Then the children will really start to read! They will learn to recognise the different letters or pairs of letters (graphemes) in a word, say the separate sounds ( phonemes) slowly, then put ( blend) them together. For example, they will be taught that the word ‘boat’ can be separated out ( segmented) into ‘b-oa-t’ which represents the sounds bbb-oh– ttt. They can blend these sounds into the word ‘boat’ In one school, leaders were very clear about the different needs of pupils who had poor decoding skills when they joined, compared with pupils who needed additional practice to become fluent. Assessments focused on identifying those who needed help with phonics and accurate word reading, rather than other components of fluency such as pace and expression. As well as specialised tests, staff at this school listened to pupils read, to refine their understanding of what help was needed. Timetabling additional reading lessons Many pupils said that reading had previously caused them stress and anxiety. This was often when pupils were asked to read aloud in class. One Year 7 pupil said, ‘It was really embarrassing because I didn’t know how to say some of the words.’ Another Year 7 pupil in the same school said: However, this kind of teaching matched to need was described in only 4 of the 30 inspection reports we analysed. I am constantly being approached for advice. For example, the PE [physical education] department was thinking about displays and resources in the context of reading. After training they decided to make changes to resources in regard to reading. The maths [mathematics] department were thinking about wording questions, drawing attention to keywords, getting students to read them aloud. Sharing information about struggling readers

The schools also used the expertise of primary teachers. In 2 schools, primary-trained teachers taught struggling readers and gave staff training. In another school that had recently joined with a next-door primary school, leaders were planning joint training in phonics for both schools. In one school, a primary headteacher on the governing board had provided training in phonics after the deputy headteacher advised that there should be phonics training for all staff. The school also had links with another primary school headteacher for training. In schools where teachers were trained to understand and spot reading problems, subject teachers better understood the knowledge pupils needed to become proficient readers, and the gaps in knowledge that might affect this. In one school, it was evident that teachers understood how pupils might struggle with different components of reading, as one of the mathematics teachers explained: CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words are progressively learned with delightful, full-colored pictures. The only downside to these readers (and it’s a big issue to note) is that Abeka’s program learns all the vowels in their first little book. Learning the vowels — because they all sound so similar to a child just becoming phonologically aware — is not beneficial for most children. Some schools also shared information on support strategies for individual pupils. This meant there was a consistent approach to how classroom teachers and support staff incorporated the learning from interventions with specialist teachers. Monitoring the impact of additional teaching and knowing what works

* NEW * Twinkl Phonics and Rhino Readers Teaching and Learning Programme Overview

literature review – to understand the issues for struggling adolescent readers and review evidence of effective strategies and interventions shown to support older struggling readers During focus groups, inspectors told us that although schools assessed pupils’ reading, it was not always clear how these assessments were used or what their purpose was. They described how programmes like Accelerated Reader [footnote 31] are regularly used by secondary schools to monitor and assess reading, but said that the information from these programmes was not used systematically in the school curriculum.

In all of the schools, librarians were part of school initiatives to increase pupils’ reading and they supported reading-for-pleasure initiatives across the school. One literacy leader stressed how valuable the school librarian was: The rationale for this work lies in the need for all pupils to leave school as successful readers and with GCSE English at grade 4 or above. It is essential for pupils to be able to read proficiently, so they can access post-compulsory education and participate fully in society. Our education recovery reports also show that learning loss as a result of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic is making reading a greater issue in secondary schools. [footnote 22]

'p' Lesson Pack - Level 2 Week 1 Lesson 4

While there is a need for hands-on printables and workbooks, I believe a child greatly benefits from owning their own small Phonics Reader Set. To be able to hold their own books, and be able to synthesize the words without struggling, children will grow confidence!

