Reading Solutions UK

“Reading Plus is very intuitive; it reacts to the pupils reading needs. Used alongside your reading teaching, it is an excellent tool to support teachers in moving the children forward with their reading.” – Suzanna Morrison, Whetley Academy.

We caught up with Suzanna Morrison, Year 6 teacher, Assistant Principal and English Lead at Whetley Academy where we discuss: how Reading Plus works for pupils when English is not their first language; the intervention materials the programme provides for less able readers; how the Guided Window feature adjusts pupils reading pace to improve their understanding.

Why were your school looking for help with reading?

We have a high proportion of EAL at our school (98.4%) and because of this, our children always find reading the most challenging part of the curriculum. This is an area of the curriculum that we are constantly working to improve so that we ensure that when our children leave us and begin secondary school, they are able to access the whole curriculum and develop reading for pleasure.

What was the implementation process like?

It was very easy to implement. We scheduled time for each class to complete the baseline [assessment] and then it was a case of talking the children through how to use the website, which was done by logging on as a child and navigating the website together – me showing the students on the interactive whiteboard, and them using their device. Once they had been shown, they were confident to use it independently. Pupils need to complete three 30-minute sessions a week to see the full benefits of the programme, so we created a timetable for devices in the school.

Supporting good teaching first

Reading Plus is a programme that pulls together all the skills a child needs to be an efficient, confident, and fluent reader. Our KS2 pupils will all be using Reading Plus as part of their catch-up programme.

Efficient reading is a fundamental skill that children need to master in order to access the whole curriculum. Reading Plus is very intuitive; it reacts to the pupils reading needs. Used alongside your reading teaching, it is an excellent tool to support teachers in moving the children forward with their reading.

Achieving gains in reading fluency and stamina

Over the three months we have been using Reading Plus, the pupils in my class have made an average of 2.5 average comprehension gains in years and an average gain of 29 words per minute in their reading speed. On an individual basis, the level gain has been between 0.3 and 5.8 (depending on usage), with 17/22 children making more than two levels progress (one level is equivalent to one year).

Adjusting reading pace to improve comprehension

Having used the initial baseline assessment on Reading Plus, for some of our students the results were not a surprise as they matched their reading level assessed through PM Benchmark, it showed where they excelled in their understanding and confirmed where their gaps were.

However, it also showed that those who read at an age-related level and who perform reasonably well in assessments, were often reading too quickly and missing the subtle cues for deeper understanding, which was the reason they were losing marks with their 2 and 3 mark comprehension questions. After using the Guided Window on Reading Plus, they were reading at a slightly slower pace, which meant they didn’t misinterpret or miss the information they were reading.

Additional resources for less confident readers

For my pupils who were reading well below age related expectations, the baseline assessment provided analysis on each aspect of reading that they were struggling with. In the skills tab on Reading Plus there is a section called teaching tools. This provides intervention materials that can be printed out to use with a small group or in a 1:1 session. These resources save precious time as a busy teacher and provide the students with exactly what they need to practice, reinforce, and consolidate skills that they lack. The pupils who have used these additional resources are making accelerated progress and have also commented on how good they feel about their reading skills.

Ongoing training and support for staff

The support from the Partner Plus team has been excellent and far superior to the support we have received from reading platforms we have used previously. Ian Turner (our dedicated Reading Development Consultant) provided all staff with an initial training session to get them started and a clear rationale behind the programme. He then offered additional training for staff to navigate the data the platform produces.

Do your class enjoy using Reading Plus?

The children enjoy using the programme as there is a lot of choice, especially with non-fiction texts. I asked my class what they liked about using it and they responded with the following comments:

“I feel more confident with my reading.”

“I like that there is lots of choice. I am learning lots of new things through the books.”

“My Mum says she can hear how my reading has improved.”

“It is fun. It feels a bit like a computer game, I like winning awards and moving up.”

TES Primary School of the Year 2021 winners, St Aloysius, have been using Reading Plus since 2019. Acting Deputy Head, Julie Doughty, explains how the programme has accelerated pupils’ reading progress.  

Why were you looking for reading support? 

We have a very good culture for reading in our school and have always performed very well in local and national assessments. However, we needed a programme that could:

• Speed up the pace of the slower readers. We have a small group of children who struggle with fluency.
• Develop an understanding of vocabulary and comprehension skills for readers who lack confidence.
• Engage and spark a love of reading for our more reluctant readers. We have a group of very reluctant readers who don’t read at home; as such, it was becoming quite challenging to engage them.
• Help staff to be able to pinpoint where each child’s needs were, thus enabling them to tailor teaching and interventions to support these specific areas.

