Case Studies

fe publishing

T level resources and publishing process consultancy

The why: Improve learning outcomes by supporting teachers to deliver an engaging and enriched T level curriculum for their students.

Brief: Develop high quality T level resources for teachers and learners covering engineering and manufacturing, health and science, digital, and construction.

What we did:

Publishing process consultancy and design
Resource research, commissioning, writing, production and development
Worked with a dedicated team of specialist teachers, reviewers, editors and industry experts

What we delivered:

Comprehensive T level resources covering engineering and manufacturing, health and science, digital, and construction. 

“One thing that has been key to the project’s success was establishing best practices for collaborating with the in-house team. Because we have been working closely together throughout, we have built trust in the process and the project has gone from strength to strength as we continue to learn from earlier stages”. – Sarah Bean, Project Leader

research and communications

British Council exam mapping research and communications

The why: The British Council wanted to map their course to national and international examinations to help market the current edition and to support teachers in helping students prepare for these exams. 

Brief: Map the Secondary Plus course to national and international examinations.

What we did:

Research to map the course content to exams in the British Council’s top markets, alongside international assessments

What we delivered:

A report summarising the findings
Exam advice added to the teaching guides for 120 modules
Two marketing decks to communicate the work

“What worked well on this project was having multiple people in the Oriel Square team working on different phases depending on their area of expertise. When I came in towards the end of the project to work on the marketing materials, I had a really clear brief and objective, and I was able to speak to others in the team to collate the information I needed and develop effective messaging for the target audiences.” – Keira Moulding, Communications Manager

business development

Life Lessons, Oak National Academy tender development

The why: Empower educators to foster a healthy school culture that equips young people to make good decisions and navigate the complexities of life.

Brief: Work with co-founders and key team members at Life Lessons to gather and develop the information required for the Oak National Academy tender bid.

What we did:

Bid development
Management of the tender process

What we delivered:

Two winning tenders enabling Life Lessons Education to partner with Oak National Academy.

Life Lessons was selected by Oak to develop a full spiral curriculum with accompanying lessons in Primary Relationships and Health Education (RHE) and Secondary Relationships Sex and Health Education (RSHE).

“Government tenders are complex and overwhelming. You actually made a difficult process enjoyable. Working with us systematically through the deliverables, we appreciated your project management skills combined with an understanding of education and curriculum. We are delighted with the result.” – Jamie O’Connell, Co-CEO, Life Lessons

“It was a privilege to work alongside the team at Life Lessons Education and help them reach many more young people with their inspiring and innovative approach to RSHE. We were delighted that the tenders were successful.” – Claire Gilbert, Project Manager, Oriel Square   

thought leadership campaign

Avallain & TeacherMatic thought leadership campaign

The why: Support educators in integrating generative AI responsibly into classrooms by sharing best practice and insights around productivity, creativity, quality and safety when using GenAI tools.

Brief: Carry out impartial research into educator use of AI tools to produce and launch a thought leadership report for educators.

What we did:

Teacher interviews and desk research
Narrative for consumer engagement
Report design, editorial and typesetting

What we delivered:

Market-ready thought leadership report
Campaign plan for launch 
Marketing collateral, including designed assets

professional development

Jacari ELT: bespoke professional development

The why: As a charity providing English language support to children and young people using EAL, Jacari needed to engage their audience and convey their impact to stakeholders.

Brief: Design and deliver a bespoke professional development workshop for the Jacari team focusing on writing and storytelling skills.

What we did:

Course design, including resources

What we delivered:

A half-day workshop for the Jacari team

“The session was really useful and I liked the balance between giving us information and tips and working through activities to get us thinking about a specific report we will be writing. It definitely filled a learning need across our team.” – Natasha Wooldridge, Fundraising and Supporter Engagement Manager

“I really enjoyed the workshop; the facilitators were great and made the course interesting. Using real life examples and applying learning to our context made it particularly useful, and the course was very interactive.” – Shaiane Gallardo, Programme Coordinator

“I really enjoyed the course, and feel much more confident about writing reports in the future. The information was really nicely presented and it wasn’t too much, just the right amount. Thank you.” – Aggie Kaziszyn, Programme Coordinator

professional development

HP Cambridge Partnership for Education EdTech Fellowship for the Gulf

The why: Cambridge was looking to communicate EdTech expertise to cohorts globally by bringing together expert voices and a range of experiences from major interventions globally. Cambridge was also looking to build a genuine fellowship so that the alumni would stay in touch for the rest of their careers.

