Can a flipped classroom help GCSE maths re-sit students remember more?

For many GCSE maths re-sit students, the problem isn’t simply understanding a topic once — it’s remembering enough of it to use confidently later.

This action research project explored whether a flipped classroom could help. Instead of introducing new material during the lesson, students accessed videos and resources beforehand, freeing up classroom time for problem-solving, questioning and guided practice with the teacher present.

The results were striking. Across all three topics tested, the flipped-classroom group made greater progress than the traditional-classroom group. For example, on Angles, average scores rose from 20% to 68% in the flipped group, compared with 21% to 54% in the traditional group. On Indices and Bearing, the flipped group improved from 23% to 66%, compared with 25% to 53%.

The tutor also observed improved confidence, participation and willingness to attempt harder questions, particularly among quieter and less confident students.

The findings suggest that flipped learning can do more than free up classroom time. For these re-sit students, it appeared to support better retention, stronger problem-solving and greater ownership of learning — while also helping students build confidence after previous failure.