NEW interactive updates for Shine Interventions

Based on feedback from schools and the latest pedagogical research, we've introduced a brand new digital dimension to our targeted primary intervention programme, Shine Interventions!

This feature is available alongside Shine's existing PDF-based intervention options for Maths and Reading Skills subscriptions.  

Shine Interventions has helped thousands of primary schools provide targeted, next-step interventions to their learners, while cutting the associated admin and planning for teachers. Diagnostically driven by learners' termly standardised assessment results, Shine powers group and individual Intervention Reports in Boost Insights, providing engaging intervention content, expertly written to address and plug each specific knowledge gap identified in the assessment. 

What's new?

Now, when you click the link on a Shine Learning Sequence from your intervention report (generated in Boost Insights), you'll see new tabs for interactive content options alongside the existing Prepare, Do, Review document and PDF Learning Sequences.

Interactive learning sequences allow teachers and TAs to work through the intervention with groups or individual on interactive whiteboards or desktops.

Shine: Reading Skills

First session: teacher-led

In the new interactive learning sequences (replacing previous modelling software in Shine Reading Skills) Text A is shown on-screen, with the option to be played aloud. Click through as Shine's friendly character guide introduces you to the text and provides instructions and prompts - the character can also be played aloud. Answer the questions in collaboration with your learners on the screen, modelling how to interpret the questions and find answers in the text. The character provides direction and feedback after each question, celebrating correct answers and providing a prompt if incorrect. If the wrong answer is entered a second time, the character will show the correct answer.

Try out an interactive learning sequence for Year 2 Retrieval, working through the fiction text 'New Bike':

Second session: independent work

Interactive quizzes can be assigned to learners to complete the indepent practice compontent required for Text B sessions in each learning sequence. These can be used whether you have worked through Text A in the interactive session above, or used the printable PDF version of the session with learners.

Shine: Maths

Alongside improved progression sequencing across Shine: Maths (print and digital content), we are pleased to introduce six new interactive toolkits to bring maths to life for young learners during sessions:

1. The Hundred Square tool shows an interactive grid of numbers, allowing teachers to colour in squares for discussions, drop counters on numbers, highlight patterns and more. 
2. The Counters tool allows teachers to demontrate and visualise a wide range of maths problems, such as place value, addition/subtraction and more. Customisations within the tool include editing the counters to show coins for money problems or number blocks for place value and multiple of ten.
3. The Number Line tool offers a customisable number line, a highly effective method for helping children understand the relationship between numbers. Edit the start and end value, the step distance, choose you marker style and whether to display half, quarter, eighth, tenth or hundredth markers on your line!
4. The Clock is a straightforward tool to demonstrate analogue and digital faces during relevant activities.
5. The Coordinate Grid tool allows you to create and work upon a range of graphs and tables.
6. The Place Value tool is a more specialised version of the Counters tool, allowing you to demonstrate all kinds of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division-related activities. 

In each toolkit, 'extras' include interactive dice, randomisers, timers, various grids and a ruler for on-screen use. Instructions, Tips and Watch Outs from the Teaching Notes are hidden and can be opened to view on each quesion.

Try out the interactive Hundred Square tool from the Year 3, Number 2 Learning Sequence - Activty 5: Counting multiples of four:

Benefits for Learners

Our latest update is based on strong evidence that when learners actively engage with content (through interactive tasks, responsive activities and on-screen feedback) they are more motivated, more focused, and more likely to retain what they're learning.

• The gamification of learning tools through interactive elements is also found to boost engagement and make learning more enjoyable, especially for primary schools pupils.
• By boosting engagement in sessions, learners are more likely to better retain knowledge, leading to more effective interventions. 
• The immediate on-screen feedback in the new Shine environment helps learners to recognise and correct misconceptions in the moment, building understanding and developing confidence as they are encouraged through their progression.

Benefits for Schools

Since it's inception, Shine has always prioritised effective interventions that save teachers time. Whereas our PDF-based content has all schools need to provide a "pick up and go" resource, we're excited to now introduce our "click and go" option as well:

• The option to run interactive interventions (instead of or alongside paper-based sessions) means less time with the printer and more time with the learners - saving prep time and paper!
• Help teachers and TAs bring maths and reading to life on-screen, keeping even the most reluctant learners engaged. 

What stays the same?

• Diagnostically-driven Shine Intervention Reports for individuals and groups in Boost Insights
• These updates do not impact the way targeted Learning Sequences are linked to your assessment outcomes
• All existing Learning Sequence PDFs remain for schools who prefer to use print options (or a combination of both)
• Printable quizzes and worksheets for Shine: Maths
• “Prepare, Do, Review” guidance for each Learning Sequence

What's the timeline?

New interactive material will be rolled out across Shine Reading Skills and Shine Maths in three batches throughout 2026, corresponding to the termly standardised assessments that should have been recently administered. 

• Interventions for SPRING assessments are live in April 2026
• Interventions for SUMMER assessments will release in June 2026
• Interventions for AUTUMN assessments will release in August 2026

Sources

Cleaver, S. (2026) Interactive Learning: Benefits, Tools & Implementation | Discovery Education

Zhang, Y. (2023). Improvement of Learning Engagement of Primary School Students by Gamification. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 22, 341-345. https://doi.org/10.54097/ehss.v22i.12462