Brief: Develop the HP Cambridge Partnership for Education Fellowship teaching curriculum and then deliver it by inviting guest speakers and expert trainers to engage with the Fellows in person and online.

What we did:

Developed the teaching curriculum
Worked with global experts in EdTech to deliver the learning outcomes

What we delivered:

A 5-month EdTech Fellowship programme for senior policy leaders from the Middle East, including a 1-week residential academy in Cambridge.

“The calibre of the Fellows has meant that there has been a great desire to learn and we have a cohort who can apply their learning and the experience of others immediately in the work they’re doing. We have successfully set up an environment where people can discuss their experiences and concerns while navigating these difficult waters. We succeeded in building a fellowship where people will continue sharing ideas and experiences for years to come.” – John Deans, Director, Oriel Square

Research and communications

Off2Class ELT white paper

The why: Off2Class is an EdTech platform which aims to provide high-quality ELT digital content. Off2Class wanted to celebrate the successes of two pilot initiatives through research-based evidence, and generate interest and enthusiasm among policy-makers and investors.

Brief: Produce a white paper report targeted at policy-makers, investors and the media to communicate the effectiveness of the English language learning programmes, including case studies from the US and from the Middle East.

What we did:

Collation and analysis of primary research
Report authoring, design, editorial and production

What we delivered:

Infographic and blog post to accompany the main report
White paper report

primary literacy publishing

Phonics publishing for FFT

The why: FFT’s ambition is to enable success for all children and inspire a lifelong love of reading.

Brief: Manage the creation and quality assurance of 68 phonically decodable readers alongside supporting classroom resources for teachers as part of the DfE-validated Success for All Phonics programme.

What we did:

Template design and samples
Author briefing
Supporting authors to deliver engaging, high-quality stories in line with the programme’s progression
Editing, proofreading and typesetting

What we delivered:

Print-ready and eBook versions of final files

“FFT has worked with Oriel Square on several projects to support the foundation’s work. We’ve been impressed by the range of services they offer and the consistently high-quality output. To support our content development, Oriel Square’s expert team managed the creation and quality assurance of various components of the Success for All and Reciprocal Reading programmes.” – Paul Charman, Managing Director, FFT

Publishing

Collins IGCSE Malay for CAIE

The why: Provide teachers and learners with materials which fully prepare students for the IGCSE exam, exposing them to a wide range of reading materials in Standard Malay as well as developing their writing skills.

Brief: Work with local teams in Malaysia to produce content for the IGCSE Malay syllabus endorsed by Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE). 

What we did:

Set up a Malaysia-based team of teacher-reviewers, consultants and authors
Management of the first-time endorsement process for the Cambridge International IGCSE Malay syllabus
End-to-end manuscript development

What we delivered:

Fully-endorsed student’s book and teacher’s guide

commissioned Research

Fischer family Foundation’s The Apex Project report

The why: Improving early literacy is key to transforming education outcomes. Intended for ministers, special advisors and key stakeholders, the aim of the report was to raise the profile of early literacy failure as an issue and The Apex Project as an effective solution, outlining the aims of The Apex Project, its key findings so far, and its plans for the future. 

Brief: Produce a research report for FFF looking at the elimination of avoidable early literacy failure. Support FFF to launch their findings and promote The Apex Project as a possible solution.

What we did:

Discovery process to understand purpose and ambitions
Guiding policy and launch campaign planning
Secondary desk research
Manuscript development, editorial and typesetting
Report design and branding 
Messaging framework

What we delivered:

A a research report aimed at ministers, special advisors and key stakeholders looking at early literacy failure.