We used the NPD to identify 40 top performing secondary schools. In these schools, data showed that pupils who entered Year 7 with below expected standards in reading went on to make accelerated progress, and achieved at least a grade 4 in GCSE English language. All the schools in the NPD sample had at least 35 pupils in Year 11 who had achieved level 3 or below in the key stage 2 reading comprehension assessment in Year 6. [footnote 35] Data was extracted for Year 11 in both 2018/19 and 2017/18. We excluded pupils who speak English as an additional language, because we wanted to identify pupils who struggled with reading specifically rather than English language. Visit school selection Pupils told us how teachers would talk to them about reading. For example, one Year 7 pupil said that his teacher would recommend new books because they ‘know what I like’. Other teachers talked about the importance of knowing their pupils and knowing their interests, so they could recommend books they might be interested in or broaden their horizons by introducing them to new authors. The role of librarians My favorite phonics-based book set are the Storybooks from Primary Phonics. I think I am nostalgic because I learned to read with these sweet little books! These books begin with sounds (m, n, r, f, s, l) that can each be voiced without a vowel sound. This makes them easier to blend with the vowel. It also introduces letter Aa as the first vowel sound, which is the case for all the Phonics Readers listed. At the beginning, your child will be sounding out: Very little research exists on how secondary schools identify struggling readers, and what they find difficult. Most of this has been outside the UK, often in the US. In the UK, some schools assess pupils’ reading in Year 7, but it is not always clear how they use these assessments to target support and evaluate the impact of that support on improving reading. Pupils described how help with reading was improving their confidence and motivation to read. For instance, one Year 7 pupil said that a strategy to ‘break down syllables’ they were practising in reading classes helped ‘boost my confidence to speak fluently in class’. This pupil therefore wanted to read more in class.

Teachers and reading support staff also frequently talked to pupils about books and what they were reading. One school leader said that displays around the school were intended to ‘start conversations with teachers around reading’. This academy is a mixed secondary school with a sixth form. It is part of a sponsor-led academy. The school has 1,150 pupils, of whom 32% speak English as an additional language and 30% are disadvantaged. The school uses a baseline standardised reading test to screen all new pupils. This gives each pupil a reading age, and identifies which pupils may need additional teaching. The school also tests all new pupils’ spelling and comprehension, and assesses foundational skills such as phonics, word recognition and fluency. All Year 7 pupils do a cognitive ability test in the first 2 weeks of the autumn term.

You’ve got gradual change over the years, staff have actually started to really realise the fundamental importance of literacy, reading, writing, regardless of your subject. The Very First Reading Set from Usborne includes shared reading for an adult and child to enjoy a fun story together. The first book, Pirate Pat, uses only 8 letters to create the sentences that your child will read. And each book adds more letters to create more words to sound out together.This kind of detailed assessment was important to ‘try to work out what the barriers are’ as one reading support teacher explained. Morning interventions are something new that we have started doing. We used to do it as part of the day, but this caused lots of disruption to normal lessons. They now have to come to school a little earlier to do the interventions. Each year, around one quarter of 11-year-olds do not meet the expected standard in reading at the end of primary school in Year 6. [footnote 27] This level is considered to be the threshold of functional literacy, and gives children the knowledge and skills needed to manage the demands of the secondary school curriculum. Evidence suggests that fewer than 1 in 5 of these pupils can expect to get a GCSE grade 4. Without identification of their reading needs and targeted additional teaching, pupils who arrive in secondary school as poor readers are likely to continue to struggle. As the secondary curriculum places increasing demands on reading comprehension, older pupils who struggle with reading comprehension do not catch up. [footnote 2] Each year, only 10% of disadvantaged children who leave primary school with their reading below the expected standard get passes in English and mathematics at GCSE. [footnote 3] A popular approach in Scotland, this method is associated with the teaching of reading in which the phonemes associated with particular graphemes are not pronounced in isolation. Children identify (analyse) the common phoneme in a set of words in which each word contains the phoneme under study. For example, teacher and pupils discuss how the following words are alike: pat, park, push and pen. Analogy phonics