An ambitious and innovative project across several County Durham primary and secondary schools has “been a revelation” and “transformed lives”, school leaders say.
The three-year ALP Advantage project, which received a £50,000 grant from SHINE in 2022, focuses on improving reading outcomes through engagement with pupils and parents.
The project has so far involved six schools that are part of the Advance Learning Partnership (ALP).
In its first two years, the project has achieved significant impact. Highlights include:
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A new understanding of the barriers faced by some parents has “been a revelation”.
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On average, pupils’ motivation to read for pleasure and parents’ encouraging this practice have increased across schools involved in the project.
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At one primary school, “the response from the pupils and parents was staggering; the SHINE project had truthfully transformed their lives”.
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The project has helped another primary school to become the “anchor in the community”.
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SATS and reading test scores improved over the course of the pilot and into the second year of the project.
“Staff involved have focussed on improving the attainment of disadvantaged pupils with an emphasis on the weakest 20% of readers. Just as importantly, the initiative has aimed to empower parents to support their children to increase their reading engagement and enhance reading performance.
“One of the project’s main objectives was to gain better understanding of the barriers for pupils and their parents when completing reading activities in the home. We employed narrative inquiry interviews which allow the interviewer to understand participants’ own early education and family experiences.
“A lack of specific literacy knowledge, particularly when their child is struggling with their reading, consistently emerged in parents’ interview comments. We saw that parents really wanted to help, but often didn’t know how to do it.”
To begin resolving this, the project included support for parents, such as video content demonstrating how to take part in paired reading with their child.
“This built parent confidence, and ultimately fostered more positive relationships with the pupil while developing their reading ability,” Peter explained.
Bespoke workshops also included dealing with complex vocabulary, discussion of a book’s content, style and genre, and even managing the many digital distractions which families identified as a barrier to reading engagement.
The project has also seen the trust make connections with local libraries which has extended the reach of the project beyond the school gates and into the local community, but equally has created opportunities for parents to uncover what libraries have to offer. Similarly, a visit to a bookshop during the summer holidays further enhanced the reading experience of families.
SHINE’s funding has allowed staff to spend time examining research literature on reading and parental engagement.
This work, says Peter, has “hugely increased our academic knowledge about the potential barriers.” As a result, “an understanding of what the research says about supporting reading is built into the DNA of the project”.
He added: “This project has taught us that understanding the field – including what has and hasn’t worked in the past – can ensure you make good decisions from the very start of a project.
“We have tried to not make assumptions about either our parents or what might be used to enhance reading engagement and pupil literacy. Interviews helped uncover how parents really felt. For example, we were surprised by how parents who are highly literate said in interviews that they still experienced a lack of confidence in motivating their child to read for pleasure. Furthermore, parents’ own reading ability influences how they support their child’s literacy at home.
“Once parents had a chance to read together with their child in a supportive setting, they themselves really grew in confidence.”
The impact of the project so far has been measured in a variety of ways. Project leaders recognise that a range of factors will have contributed to pupils’ improved reading performance since the programme began. However, SATs and reading test scores both improved over the course of the pilot and into the second year of the project. Equally, the team were delighted to see increased levels of reading engagement in pupils, while parental confidence in supporting their child’s literacy also rose across the pilot project.
Peter said: “We have learned a great deal about engaging effectively with parents through interviews and looking at current research; this new knowledge is continually informing each subsequent phase of the project. Our reshaped understanding of the barriers faced by some parents has been a revelation and parent interview data has influenced strategy beyond the SHINE project.
“Ensuring that children can read fluently and become lifelong readers is an ALP priority and our collaboration with SHINE is supporting our pupils and their families in achieving this goal.”
Many of the project’s workshops have been led by local children’s author, Victoria Downes.
Peter said: “Her engaging style of delivery and expert knowledge has been a source of inspiration for both children and parents.”
Victoria said: “The SHINE project has been an uplifting example of the positive impact a dedicated and enthusiastic team can have on pupils and parents. Data analysis uncovered some participants’ adverse reading experiences at school and a problematic view of reading, accompanied with low literacy knowledge. Our project has helped parents to gain a positive perspective on reading.”
She explained: “I wanted to ensure that our sessions could be easily replicated at home, while building confidence and a sense of accomplishment. The impact has been evident in embedding a strong reading culture and real engagement from some previously hard to reach families.”
One parent commented: “I feel we are able to support more with his reading, without him getting frustrated. He enjoys spending time reading with Mum and Dad; previously he would get upset.”
Another reported that her daughter has “borrowed many books from the library (and) reads two simple story books almost every day”.
A third parent said the project has “helped keep (her son) engaged when he is tired or doesn’t feel like reading. Reading together a sentence at a time, a paragraph each etc. has helped my confidence to keep it interesting.”
Another said: “I have more confidence; my child enjoys reading more and we can find books we like to read together.”
School leaders say the project has had a significant impact on reading.
Victoria Gray, Assistant Headteacher at Brandon Primary Academy, said: “Huge achievements have been noted in classrooms during whole class reading sessions where children, who have been part of the project, are now reading aloud confidently to their peers in addition to an improvement in word meaning questions in comprehension tasks.”
Following on from the successes of the paired reading intervention, plans are in place to introduce this model to our younger pupils.
At Parkside Academy, in Willington, at weekly Book, Brew and a Biscuit sessions, Year 10 pupils read a book aloud with a “buddy” from KS3, while enjoying a book and a biscuit.
The older students took part in a reading buddy workshop with Victoria Downes, where they were provided with key strategies that would help them support their younger buddies.
According to Rebecca Maughan, Communication Coordinator at Parkside Academy, “Pupils taking part in the intervention have become much more fluent readers, which can be evidenced in their day-to-day reading as well as any reading assessments carried out.
“We have seen pupils become much more confident both in their reading and in their broader communication skills.”
One Year 8 pupil stated: “When I read in lessons, I understand more words now so I can read aloud to the class.”
And a Year 10 pupil commented: “I am helping pupils learn to read and becoming more confident in myself too.”
At Skerne Park Academy, in Darlington, headteacher Clair Gooding says the “invaluable project” has given the school the opportunity to be the “anchor in the community”.
She explained: “The SHINE project allowed parents and carers to feel like real partners in their child’s learning, and by working together it demonstrated a commitment to not only improving the reading skills of their child, but also to improving their life chances.
“It goes without saying, that reading lies at the heart of our curriculum, but this can only be developed to its fullest potential when there is a true collaboration between school and the parents and carers.
“The SHINE project allowed parents and carers time to articulate the barriers they encounter when attempting to support their child to read through individual and group conversations. [They] valued the supportive nature of the sessions and recognised that sharing a book with their child could be fun.”
Debbie Howe, Assistant Headteacher at Middlestone Moor Primary Academy in Spennymoor, was bowled over by the reaction to workshops involving parents, one of which included a visit to the town’s library.
“Following this workshop, the response from the pupils and parents was staggering; the SHINE project, including the visit to the library, had truthfully transformed their lives. It was emotive to hear their comments.”