The World's First Rollama Club!

We spoke to the founder of the world's first ever Rollama Club —
Miss Abbey Kershaw at Worsbrough Common Primary School.

She shares some tips for teachers who would like to set up their own Rollama Club.

• Hi Abbey! You started the world's first Rollama Club - thanks for talking to us about it. What benefits do you think your children have gained from the club?

Our children love coming to Rollama Club on a morning! It gets their brains working straight away but also it's a calm, relaxed atmosphere. I put some music on and the children play some games and chat to their friends as they play. Some of them get really competitive and use it as time to earn as many coins as they can and try and hit all the trophies that they can, while others just appreciate the time to socialise with friends as they play some GPS games.

Our Y6s used it to revise - they particularly made use of the SATS papers with the links to specific games to support with revision. Children are more enthused about SPAG and writing and are excited to attend!

• How often does your Rollama Club meet, and what resources do you need to run it?

We run Rollama Club on a Thursday morning before school. Children have the option of attending breakfast club first to grab a slice of toast or to come straight into the club. All we need is devices so that children can access their accounts, however providing some snacks is always a bonus!

• How do you promote the club in your school to recruit students?

Last year we trialled Rollama in Years 5 and 6, and due to the success, we are inviting all children from KS2 to attend. We initially began with a very small group of children that we sent VIP invitations to, but they enjoyed it so much that they told their friends and so we have made it so all children can sign up (through Arbor). When visitors have been in school, our children have been eager to show off their Rollama llamas and talk them through how they use Rollama and why they find it helpful (and fun!).

• How do you celebrate progress during the year?

We tweet lots of photos from Rollama Club so everyone, including parents and carers, can see what we get up to. Each week, we check each class's Roll of Honour to see who is on the leaderboard, and give shoutouts to individuals and classes. Every Monday, I print out the certificates based on the Roll of Honour, and present them as a Welcome Back on Monday morning, first thing. We love that it's not always the same children on the Roll of Honour, so children are motivated to keep persevering and aim to get on the board.

• What information do you share with parents/carers, and has there been any feedback?

As well as tweeting photos from Rollama Club, we also include information in a segment of the school newsletter and our year group transition booklets. I email parents and carers at the beginning of each half term to remind them to sign up to Rollama Club as we renew the group each half term. Parents have provided incredibly positive feedback about Rollama Club. One parent said that it made getting their child up and ready for school so much easier because they loved coming. Another parent mentioned that her child had asked for a Rollama t-shirt for their birthday so that they could wear it to the club each Thursday morning.

• Do you plan to change anything for your club in this new academic year?

As I mentioned before, we are opening up Rollama Club to all children in KS2 this year. We will continue to meet weekly and keep the calm and relaxed atmosphere. We will, however, look at trying to introduce more Gold Rush competitions, as this was something last year's club requested.

• Any other tips to fellow teachers who are looking to start a Rollama Club?

Try it! It's extremely simple to run and the children really value the time. They look forward to coming each week and it has helped us to build enthusiasm and excitement around SPAG, as well as boost our assessment results. I would recommend it to any school that has already started on their Rollama journey - and those that are thinking of joining!

From Niall's mum Louise: We loved the introduction of Rollama club as Niall doesn't like to join any out of school clubs, he doesn't like to be in school any longer than he has to as he finds the day too long, Rollama club is an exception to this and it was great to have him socialising in the session before school.

He loves Rollama and he has learned to 'save up' for something he wants to buy from the Rollama store. Saving coins for later in games isn't something he likes to do but saving for a pet cat really kept him interested and he persevered until he got one.

Rollama club is fun and interactive for all.

We also received a message from Rollama superfan Niall, one of the Club's top Rollama players!

From Niall: I like Rollama but especially going to Rollama club because there is a teacher there to help if we get stuck with logging in or if there's anything I don't understand. Having help in a club is good because we get hints and tips which we share between friends. It's good to celebrate our level ups together or when someone has enough coins to buy a pet. I have a cute cat so everyone got to see it.

Miss Kershaw also helped get me a refund when my points did not add up.

Huge thanks to Miss Kershaw and best wishes to everyone at Worsbrough Common Primary School!