Why did you choose Reading Plus?        

We chose Reading Plus because we were very interested in pinpointing the areas in which our children were struggling. We wanted to use it to excel our good readers and support our children who found reading challenging. We were very impressed by the wide range of texts available to the children and the incentives that were like an online game. The different applications on Reading Plus make it very easy for teachers to grasp the areas which need to be focussed on quickly. The reports are highly beneficial in showing the progress made by each child in each area from the baseline.

Can you comment on the level of support received from our Partner Plus team?  

The Partner Plus team have been exceptional. They answer all queries very quickly and have been on hand at every step of the journey to offer support and guidance. They provided extra training to new staff too, which was fantastic.

We have found Jonny and the team so helpful and would like to say a big thank you for all of the support over the last two years.

Do the children enjoy using Reading Plus?         

The children have really enjoyed Reading Plus, particularly the gaming incentives like the ‘power ups’. They have also commented on the wide range of texts. Many of them found the range of non-fiction particularly interesting.

How has the reporting data helped guide your teaching? 

The Lexile reports that Reading Solutions UK produce showing the impact Reading Plus has had on the reading speeds of children are very useful.     

The reporting data has also been fantastically useful in helping us to decide on reading groups and intervention groups. It has helped us gauge precisely where our children are and know which skill areas to focus on specifically.

Where do reading levels/engagement levels stand in your school after using Reading Plus?      

The reading levels of all of our children improved following the use of Reading Plus. Whilst initially we used it in Y6, we have now started using it as an intervention in Year 5 to help prepare children for Y6 and the pace of learning. We can’t wait to see the impact that it has had this year.

Verity Lee, Year 6 Teacher and Assistant Head at Sunnyside Spencer Academy discusses how Reading Plus improved pupils’ fluency and comprehension, boosted engagement, and increased SATs results.

“Our school motto is Making Every Moment Count and Reading Plus allows us to do this.”

Why were you looking for a reading solution?

We were looking for a programme that allowed pupils to develop more independence with reading. We wanted something that would improve their fluency as often they do not reach the final text in the reading SATs tests. 

Due to working in a disadvantaged area, pupils lack a varied understanding of vocabulary which impacts their comprehension. We also wanted a programme that allowed pupils to build a variety of experiences through texts, such as learning about, “Amazing Moths” or reading a traditional story. The pupils also needed to develop skills such as skimming and scanning and re-reading texts to search for evidence.

How has reading engagement changed since using Reading Plus?

Budget restraints in school means that children don’t have a wealth of books to read. Although pupils did read at home, they would often have the same text for a long period of time and they could not confidently talk about what they had read and lacked motivation to read.

Reading Plus allows children to access a vast range of texts as the programme has over 1000 fiction, non-fiction, and informational texts, and can be accessed from home. The pupils 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.

Clear assessments and data

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. Using Reading Plus, pupils can now independently make a point, find the evidence, and explain without any adult support.

The data is very clear. It can be downloaded and discussed during phase meetings. Leaders can hold other teachers to account. Reading Plus makes it clear who I need to support and who I need to challenge. As a year 6 teacher it can be a challenge to listen to 1:1 readers each day but Reading Plus allows me to clearly see their progress and if they need intervention support.

Accelerating catch-up

In 2019, our reading results for Year 6 were EXS 63% and GDS 13%. After using the programme, our recent SATs results increased to 86% EXS and 41% GDS.

“Our Y5 class have shown the most progress. Prior to using Reading Plus only 19% of the class were reading at their correct reading age. After one years use, 70% of the class are now reading at, or above, their reading age.

Used as specified, in one-year pupils make an average of 2.6 level comprehension years in gains on Reading Plus. At Sunnyside, 71% 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% to 200 words per minute (wpm) (the national average for Y5 is 175wpm).

Do your pupils enjoy using the programme?

Here’s what a few had to say:

“I enjoy Reading Plus because it is fun and I select the text myself. I love learning the facts from the books. For example, I learnt there are more moths than butterflies. I think the vocabulary section is fun and is helping me learn more words that I can use.” Riley

“I love Reading Plus because it has a variety of different texts. It helps me understand what I am reading. I enjoy keeping track of my score because I am very competitive.” Kiernan

“I like the Guided Window because it helps me read at a steady pace rather than too fast or too slow.” Holly

“I couldn’t imagine not having access to Reading Plus.”