“FFT has worked with Oriel Square on several projects to support the foundation’s work. We’ve been impressed by the range of services they offer and the consistently high-quality output. … They helped our team to deliver compelling thought leadership content to raise FFT’s profile and credibility through a research report looking at early literacy failure as part of The Apex Project.” – Paul Charman, Managing Director, FFT

research and communications

Bloomsbury Lit in Colour research and report

The why: As part of their commitment to the Lit in Colour initiative, Bloomsbury wanted to put the spotlight on diversity in plays and drama and increase students’ access to plays by Global Majority writers.

Brief: Conduct research with teachers, publishers, awarding bodies, theatre organisations, practitioners, authors and playwrights to produce a recommendations report.

What we did:

Primary research (interviews, roundtable discussions and surveys)
Secondary desk research
Report commissioning, writing, editorial and typesetting
Cover and page design, and report branding

What we delivered:

Independent research report
Branding for use across Bloomsbury’s Lit in Colour campaign

primary maths publishing

Ark Maths Mastery programmes

The why: Ark understands the challenges many schools face in providing consistent and high-quality maths teaching. Their subject excellence programme goes beyond traditional support by offering a comprehensive array of resources and services to support teaching and learning.

Brief: Review and make updates to one of Ark’s research-informed curriculum programmes by producing digital resources to support the teaching of primary maths.

What we did:

Templating, development and proofreading

What we delivered:

Student- and teacher-facing resources including slide decks, task sheets, a unit narrative document and a planning guide for teachers.

“The success has been in the planning, and the regular communication. The Oriel Square project lead did a fantastic job setting everything up, getting all the freelancers in place, and it’s been a breeze to manage. We have weekly meetings (currently lasting around 8 minutes) and because everyone knows exactly what they’re doing, even when an issue does come up, it’s easily navigated and sorted out.” – Ark Curriculum Plus

Collins Happy Handwriting resources

The why: Collins wanted to produce an inclusive handwriting course guiding progression from Reception to Year 6, teaching children to write with speed and fluency in the most efficient way possible.

Brief: Produce a set of teacher guides, student practice books and front-of-class presentations for all year groups. 

What we did:

End-to-end publishing
Artwork briefing
Unique font creation, working with a specialist typographer and Collins’ handwriting expert

What we delivered:

A unique set of fonts specifically designed to develop handwriting skills
Comprehensive course materials

“Oriel Square’s expertise in font and design, regular communication, and a friendly atmosphere helped the process of completing the font for our project run very smoothly. I trusted that the Design Manager was in control of the schedule and technical requirements throughout.” – Commissioning Editor, Collins

“The team has great focus and dedication to delivering products, while maintaining excellent relationships with all parties involved. Despite its complexities and numerous potential pitfalls, this project was run in exemplary fashion.” – Jamie Clarke, specialist typographer at Jamie Clarke Type

Oxford University Press Oxford Language Report

We worked with Oxford University Press (OUP) to produce the first Oxford Language Report which examined the causes and impact of the “word gap” on young pupils, and sought to understand how to support schools to narrow and ultimately close the word gap. The teams at OUP and Oriel Square were delighted with the result: widespread coverage in the media of this important issue, and engagement from education policy-makers and influencers keen to help.

Applying Oriel Square’s expertise in educational publishing, we guided the project from its development stages through to completion. We facilitated OUP’s project discussions by chairing meetings, allowing the team to develop the report’s narrative and concluding position with efficiency. We then oversaw the publishing process, taking it through editorial and design and delivering in time for OUP’s award-winning publicity campaign.

digital publishing

Hodder Education Group eduu.school online resources

The why: As learning pivoted online at the start of the pandemic, Hodder Education Group’s eduu.school aimed to provide fully mapped curriculum resources integrated with mental health and wellbeing support for key stages 1–4, providing learners with access to engaging, innovative and quality lessons.

Brief: Produce a sequenced series of fun and visually appealing front-of-class digital presentations for use online, as well as a range of accompanying online materials such as lesson plans and worksheets.

What we did:

End-to-end editorial production

What we delivered:

Online resources for a variety of subject areas

Collins international kindergarten materials

We worked with Collins to create a new kindergarten course for the international market, covering the core subjects for Kindergarten 1 and 2. Each stage and subject includes an Anthology, Activity Books and a Teacher’s Guide, as well as accompanying digital and audio tools.

