I recently wrote a post about using Oaka Digital for KS3 Chemistry and afterwards I received a few questions about the content of the other KS3 subjects included in the Oaka Digital platform. So here are my thoughts on their overall KS3 section (please bear in mind this is for their digital platform and I am NOT talking about the topic packs and games in this post and also please remember I am just a USER of this platform if you have more detailed questions please contact them directly).

If you get a subscription for their KS3 content it includes access to six KS3 subjects. Which are

The amount of content under each of these subjects does vary however the format of the content is mostly in the same format – you get a topic book which you can read online, a workbook which you can print so the kids can complete it, wordsearches, 3D models (not every subject has 3D models) and quizzes.

Whether the subscription is going to be worth it for you really depends on how much content you are going to use. If we used my son as an example, then we would have used 5 of out the 6 subjects (he did not do French) and based on how much content that would have been it would definitely have been value for money for us. But that decision really is down too how many subjects you are doing and how much you are going to log on and use their content. I also want to add for those of you you are unsure they do provide a 14 day free trial, so if you are wondering, why not sign up for the trial and test it out yourself.

But quickly for the KS3 subjects that I mentioned here is a breakdown

Biology (they have 10 topics)

• Breathing & Respiration
• Cells Part 1
• Cells Part 2
• Environment and Feeding relationships
• Fit and Healthy
• Food and digestion
• Movement: Skeleton and Muscles
• Plants and Photosynthesis
• Puberty, Reproduction & Birth
• Variation & Classification

Chemistry (they have 5 topics)

• Acids, Alkalis and Indicators
• Heating and Cooling
• Materials and their Properties
• Reactions of Metals
• Simple Chemical Reactions

Physics (they have 8 topics)

• Electrical Circuits
• Energy
• Forces
• Gravity & Space
• Light
• The Solar System
• Useful Energy
• Vibrations, Waves & Sound

So, if we pause now and just think about the three Science subjects. If your kiddo is doing combined science at this stage then that is already a lot of content and I would at this stage say it is already good value for money.

But for those of you still not convinced lets see what else they have.

History (they have included 11 topics here – I will add my daughter did all of these as topic packs when she was in KS3 and that is a LOT of History and it is the key English History which is covered at this stage)

• Becket and Henry II
• Elizabeth I
• Henry VIII
• Battle of Hastings
• Battle of Waterloo
• The Black Death
• The Dissolution of the Monasteries
• The Gunpowder plot
• The peasants revolt
• The Spanish Armada
• Thomas Wolsey

Geography (they have 7 topics)

• Coastal Processes and Landforms
• Plate Tectonics, Volcanoes and Earthquakes
• Population
• Rivers, Processes and Flooding
• Settlement
• Transport & Industry
• Weather & Climate

So thinking about it logically, for my family where my kids did all 3 Sciences, History and Geography, if you add them all together that is a LOT of content. But again it all depends on how many subjects you are covering and how much are you going to log on and use the resources.

I will also say I think it depends on the kids. My daughter likes having physical books so the topic packs suited her whereas my son actually likes working off the computer.

But there you go for KS3 there is quite a bit of content on the Oaka Digital platform so if you are interested why not sign up for a trial period and see for yourself.

Admin – this is NOT a paid for post.