Early evidence suggests Reading Reimagined boosts reading fluency and helps more pupils access the curriculum

A year-long evaluation of Reading Reimagined at Biddick Academy has found encouraging evidence that a structured approach to reading fluency is associated with substantial improvements in pupils’ reading.

Across 346 Key Stage 3 pupils, around nine in ten finished the year reading at a level that enables them to access age-appropriate curriculum texts.

“The change in pupils over the year was substantial and measurable.”
Reading Reimagined end-of-year report

Reading is the foundation of learning. When pupils struggle to read fluently, every subject becomes harder to access. They expend so much cognitive effort decoding words that little capacity remains for understanding meaning, making connections or learning new knowledge.

This challenge is particularly acute for disadvantaged pupils, who are more likely to begin secondary school behind their peers in reading and who often find the curriculum increasingly difficult to access as texts become more demanding.

SHINE Sunderland programme Reading Reimagined was developed by Biddick Academy in Washington, part of the North East Learning Trust, to address this challenge through an evidence-informed approach to reading instruction.

Instead of relying primarily on silent reading, the programme gives every pupil structured opportunities to read aloud through carefully designed fortnightly lessons. Repeated reading, explicit vocabulary teaching, background knowledge, discussion and teacher feedback combine to develop the three essential components of reading fluency: accuracy, automaticity (the ability to recognise words accurately and effortlessly) and prosody (reading with appropriate expression, phrasing and meaning).

After two years of development, the latest evaluation suggests the approach is delivering promising results.

Impact highlights

• 346 pupils evaluated across Years 7 and 8
• 90%+ of pupils reading at curriculum-access level by the end of the year
• 16.6 Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM) average gain in Year 7
• 13.8 WCPM average gain in Year 8
• Teacher confidence increased from 1.95 to 5.16 (out of 6)
• Average pupil read-aloud time increased from 8 minutes to 28 minutes per lesson

The data shows there has been a significant increase in the number of pupils reading at a level that supports successful curriculum access.

Across both Year 7 and Year 8, approximately 90% of pupils finished the year reading at or above the curriculum-access threshold for their age.

For Year 7, the proportion of pupils reading at the expected level increased from 77% to 90%, while the number below the threshold fell from 44 pupils to 19.

Year 8 pupils, despite beginning from a higher baseline, made equally impressive progress. The proportion reaching curriculum access rose from 71% to 91%, while the number below the threshold reduced from 44 pupils to just 14.

These improvements matter because curriculum access is about much more than reading assessments. Fluent readers are better equipped to engage with increasingly complex texts across every subject they study.

Reading fluency improved across every measure collected during the evaluation.

Year 7 pupils increased their reading speed by an average of 16.6 words correct per minute, representing a large educational effect. Year 8 pupils gained 13.8 words per minute, despite beginning the year as stronger readers.

Reading accuracy improved dramatically. Error rates fell by around 75% in Year 7 and 70% in Year 8, leaving both cohorts reading with more than 99.6% accuracy by the end of the year.

The evaluation also measured pupils’ expressive reading using the EARS fluency rubric. Both year groups improved, but the pattern of improvement differed.

Year 7 pupils made substantial gains across every aspect of fluency, particularly automaticity.

By Year 8, however, automaticity was already largely secure. Instead, progress increasingly came through improvements in prosody.

This developmental pattern is particularly encouraging because prosody is closely associated with reading comprehension. As decoding becomes increasingly automatic, pupils are able to focus more fully on understanding what they read.

Improvements in pupil outcomes were mirrored by equally significant improvements in teaching.

Throughout the year, the English department participated in sustained professional development focused on evidence-informed reading instruction.

Teacher knowledge increased from 2.38 to 5.19 on a six-point scale, while confidence rose from 1.95 to 5.16.

The greatest gains came among those who had initially felt least confident about teaching reading fluency.

Just as importantly, these improvements translated directly into classroom practice.

At the beginning of the year, pupils typically spent around 8 minutes reading aloud during a lesson.

By January this had increased to 18 minutes.

By June, pupils were reading aloud for an average of 28 minutes, approaching the programme’s target of 30-35 minutes per lesson.

Quality assurance visits showed that teachers were increasingly embedding repeated reading, echo reading, choral reading, explicit vocabulary teaching, retrieval practice and carefully targeted feedback.

“The picture is of a department that moved from cautious first attempts to confident, faithful delivery over the course of the year.”
Reading Reimagined end-of-year report

Pupil voice suggests that many young people recognise the difference Reading Reimagined has made.

One pupil explained: “They are very helpful and made me more confident reading aloud.”

Another commented: “She gets me to read aloud with expression, and this has built up my confidence reading in front of the class.”

Teachers also reported seeing significant changes.

Many described reluctant readers becoming increasingly willing to participate, pupils transferring vocabulary into their own writing and classes making stronger connections between texts and wider historical knowledge.

One teacher described witnessing “a fantastic year of reading” from pupils who had previously lacked confidence and enjoyment when reading aloud.

The report also identified an important priority for next year.

While most pupils responded positively to the programme, enjoyment and confidence remained lower for a small minority. Rather than reducing ambition, the school plans to provide additional scaffolding and targeted small-group support while maintaining the programme’s high expectations.

Although Reading Reimagined was designed primarily to improve reading fluency, the evaluation points towards wider benefits.

Teachers increasingly reported pupils recalling knowledge from previous reading lessons, synthesising ideas across historical periods and applying newly learned vocabulary in both discussion and writing.

Every teacher reported seeing improvements in pupils’ background knowledge by the end of the project.

This reflects one of the programme’s central principles: fluent reading and knowledge development are mutually reinforcing. As pupils encounter ambitious texts, they build the knowledge that allows them to understand future texts more deeply.

Looking ahead

The Reading Reimagined programme is now embedded within Key Stage 3 English at Biddick Academy, with Year 9 resources completed and professional development, assessment and quality assurance systems firmly established.

Because ongoing costs are now relatively modest, the model has become financially sustainable within existing staffing structures.

The North East Learning Trust has committed to continuing the programme beyond the SHINE Sunderland grant, while the Department for Education and English Hubs have expressed interest in the approach as evidence continues to emerge.