limited. They were shocked at the level of plastic pollution on the beaches and were immediately inspired to take action themselves.

October 2021

Inspired by the storyworld, students created a Climate Action Group with support of staff. Previously, teachers found that students were often enthused by initiatives but would quickly lose interest. However, this time was different; students had been deeply inspired to take action and make a lasting change.

January 2022

The Lyfta globe filled with storyworlds

Students continued to explore Lyfta each week, getting to know a diverse range of real people from across the globe and engaging with their stories. This allowed international students to meet people who looked like them, or came from similar cultural backgrounds and this helped to nurture a sense of belonging across the school and trust.

Children went on to form a Global Goals Group to discuss sustainability initiatives and explore ways to protect the environment.

March 2022

Students planned and held a Global Goals Day at their school, where they sold cakes and hand-decorated tote bags to fundraise for charity. They invited members of the community, local councillors, and the Lyfta team. They also invited Sports for Good from Nottingham to talk about their daily mile, something which had been inspired by another Lyfta storyworld on the theme of health and sport.

May 2022

Students across the school wanted to know how they could do more to support their local community. During a Lyfta assembly on British values and a discussion on democracy it prompted, students reached out to their local MP, Nadia Whittome and invited her to the school.

During her visit, they had the opportunity to talk about future plans and to find out ways they could take meaningful action in their community.

July 2022

To empower their children further, school leaders went on to involve students in curriculum changes and future planning, equipping them with the knowledge and tools needed to make a lasting impact.

The Global Goals Group still exists today and has expanded to regulating the school's green initiatives, which includes efficient energy use, litter picking and reducing lamination.

September 2022

With students experiencing more slices of life through Lyfta, they felt more confident about their own backgrounds and began recording themselves at home and sharing their own stories.

EAL and SEND children who found traditional classroom lessons challenging were now able to participate actively with the help of Lyfta's videos and rich content.

The school noticed how use of Lyfta, and the activities it had inspired, had a positive impact on attendance. Students who had been persistently absent, who had been part of the activities, started attending regularly.

Many students started to feel their opinions mattered and believed that they could be agents of change. As a result of their fundraising and impact on their community, they were invited to a celebration held by Sports for Good. They are now frequently visited by local councillors.

January 2023

Djanogly Sherwood receives an Outstanding Ofsted rating for Personal Development which they attribute in large part to their use of Lyfta:

"In January 2023, we achieved an Outstanding rating in Personal Development from Ofsted. According to their assessment, our students displayed remarkable growth in character, fuelled by engaging discussions and debates. It was stated that our children demonstrated a profound understanding of the significance of diversity within both their local community and the global context. We believe that our success in this area can be largely attributed to Lyfta, as our Lyfta assemblies provide our students with invaluable opportunities to explore a diverse range of individuals, empowering them to actively contribute towards improving their community."

Djangoly Sherwood Academy

The full report is available here.

Thank you again to Djanogly Learning Trust for the amazing work that you do with Lyfta.

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