Best Practice

A comprehensive approach to supporting your weakest readers

Literacy Interventions Pedagogy research
With 20% of year 7 arrivals requiring literacy support, a comprehensive programme of assessment and tiered intervention was created at John Taylor High School. Debbie Tremble explains how
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In the landscape of secondary education, reading interventions stand as essential tools for fostering student success. At my school, we recognise the vital role these interventions play, with approximately 20% of our year 7 students entering secondary school requiring various levels of support to engage effectively with the demanding curriculum.

Following the publication of Now the whole school is reading: Supporting struggling readers in secondary school (Ofsted, 2022), we used the research and analysis within to assess and enhance our approach to reading interventions. Employing a systematic RAG (red, amber, green) rating system, we evaluated our current standing as a school to inform our future strategies.

 

Rag-rated: The evaluation of reading interventions at John Taylor High School

 

This process not only shed light on our existing practices but also provided valuable insights into areas for improvement. With this, we were poised to implement targeted interventions for those students who needed it.

 

Understanding the challenge

The importance of developing reading is never to be underestimated; it is a “fundamental life-skill” (Ofsted, 2022). However, the impact of the Covid lockdowns, ever-decreasing numbers of children reading for pleasure, and competing with the allure of screens has resulted in fewer and fewer children arriving at secondary school with the reading levels required to access the curriculum.

Those with lower reading scores tend to fall further and further behind their peers without appropriate intervention – the Matthew Effect (see Didau, 2013).

Not only will these students struggle to access their learning, but their self-efficacy may also be hindered leading to lower self-esteem and decreased motivation. Therefore, identifying reading needs and offering targeted intervention is essential; particularly for disadvantaged students as “only 10% (who) leave primary school with their reading below the expected standard get passes in English and mathematics at GCSE” (Ofsted, 2022).

 

A whole-school approach

The Ofsted research identified the paramount importance of leadership of reading in secondary schools, warning against “tokenistic” approaches that lack “well-thought out and implemented strategy”.

Our whole-school approach to supporting weaker readers is based on the Education Endowment Foundation’s Pupil Premium Tiered Model (EEF, 2023) whereby of our whole-school reading strategy:

  • 50% is classroom-based, as “high-quality teaching across the curriculum will reduce the need for extra literacy support” (EEF, 2021).
  • 25% focused on wider strategies (we are lucky to have a fantastic library and experienced librarian offering an array of promotional reading activities).
  • 25% is targeted support through interventions.

Our first task was to test all students in school. We chose the New Group Reading Test (NGRT) online version as it offers immediate data and is adaptive. NGRT gives detailed information on students’ sentence completion and reading comprehension abilities compared to national average. While it provides a reading age, we do not use these as they can be arbitrary and give a false impression of the students’ reading skills.

Instead, we focus on the Standardised Age Score (SAS), which benchmarks the student against the national average for that age.

We needed to ensure that our identification of weaker readers and their needs was comprehensive and so we therefore committed to multi-screen testing.

For those found at the 35th percentile or below, we run a second standardised test. This is an opportunity to identify “outliers” who score low on the first test but are in fact stronger readers than this would suggest (we also cross-check with CAT4s on verbal reasoning).

Often, up to half of the lowest scorers can improve enough to move out of this category simply by sitting a second standardised test. For those students who score into the bottom third of that national percentile after two tests we use one-to-one, detailed assessment. Then, working with our SEND lead, we identify those needing additional support as any reader whose SAS score is 99 and below (100 is the national average).

 

Intervention menu and a tiered approach

There isn’t as yet a clear directive for secondary schools on which interventions to choose and it can become confusing. For us, we chose those interventions of which our staff had previous experience or based on our research reviews. We also consulted the EEF and Evidence4Impact recommendations (see further information for links to cited resources).

The intervention menu is designed in a tiered, wave-like approach. Once a student has completed an intervention, been retested, and had their results analysed, they move to the next appropriate level of support. This ensures the interventions are structured and scaffolded to meet students' evolving needs.

The first wave of intervention focuses on core reading skills, such as phonics and decoding. For these students, we offer Fresh Start, a sustained phonics-based programme from Ruth Miskin Training, or the more intensive Abigail Steele intervention.

The second wave targets fluency and reading comprehension. Here, we incorporate the Herts for Learning Fluency Project, which has demonstrated strong results in our context. For students who require support in language comprehension, rather than decoding, we utilise peer-assisted learning through buddy reading programmes and Accelerated Reader from Renaissance.

Finally, for students with gaps in their tier 2 and 3 vocabulary we have incorporated Bedrock Learning, an adaptive, personalised program to enhance their access to the curriculum.

By structuring the interventions in this tiered approach, we ensure that students receive the specific support they need and can progress through the menu as their skills develop. Regular retesting and analysis allow us to continuously monitor their progress and adjust the interventions accordingly.