We joined the project at the market research phase, in which we gathered feedback from international schools in several countries to gain understanding of how the course could be effective in the classroom. With this insight, we worked with specialist authors to develop the course content and then took the materials through all editorial stages. 

We also commissioned songs and developed digital tools to be used alongside the print components. Illustrators for the project were sourced from the course’s target market countries, ensuring that course materials were relatable and engaging.

strategic planning

Corporate strategy for a major educational publisher

The why: Identify opportunities for growth by reviewing the strategic priorities of a major educational publisher in the wake of the pandemic.

Brief: Plan and deliver a hybrid workshop for the global senior team to produce strategic recommendations and a clear, practical action plan.

What we did:

Followed the strategy framework laid out by Richard Rumelt in Good Strategy/Bad Strategy
Stakeholder research (workshop)

What we delivered:

3-part strategy including a diagnosis of the publisher’s competitive position, a guiding policy statement and action plan

professional development

RM inclusion workshop

The why: The RM team is working hard to achieve its goal of making its resources inclusive for all as they seek out new ideas and best practices to develop their understanding.

Brief: Design and deliver an in-person diversity and inclusion workshop to help the RM team gain a better understanding of how to assess and adapt specific resources to make them more inclusive.

What we did:

Applied Oriel Square’s Five Aspects ‘Specs’ of Representation to design a course on intersectionality through the lens of race, gender, class, neurodiversity and disability. 

What we delivered:

An in-person diversity and inclusion workshop

thought leadership

2Simple thought leadership report

The why:  Five years on from the release of the Purple Mash Computing Scheme of Work, 2Simple commissioned an independent research programme to evaluate the impact.

Brief: A review of the state of computing education, looking at research from the last ten years, and a series of case studies with schools currently using Purple Mash. 

What we did:

Primary research (interviews and case studies)
Desk research
Report writing and presentation, editorial and design

What we delivered:

The report ‘A guiding hand: the journey to confidence, competence and an engaging curriculum’. The report launched at BETT 2022 and was picked up by DfE officials at the show.

adult education

Online CPD modules for IBMS & Carina Consulting

The why: The Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) was looking to increase impact by growing the audience for it’s training modules, converting face-to-face courses to eLearning.

Brief: Produce CPD eLearning modules for the IBMS including interactive elements such as quizzes and animations to create an engaging user experience, suitable for all types of learners. 

What we did:

End-to-end production
Interactive assessment development
Technical diagrams, images and amination
Storyboard briefs and video scripts

What we delivered:

Five interactive eLearning modules

“Competent team, good planning, great communication and high-quality outputs.” – Andrew Pember, Managing Director, Carina Consulting

publishing

Pearson The Life of Dr Harold Moody eBook

The why: Pearson P.R.I.M.E is the voice of Black, Asian and Multiple Ethnic colleagues at Pearson. Part of P.R.I.M.E’s initiative is to champion the hidden stories of historical Black individuals.

Brief: Reproduce a booklet about the life of Dr Harold Moody as a free online resource for schools, suitable for key stages 2 and 3.

What we did:

End-to-end production
Author and illustrator management

What we delivered:

A PDF booklet giving an illustrated biography
A set of age-appropriate and curriculum-linked discussion questions for both KS2 and KS3 readers

primary literacy publishing

FFT Reciprocal Reading anthology

The why: Following the increasing popularity of the FFT’s Reciprocal Reading training programme and the EEF’s evaluation of the efficacy of Reciprocal Reading, FFT wanted to extend into more schools.

Brief: Produce an anthology of the best story texts to use with Year 5 and 6 students as Reciprocal Reading passages as part of the training programme for Teachers and TAs.

What we did:

Managed the review and permissions clearance for the chosen texts
Internal page and cover design
Typesetting and proofreading of final files

What we delivered:

A print-ready anthology of story texts aligned with the programme’s progression

“FFT has worked with Oriel Square on several projects to support the foundation’s work. We’ve been impressed by the range of services they offer and the consistently high-quality output. To support our content development, Oriel Square’s expert team managed the creation and quality assurance of various components of the Success for All and Reciprocal Reading programmes.” – Paul Charman, Managing Director, FFT