Case Study: Abbey Grange Academy

In July 2025 we visited Abbey Grange Academy, a secondary school and sixth form in Leeds, we spoke to several teachers about how MASSOLIT is used in practice – and why it has become an integral part of teaching, learning and academic ambition across the school.

Discovering MASSOLIT

Serving a diverse student body, including a high proportion of disadvantaged and bursary students, the school has adopted MASSOLIT as a whole-school teaching and learning tool to support students and staff across subjects and key stages.

For Kate Simpson, English teacher, MASSOLIT first became part of her teaching during the COVID lockdowns, “I first saw MASSOLIT during COVID when schools went into lockdown. MASSOLIT made all the resources free, and I used the lectures and resources during remote teaching. I just saw the quality of them straight away.”

Impressed by the academic depth of the lectures, Kate later pitched MASSOLIT to the sixth form team. It has since been adopted as a wider teaching and learning initiative.

Rob Williams, Religious Studies teacher, was introduced to MASSOLIT through a whole-staff briefing, “It sounded like something that would be really useful for my students – to help them get the most out of their learning and develop in the best possible way.”

Hassan, Head of A level Law and Criminology, encountered MASSOLIT through internal CPD, “We had some very rigorous CPD explaining the advantages of using MASSOLIT and the research that shows the impact it has on student progress.”

Stretching and supporting students

Across departments, MASSOLIT is primarily used to support independent learning beyond the classroom – whether through wider reading, revision, or structured CPE (Consolidate, Practise, Extend) tasks.

Rob explains how he uses MASSOLIT particularly for the ‘extend’ element of learning, “It means I can give students a set of videos on a certain topic that really stretch their understanding. It also works as a catch-all — if something’s been missed in my teaching, MASSOLIT helps ensure students end up at the same point.”

For Hassan, MASSOLIT plays a key role in consolidating and deepening knowledge in A level Law, “Students make Cornell notes and then use MASSOLIT lectures to enhance those notes. It helps solidify existing knowledge while adding new depth through much deeper study.”

Kate also highlights MASSOLIT’s role in plugging gaps when students miss learning, “If a student has missed a lesson or even a longer period of school, there are lectures where a professional academic works through texts and concepts, helping us really plug that missed learning.”

Kate Simpson, English Teacher

Hassan Shoket, Head of Law & Criminology

Katherine Goodier, Science Teacher & Assistant Achievement Director

Rob Williams, Religious Studies Teacher

Academic rigour without intimidation

One of the key strengths teachers identify is MASSOLIT’s academic rigour – without overwhelming students.

Rob describes its impact in Religious Studies, “It doesn’t shy away from the nitty-gritty parts of philosophy. Students get the real depth they need for top grades, but in a way that’s accessible and reassuring.”

Whilst Hassan echoes this for Law and Criminology, “It introduces students to degree-level study without sounding too academic. The lectures explain complex concepts clearly and are tailored to specific exam boards.”

Students have responded particularly positively to early exposure to university-style learning.

Inclusion, access and ambition

Catherine, Assistant Achievement Director Post-16 and Chemistry teacher, highlights MASSOLIT’s growing role in inclusion and academic ambition, “One of the biggest changes over the last year has been the huge expansion in diversity and the range of academic voices on the platform.”

Catherine has primarily used MASSOLIT for extension, but plans to expand its use further, “Now that there’s more chemistry content linked directly to the syllabus, I intend to use it for pre-teaching – especially for students who aren’t making as much progress.”

Kate also emphasises MASSOLIT’s importance for disadvantaged students, “It gives students from disadvantaged backgrounds access to content they wouldn’t normally have. It creates parity of access to high-quality academic material.”

Informing teaching and assessment

In English, MASSOLIT is also used as an assessment-for-learning tool. Quizzes attached to lectures are set as homework, allowing teachers to track understanding and identify misconceptions.

Teachers also value the way MASSOLIT is organised by exam specification, making it easy to integrate into lesson planning and revision.

Why Abbey Grange recommends MASSOLIT

Across departments, teachers agree that MASSOLIT is intuitive, rigorous and highly effective.

“It pushes students who need to be pushed and supports students who need to be supported,” says Rob.

“It encourages academic ambition,” adds Catherine. “Students hear from university lecturers and engage with content beyond the curriculum.”

For Hassan, the value is clear, “Education has no limits. MASSOLIT helps students go beyond surface-level knowledge and explore the real depth of their subjects.”

Let us help!

We’re here to help you unlock MASSOLIT’s full potential. Our Customer Success team can work with you to create a bespoke plan on how to embed MASSOLIT into your school’s learning culture.

📩 Get in touch: support@massolit.io
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