We knew some would need support for a sustained amount of time, those who were very weak readers, for example. However, for the majority of students the aim is short, intense, and impactful intervention that gets them to where they need to be.

Therefore, we followed the EEF TARGET guidelines – from its Selecting Interventions Tool (EEF, 2024) in planning and preparing those interventions. Assessment points were diarised, along with follow-up meetings to decide next steps for each student included in an intervention. TARGET stands for:

  • Timing: Intervention sessions are often brief (e.g. 15 to 60 minutes) and regular (e.g. 2 to 5 per week).
  • Assessment: Assessments are used to identify pupils, guide areas of focus and to track pupil progress.
  • Resourcing: The intervention has structured supporting resources and lesson plans, with clear objectives and possibly a delivery script.
  • Give it time: Careful timetabling is in place to enable consistent delivery. Sessions are typically maintained over a sustained period (e.g. 8 to 20 weeks).
  • Expert delivery: Interventions are delivered by a qualified teacher, or if they are unavailable, a trained teaching assistant. The intervention programme is followed precisely, and suggested delivery protocols are followed.
  • Teacher links: If not delivered by the classroom teacher, the intervention deliverer and the teacher/s communicate regularly and make appropriate connections between out-of-class learning and classroom teaching.

 

Professional development underpins our approach

We are fortunate to have a highly skilled staff at our school, which allows us to offer this comprehensive suite of intervention strategies. However, on-going professional development remains a crucial element of our approach.

Our deputy SENDCO is currently undertaking the National Professional Qualification in Leading Literacy, expanding their expertise in this area. We have also widened the training for the Fresh Start intervention, ensuring more staff are equipped to deliver this effectively.

Furthermore, we are currently training a number of teachers in reciprocal reading, a discussion-based intervention that teaches children to use four key strategies – predict, clarify, question, and summarise. This additional capacity allows us to extend the reach of our targeted support and ensure more students can benefit.

Importantly, we have committed to the professional development of all teaching staff, following the recommendations outlined in the Ofsted research.

This ensures that teachers and support staff are fully informed about which students are receiving additional help, the specific aspects of reading they struggle with, and the interventions being provided.

As part of this whole-staff training, we share information on the interventions we offer, the rationale behind them, and the intended impact. We also break down the meaning of the Standardised Age Scores and provide recommendations for supporting weaker readers within the classroom.

Crucially, we update staff each time students are retested, informing them of the subsequent movement between waves of intervention. This allows teachers to adapt their lessons and support to meet the evolving needs of their students.

 

Success stories and continued evaluation

As I mentioned, at the beginning of the school year, 20% of our year 7 students required some form of reading intervention. This figure was reduced to 9% at the start of the current summer term.

A key factor behind this progress has been the remarkable outcomes we have seen with the Herts for Learning Fluency Project. Students participating in this intervention have made significant strides in improving their reading fluency and comprehension.

While we have been delighted with the success of the Fluency Project, we have also taken the time to evaluate other interventions, such as our peer-assisted buddy-reading programme. After a more forensic analysis of the data, we have identified areas for improvement in this approach. Specifically, we adjusted the level of books students are reading, ensuring they are appropriately challenging.

We are now exploring the potential of the Faster Reading intervention, having read about the positive impact it has had on supporting poorer adolescent readers (see Westbrook et al, 2019).

As we enter the third year of our reading intervention strategy, we have taken the opportunity to revisit our initial RAG-rating based on the recommendations from the Ofsted research. We are heartened to see the significant progress we have made in aligning our approach with the research-based best practices outlined in the study.

Looking ahead, we have clear areas of focus to continue refining and enhancing our provision. However, we are confident that with the tools, expertise, and vision we have developed, we are well positioned to further empower every reader in our school community.

 

Takeaways

  • Establish robust identification processes: Adopt a comprehensive multi-screening approach to deeply understand students' specific reading challenges.
  • Design a structured intervention pathway: Develop a tiered menu of evidence-based reading interventions that allows students to progress through scaffolded support as skills develop.
  • Curate research-informed strategies: Carefully select targeted programmes that address the diverse needs of your struggling readers, based on the best available research.
  • Drive whole-school capacity building: Lead on-going CPD initiatives to ensure all staff have the knowledge and skills to consistently support struggling readers in their classrooms.
  • Foster a culture of continuous improvement: Regularly review the impact of reading interventions, make adaptations based on data, and explore new evidence-based approaches to strengthen your school's provision over time.

 

Debbie Tremble is assistant headteacher for teaching and learning at John Taylor High School in Staffordshire. She has 20 years’ experience in education, undertaking a variety of roles including head of English and trust lead for English and literacy. Debbie is an SLE for English, ELE for Staffordshire Research School, and is currently partaking in an NPQLTD. Follow her on X @mrs_tremble. Find her previous articles and webinar appearances for SecEd via www.sec-ed.co.uk/authors/debbie-tremble

 

Further information & resources

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