Students using groundbreaking programme make significant gains in their reading abilities

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Students taking part in the pilot of a groundbreaking reading intervention programme have made significant gains in their reading abilities.

Year 7 pupils at 6 North East schools taking part in the first year of the Fluency for All programme had their reading skills measured by a range of data sources.

The main measure of progress for all six was a standardised reading test.* Analysis of students’ standard age scores (SAS) demonstrated significant progress. Students who received the intervention consistently outperformed those who did not.

Impact highlights include:

  • 41% of students initially read at less than 100 words per minute (WPM). By the end of the intervention, this had dropped to just 7.1%.
  • 62.9% of students now read at least 120 WPM, enabling them to access the majority of the curriculum, up from only 24% at the start.
  • 10% of students achieved over 161 WPM, fully equipping them to access the whole curriculum.
  • Only 2.25% of pupils overall did not improve WPM.

Reading test data also indicates that students’ comprehension of texts they read has improved. “We hypothesise that this is because pupils background knowledge has increased through reading a range of carefully curated non-fiction,” said project lead Louise Quinn, Director of Shotton Hall Research School in Peterlee.

“Overall, quantitative data suggests real evidence of promise for the programme,” said Louise, who last year successfully bid for funding of almost £100,000 from SHINE for the Fluency for All project.

At its core, Fluency for All is an evidence-based peer-tutoring programme that sees children reading out loud for 20 minutes a day, two days a week, under the guidance of tutors – older students who have received bespoke training.

The sessions, which take place during morning registration time, involve three anthologies of non-fiction texts, written specifically for the programme by Louise and her colleagues.

The project targets pupils who are struggling, hesitant readers, some of whom come from a disadvantaged background.

Louise devised Fluency for All to fill a gap in the teaching of reading at secondary school. Reading fluency is a crucial bridge between decoding words and understanding text but effective fluency interventions are not commonplace in secondary schools. Furthermore, reading fluency has had a history of being misunderstood and neglected in reading curricula.

In three of the schools that have participated in the trial, the intervention has been observed by Ofsted and referred to positively in its written reports.

Of one school, inspectors wrote: “Other pupils support their peers well. These include the reading ambassadors, who use their training well to develop their younger peers’ reading fluency… Pupils are making demonstrable progress in their reading skills.”

A second school’s report stated: “Reading is prioritised by the school. Leaders have developed an impressive programme of peer support for reading fluency. Older pupils have been trained very well to support younger pupils with their reading. This helps younger pupils on the programme to develop their reading fluency.”

A third report stated: “Provision to support pupils’ reading is a significant strength of the school.”

While the pilot worked across six schools, Louise said she had been “delighted to observe the intervention taking place with fidelity to the programme”.

She added: “We have worked with school leaders to ensure there has been consistent quality assurance of the intervention and this has allowed us to be sure that the programme is being run as intended.”

Teachers at the participating schools have reported the ‘visible’ improvement they have seen in terms of pupil confidence, as well as fluency.

The greatest improvements have happened where attendance has been good and tutor quality has been high.

The results from the first year of Fluency for All are exciting to see. At SHINE, we're thrilled to support an initiative that is not only improving literacy but also building confidence. This is exactly the kind of innovative, evidence-based intervention that can transform education. We’re eager to see how the project progresses as it is expanded into other schools.

Fiona Spellman CEO, SHINE

Tutors have been incredibly positive about the benefits of the programme, both for themselves and their tutees. As fluent readers themselves, they understand the need to be able to read well to access the secondary curriculum – as evidenced in tutor questionnaires and focus groups.

Responses from tutors showed how much they were committed to helping their tutees to succeed.

“You are amazing and can do more than you think! Believe in yourself,” one wrote.

“I am so incredibly proud of you for all the hard work you have persevered through,” commented another.”

When asked if they would recommend being a tutor to someone else, 97.5% of tutors responded ‘yes’.

Likewise, when asked if they would recommend the intervention to others, 93.3% of tutees replied ‘yes’.

Participants have also been overwhelmingly positive about the project. The readers have identified that the intervention has helped them to ‘get better at reading’ and ‘learn interesting things’.

Throughout the year, project leads have gathered feedback about what has worked most effectively. It is clear that when it comes to successful peer tutoring, relationships really do matter.

The intervention works best when tutees are matched with positive role models who often share similar personalities. For example, quiet and anxious pupils are paired with calm and reassuring mentors. The matching process should involve multiple staff members who know the tutee’s personality and background well.

From the feedback gathered, Shotton Hall has found that the most important qualities of a good tutor are great attendance, being a positive role model, and being confident and assertive.

Louise is pleased with the early successes: “We are delighted with how the project has gone in the first year,” she said. “We are really pleased with the quality of the training, the resources, and the intervention itself.

“Pupils, teachers, reading leads and leadership teams have all really engaged with the project. It has been fantastic to see the intervention up and running in a range of different settings. We have been able to ascertain the most important qualities in a peer tutor as well as the ideal environment for a peer tutoring intervention.”

She added: “Participants have been overwhelmingly positive about the project.

“Peer tutors have spoken about their own improved general knowledge, their knowledge of reading and also their confidence in tutoring.

“Reading leads have identified that the struggling readers have grown in confidence – both within the intervention, and around school. They have also seen and heard their improved fluency and comprehension.

“Senior leaders who have observed the intervention have commented positively regarding the quality of the resources, the peer tutoring process, and the improvements made.”

Of the evidence of impact, Louise said: “Both quantitative and qualitative data indicate evidence of promise in the project.

“Qualitative data has been extremely positive and has supported us to demonstrate impact in terms of a well-designed, peer tutoring model.

“Should we manage to codify the model at scale, there is potential for this programme to support secondary schools to better meet the scale of the reading challenge they are facing by using well trained pupils/tutors to support struggling readers.”

In the coming year, the project will be extended to an additional six schools, and the project will be scaled up further in year three, reaching a total of 25 schools.

In response to the lessons learned throughout this year, Shotton Hall will implement several measures to better support the schools involved.

A comprehensive handbook will assist reading leads in effectively implementing the programme.

Additionally, a handbook will be introduced specifically designed to support tutor training, helping to develop their knowledge and skills over time.

To further enhance the training process, a dedicated website will be launched, featuring video examples that demonstrate key aspects of the intervention.

Furthermore, Shotton Hall is introducing a clear agreement of expectations for all participating schools, which outlines key dates and deadlines to ensure that expectations are transparent and consistently met

Fiona Spellman, CEO of SHINE, said: “The results from the first year of Fluency for All are exciting to see. At SHINE, we’re thrilled to support an initiative that is not only improving literacy but also building confidence. This is exactly the kind of innovative, evidence-based intervention that can transform education. We’re eager to see how the project progresses as it is expanded into other schools.”

 *The main measure used to assess reading was the New Group Reading Test (NGRT), a standardised, termly assessment that reliably measures reading skills against the national average.