Reading Plus is not a replacement for reading lessons, but it does allow pupils to apply their newly learnt 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 5 minutes, they ask to go on Reading Plus – Making Every Moment Count.

Heather March, Assistant Headteacher at Dubmire Primary Academy, and her pupils share their school’s positive response to using Reading Plus.

Heather March is a long-time supporter of Reading Plus and is confident in the progress she knows it can provide. She told us:

School requirements

To improve:

• Reading fluency.
• Reading comprehension.

Why Reading Plus?

From my experience with the programme at my previous school, I knew that, if implemented well, Reading Plus could significantly impact reading, accelerating fluency progress and engagement levels, particularly for reluctant readers.

What was reading like before Reading Plus?

Covid had an impact on both our progress and attainment.

Before Reading Plus, engagement was varied. We found that for our lower-attaining pupils, progress was also low. We wanted to implement Reading Plus to accelerate this.

The positive impact of Reading Plus

Our children have increased their reading speed by an average of 32 words per minute in just two terms. Also, on average, our Year 5 children have made 1.8 levels of progress in less than one term. Two of our children have made more than four levels of gains and are now reading 70+ words per minute more.

Not only are we now seeing an impact on fluency and overall comprehension, but we can also see how this has enhanced our reading-for-pleasure culture.

Engagement is high, and children confidently talk about the texts they have read. Our children are also reading a greater range of cross-curricular texts they wouldn’t have previously accessed and can now make links between subjects and across their reading.

Do pupils enjoy using Reading Plus?

Our children enjoy using Reading Plus. Engagement is excellent, and the children are motivated.

They love that they can clearly see their own progress.

All children answered yes when asked if Reading Plus was easy to use. Some of the factors they enjoyed the most include:

• “I like getting combos and seeing how this makes me move on.”
• “I like the guided window. It makes me concentrate.”
• “The different texts I can choose. There are plenty of things I like and am interested in.”

Teacher enjoyment

My favourite thing about Reading Plus is the selection of texts – there is always something for everyone, and the children never run out of choices.

Also, the leaderboard and progress sections of the dashboards are very informative. I love that you can see at a glance how children are performing.

Reading Plus also merged seamlessly with our well-established Reading Curriculum. We use the programme three times a week. On these days, when the staff use Reading Plus, no planning is required for these sessions, which helps teachers save a lot of time. Staff simply log on and can see where their focus needs to be and with which children. The usability of the site is a huge bonus.

Reliable support

I have always found the support to be excellent. Any queries are answered very quickly, and the training was thorough and easy to follow.

Furthermore, the implementation process was very easy and went smoothly. Our staff have been supported at every step and can confidently use the programme to track and target individuals.

We were up and running with the programme very quickly.

Benefits of Reading Plus’s comprehensive reporting

The Insight Assessment (initial baseline) feature has been very valuable – we can see exactly where the children are, and teachers can clearly identify target children.

Reading Plus’s reporting data is very useful. As a school, we receive both a Lexile report, which measures a pupil’s gains in their ability to read more complicated texts, and a Skills report, which groups pupils who are struggling with the same comprehension subskills and links to Teaching Tools that can be used for remediation. These allow us to see how pupils are doing quickly, meaning we can easily identify those who are off-track and in which areas they are struggling.

Teachers use these reports to target individuals and inform the class guided reading lessons. Also, I have used these reports to report to governors during our curriculum challenge meetings to illustrate the progress made and the areas we want to prioritise.

How Reading Plus helps children reach their potential

Reading Plus is an extremely effective teaching tool for fluency and reading comprehension. Our children have developed their reading stamina alongside their reading rate. We can clearly see the impact this will have in accessing the end-of-year KS2 tests.

For the children using the programme in Year 5, we now have 14% achieving Greater Depth scores in our standardised end-of-year assessments. This is also backed up by teacher assessment judgements. In this year group, we had only 2 children (5%) working at Greater Depth in Reading when they initially started the programme.

When we asked the pupils if they felt they had improved by using Reading Plus, they replied:

• “I’ve got three certificates now. My reading speed is faster, and I can get over 80% in my reading.”
• “Yes. I’ve gone up four levels since starting. The texts I have to read now are much longer, and I have to really think hard.”
• “If I try hard, I know I can get over 80% on stories and that makes me improve.”