Name: Verity Lee Job role: Y6 teacher/assistant head School: Sunnyside Spencer Academy Favourite feature: Variety of texts. Clear assessments and data. Accessible from home.
How does Reading Plus allow you to fulfil your school motto, ‘Making Every Moment Count’? Budget restraints in school mean that children don’t have a wealth of books to read. Reading Plus allows pupils to access a vast range of texts, as the online programme has over 1,000 fiction, non-fiction and informational texts.
The students enjoy talking about what they’ve read with their teachers and peers.
I particularly like that Reading Plus motivates our boys to read more. They are competitive, and they want to see their scores after answering each comprehension question.
What has been the impact of Reading Plus in your school? The initial assessment pupils sit when they first start on the programme gives us baseline data and makes it clear which pupils need to focus on fluency or comprehension.
We found that pupils may have high fluency but low comprehension. The nature of the programme, and features such as the Guided Window, encourage pupils to pace themselves, not rush and refer back to the text if they are unsure so that they can comprehend what they are reading.
Pupils can now independently make a point, find the evidence, and explain without any adult support.
What gains have you seen? In 2019, our reading results for Y6 were EXS 63 per cent and GDS 13 per cent. After using the programme, their recent SATs results increased to EXS 86 per cent and GDS 41 per cent.
Our Y5 class have shown the most progress.
Used as specified, in one-year pupils make an average of 2.6 level comprehension years in gains on Reading Plus. At Sunnyside, 71 per cent of pupils made 2.6 gains or more, two pupils gained 6.6, and one pupil progressed 7.
The average reading speed of pupils has increased 42 per cent to 200 words per minute (wpm), while the national average for Y5 is 175wpm.
How does Reading Plus influence reading lessons? Reading Plus is not a replacement for reading lessons, but it does allow pupils to apply their newly learned skills independently.
The Skills Feature provides intervention materials such as PDFs and lesson plans, saving time when planning and supporting staff with the scripts to ensure high-quality teaching.
Thanks to Reading Plus, pupils have developed a love of reading. They love finding out more, and at the end of each lesson or during a spare five minutes, they ask to go on Reading Plus – Making Every Moment Count.
Will it work for you?
- Proven to increase fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension
For more information visit readingsolutionsuk.com or email info@readingsolutionsuk.com.
