Academy granted £172k to launch Sunderland reading initiative
Fluency First - Biddick Academy
Biddick Academy has been awarded £172,183 from SHINE Sunderland for its innovative project, ‘Fluency First’, aimed at improving reading skills and understanding among secondary school children.
‘Fluency First’ is a three-year project for pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9, and will form part of the English curriculum at the school. Fortnightly lessons will focus on pupils’ ability to read out loud, and staff will be trained in most effective methods for teaching it.
Louise Quinn, Director of Shotton Hall Research School, explains that many pupils struggle with reading skills after starting secondary school because “they don’t read as much as they’ve read in primary school, where they have that dedicated time every day to reading”.
As the project progresses, Louise hopes that improvements in teaching and reading instruction will lead to more fluent and confident pupils, adding that she’d like to see “the current Year 7 being better able to tackle their final years of secondary school”.
‘Fluency First’ will introduce dedicated lesson time for children to practice reading out loud, developing their reading speed, understanding and expression – essential tools for understanding complex written materials.
To support this, Louise and the team will create a set of resources to help pupils become more familiar with key people, places and broader cultural references often encountered in the later years of the English curriculum.
This collection of stories and texts will be framed around three central themes: humanities and the arts, world history, and global locations.
As Louise explains, “So often in English lessons, pupils encounter texts situated somewhere like Hawaii or the Pyrenees. The issue for some of our disadvantaged pupils is their lack of knowledge about the wider world. This is not about their ability; it’s simply because they haven’t had the same opportunities. Disadvantaged pupils often don’t have as much knowledge of the world around them than their more advantageous peers.”
Example topics will include:
- People who have made – or changed – history
- Gods and monsters in Greek mythology
- Heroes and villains in western literature
- World Wonders
Central to the initiative will be teacher training on specific approaches to reading instruction. As Louise points out, “The evidence consistently tells us that teaching is the best tool we have for improving pupil outcomes, particularly amongst our most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils.”
“There’s a high number of disadvantaged pupils at Biddick, and in the Sunderland area. That’s why this project is based around the teaching of reading,” explains Louise.
The project is expected to improve reading fluency and comprehension among all participating pupils, with the most significant gains anticipated among disadvantaged students – those who often miss out on additional reading support.
“We’ve chosen to focus on teaching rather than wider strategies of interventions because we have a lot of interventions. While teaching will support all pupils, it will disproportionately benefit our most vulnerable and our most disadvantaged,” said Louise.
In the long term, the project aims to improve outcomes for school leavers and provide the lifelong benefits that greater literacy skills can bring. The team hopes that ‘Fluency First’ will leave a lasting legacy, benefiting younger pupils as they progress through the school system.
Evidence and data will be collected throughout the project’s duration, starting with an initial assessment of pupils’ reading skills, followed by ongoing monitoring of their academic performance through standardised tests.
This continuous evaluation will help individual teachers assess their impact, supported by senior leaders who will also undergo training in implementation and quality assurance.
On receiving the funding Louise said: “It’s an incredible investment, and I hope it leads to positive outcomes that reflect the generosity of that investment. The area needs it. The borough needs it.
“I know that staff, school leaders and school are absolutely committed to making the best use of this funding.
“I think it’s great – an amazing opportunity that will hopefully do so much good because these children truly deserve it.”
Regarding the broader SHINE Sunderland fund Louise said: “I think it’s a fantastic investment into the area and I’m excited to see the outcomes.
“What’s particularly pleasing is that the projects will be shared across Sunderland. I’ve taught in disadvantaged schools my whole career and it is difficult, but this opportunity to connect schools and collaborate will be incredibly powerful.”
‘Fluency First’ project is led by Connor Brown, Assistant Headteacher at Biddick Academy, supported by Louise Quinn, Director of Shotton Hall Research School.
Fiona Spellman, CEO of SHINE, said: “Fluency First directly addresses a crucial challenge faced by many secondary school pupils – reading fluency and understanding.
“By embedding structured reading aloud into the curriculum and equipping teachers with proven instructional strategies, this project has the potential to transform literacy outcomes at Biddick Academy and beyond.
“We are excited to see how this initiative not only boosts academic success but also builds students’ confidence in engaging with complex texts and ideas.”