Doodle

What Doodle is

Doodle, or DoodleLearning, makes four practice apps for children: DoodleMaths, DoodleTables, DoodleEnglish and DoodleSpell. Each app builds a personal work program for the child and adjusts it as they answer questions, so practice stays at the right level. It is sold two ways: to parents as a monthly or annual family subscription, and to schools and trusts as a per-pupil license.

The About page tells the origin story. In 2011, two math teachers, Tom and Nicola, watched their children playing on tablets and decided to build an app that would combine different learning styles, work alongside lessons taught in class, and let children learn in a fun and personal way. The page says the four apps have since been used by over one million children and are in over a thousand schools in the UK and internationally. The homepage puts it as "Trusted by 10,000+ teachers" and "Loved by 1,000,000+ children." In August 2022, the About page says, Doodle was acquired by Discovery Education, and the site's copyright line now names Discovery Education Europe Limited.

The four apps

DoodleMaths is the largest. The homepage says it is "Filled with 40,000+ interactive exercises" and builds numerical reasoning and problem-solving skills. The app page says it is aligned to the EYFS, KS1, KS2 and KS3 curricula, created by teachers, and covers year groups from Early Years to Year 9. Sample exercises cover number and place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions, measure, shape and geometry, statistics, ratio and proportion, algebra and probability.

DoodleTables goes "beyond instant recall", helping children understand the relationships between numbers so they learn their times tables.

DoodleEnglish covers spelling, grammar, punctuation and comprehension, and the homepage says it "explores language in real-life contexts."

DoodleSpell helps learners understand the meaning behind words and how to use them in sentences, building vocabulary and going beyond the look, write, cover, check routine.

How the adaptive practice works

The engine behind all four apps is what the company calls its Proxima algorithm, which the About page says provides learning experiences "that continually adapt to each child's strengths and weaknesses." The school pricing page calls Proxima "our adaptive, award-winning technology." In DoodleMaths, the app page says the work program fills gaps in a child's knowledge, targets tricky topics and consolidates what they have learned, and that by setting work at the right level and "rewarding effort over ability", every child can work independently.

Motivation comes from games, characters, virtual badges and stars. Children can set their own goals and earn stars for their work; one environmental challenge turned stars into trees, with the company planting more trees as students earned more stars. The recommended use is short and regular: as little as 10 minutes a day.

The company backs this with an outcome claim on its homepage: "Using Doodle for 10 minutes a day is proven to double a child's rate of progression." The footnote gives the basis as answering 18 questions a day, using baseline assessment data from 60,282 children between February 2021 and February 2022.

Accessibility options include audio-dictation for every question, to help less confident readers, and colored overlays. The school pricing page lists "inclusive accessibility features" among the benefits for headteachers.

For parents

Parents follow progress through an online parent hub and a parent dashboard. The DoodleMaths page says the app works offline and on smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops, with a browser version as well as apps. The site also has free exam-prep guides for UK tests: KS1 and KS2 SATs (format, scoring, past papers and preparation), the 11+ exam for selective schools, the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check and the phonics screening check, plus advice on exam stress.

Family prices

Every family plan starts with a free 7-day trial, and prices on the family pricing page are in pounds:

• Single child, DoodleMaths with DoodleTables: £7.99 a month or £69.99 a year.
• Single child, DoodleEnglish with DoodleSpell: £7.99 a month or £69.99 a year.
• Single child, DoodleBundle with all 4 apps: £12.99 a month or £119.99 a year.
• Family subscription for 2-6 children, DoodleMaths with DoodleTables: £12.99 a month or £119.99 a year.
• Family subscription for 2-6 children, DoodleEnglish with DoodleSpell: £12.99 a month or £119.99 a year.
• Family subscription for 2-6 children, DoodleBundle: £16.99 a month or £159.99 a year.

The footer links a page on how to cancel.

For schools and trusts

Schools pay per pupil per year. The school pricing page lists DoodleMaths with DoodleTables at £6, DoodleEnglish with DoodleSpell at £6, and the DoodleSuite of all 4 apps with both £12 and £9 shown per pupil per year. Every school plan includes Proxima, a personal work program for each child, customizable content, trackable and exportable data for teachers, access to the customer support team and a dedicated School Success Advisor. Trusts can get a trust-wide quote with "exclusive discounts", and the page promises "Free training + implementation, with ongoing customer support."

For teachers, the app page says DoodleMaths lets them set work in any topic as a lesson starter, pre-teaching or homework, replaces worksheets, marks work automatically and shows each pupil's understanding in an online hub, which the page says helps with differentiation and report writing. The site has pages for primary, secondary, SEND, independent and international schools, says the content is White Rose aligned, and offers trusts a pilot.

Values and reach

The About page lists four beliefs, among them that children learn best when work is personal to their needs and that they forget what they learn unless regularly reminded. It says Doodle is used in schools in the USA, Australia, Mexico and Dubai, and that in 2018 it supplied 1,200 Kindle Fires with DoodleMaths installed to schools in Nigeria. The company says it is working toward B-Corp certification and keeps resources online to save paper.

A parent quoted on the app page, Rosa, writes that "It breaks concepts down in a way that is simple to understand."

Who it suits

Doodle suits parents who want short daily math or English practice at home that adjusts to their child, from the early years through the first years of secondary school, with a free trial before paying. Families with several children get the 2-6 child plans. UK families preparing for SATs, the 11+ or the times tables check get matching guides.

Schools and trusts get a low per-pupil price, automatic marking and gap analysis for interventions and homework. It is practice and reinforcement in two subjects rather than a full curriculum, and prices are given in pounds.