So we have something that we are working on (you may have noticed the QLA tab at the top of the page) but we can’t decide on a name … so this is your opportunity to help us! If we choose your name we’ll give your school a free subscription to JustMaths online!! In order to come up with something suitable you’ll probably want to know what “IT” is … so here goes …

We are developing the functionality for students to enter their scores from a past paper that they have done and then they will be emailed an alternative paper to do – colour coded (red, amber and green) with similar questions (there will be several alternatives to each question randomly selected so that all students don’t get the same papers) to those on the original papers for them to re-attempt in the order of amber (they know something), red (they know nothing!) and green (they still need the practice) with fully worked solutions. It’s going to be able to produce alternative papers based on all the exam boards for the 9-1 GCSE and then by next Summer we may have the database filled with alternative questions other tests too (think KS2 or A level!)

There will be 3 levels of access that have slightly different functionality; Single student entry (free) via our normal webpage, single student entry via JustMaths Online, the alternative papers for these logged-in students will include links to video solutions to the original question for the student to use to help them “model” the answer to their own version of the question.  The final level of access will let teachers upload the scores from multiple students and then the alternative papers can be emailed direct to the students or to the teacher for them to distribute. I’ve shown a “very” (very!) draft version of what the front page would look like for those JustMath’ers out there.

The intention is that we don’t go down the route of analysis paralysis and we also don’t want to add to teachers workload – we want to pass the responsibility back to the students (no more spoon feeding!) for them to take some action. Everything we have done together (Seager and I) over the last 8 years has had simplicity at the heart of it – we really don’t want to add to anyones workload – what we want to do it to provide students with the opportunity to get some much needed practice and to avoid the excuses about not knowing how to do it, or what to revise, or lost passwords etc etc.

I have told Seager that unless we come up with something I like (his suggestions have been … ummm …. yawn … boring!! things like “practice paper creator”, “exam paper creator” or “exam machine”) I am going to call it Trevor! (nothing wrong with the name by the way … but I just thought we could call it something so very unrelated – a bit like Ikea products) … Imagine telling your students that they can “do a Trevor” … it would be hysterical! He actually said it was “too Welsh” (he hasn’t a clue!) so I then suggested Mfanwy which I actually like because it is derived from the Welsh “annwyl” which means beloved (and this project is a real labour of love). His response to my text was “I read that wrong the first time!!”

Anyway … help!! Just help!! If you don’t help us I fear I’ll end up calling it Trevor so please drop your suggestions on the comments below or drop me an email to mel@justmaths.co.uk and you could win a free subscription!