How does the Academy work in class?
Each level has a short lesson of four cards, then a six-question quiz. Pupils need five right to pass. Wrong answers show the right one with a short explanation, so the quiz teaches as it goes.
- Whole class on one screen: read the lesson cards together, then vote on each answer.
- Pairs or individuals: pupils work through a level on tablets or laptops at their own pace.
- Class certificate: tick "Class certificate" after passing, type the class name, then print it or save it as a PDF.
- Skipping ahead: levels unlock in order, but "Unlock all levels on this device" opens them all for teaching.
Which level suits which class?
Level 1 · ages 5–8
What a badger looks like, life in the sett, why badgers come out at night, and how to be a good badger neighbour.
Level 2 · ages 7–10
Clans, the badger's sense of smell, the signs badgers leave and what they do in winter.
Level 3 · ages 9–12
Delayed implantation, the badger's family of mammals, habitats, and how the law protects badgers.
Revision · any age
Twelve flip cards for a quick starter or plenary, plus the Woodland Ranger bonus quiz on six woodland animals.
How does it link to the curriculum?
Badgers are a handy way into the living-things strands of the science curriculum in all four UK nations:
- England, KS1: Year 1 Animals, including humans (naming common mammals; carnivores, herbivores and omnivores) and Year 2 Living things and their habitats (habitats, microhabitats and simple food chains)
- England, KS2: Year 4 Living things and their habitats (grouping living things, classification keys, and how changing environments can endanger wildlife) and Year 6 Evolution and inheritance (how animals are adapted to their environment)
- Scotland: Curriculum for Excellence, Biodiversity and interdependence (SCN 1-01a and SCN 2-01a)
- Wales: Curriculum for Wales, Science and Technology Area of Learning and Experience
- Northern Ireland: The World Around Us
Lesson ideas
- Badger food chains: start from what badgers eat and build a chain from leaf litter to earthworm to badger.
- Whose hole is it? Use badger sett, fox earth or rabbit hole as a simple classification key.
- Myth or fact? Read out claims from badger myths and facts and have the class vote before revealing the answer.
- Track detectives: compare badger footprints with fox and dog prints.
- Brocktober assembly: in October, use our Brocktober guide for a short assembly on National Badger Day, 6 October.
- Woodland neighbours: widen the habitat topic with our woodland friends guides, then finish with the Woodland Ranger bonus quiz.
What about pupil data and privacy?
Pupils don't sign up or log in, and we don't collect their answers or scores. Progress is saved only in the browser on the device being used. Names typed onto certificates stay on that device and are never sent to us. On a shared classroom computer, press "Reset my progress" on the Academy page at the end of a lesson to clear it.
Keeping children and badgers safe
Badgers and their setts are protected by law, so children should never go near a sett or try to watch badgers without an adult. Any badger watching should be quiet, from a distance, and planned by a grown-up. If pupils find an injured badger, they should keep away and tell an adult, who can call the RSPCA. What to do about an injured badger