Reading - Insights from Research
Reading - Insights from Research
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Estyn May 2023 - Developing pupils’ English reading skills from 10-14 years of age.pdfThis report describes how schools are developing pupils’ English reading skills across the curriculum 10-14. It considers how well pupils’ reading skills are developing, their attitudes to reading, and the extent to which schools are developing a ‘reading culture’.
The recommendations are alongside.
The link to the WG toolkit for oracy and reading is here:
School leaders should: Provide staff with high-quality professional learning about evidence-based strategies to develop pupils’ reading skills across the curriculum; Monitor and evaluate robustly the impact of reading strategies and interventions; Plan within their cluster for the progressive development of pupils’ reading skills from Year 6 to Year 7, including making appropriate use of feedback and progress reports from personalised assessments
Teachers and classroom-based support staff should: Plan meaningful and engaging opportunities for pupils to develop their reading skills progressively; Use high-quality, suitably challenging texts to develop pupils’ reading skills alongside teaching the strategies pupils need to access and engage with these texts
School improvement partners should: Work together closely to ensure greater consistency and synergy in professional learning opportunities around reading for school leaders, teachers and teaching assistants
The Welsh Government should: Continue to promote and develop the whole-school approach to oracy and reading toolkit
National Literacy Trust 2024 Microsoft Word - Children and young people's listening in 2024
In 2024, 2 in 5 (42.3%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed listening to audio (e.g. audiobooks and podcasts) in their free time, compared with 34.6% who enjoyed reading. This is the first time more children and young people enjoyed listening than reading.
In 2024, more children and young people on free school meals enjoyed listening to audio in their free time than those not (43.6% vs. 41.7%).
Nearly 2 in 5 children and young people say that listening to audio and stories has got them interested in reading books.
castles-et-al-2018-ending-the-reading-wars-reading-acquisition-from-novice-to-expert.pdfEnding the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition From Novice to Expert, Castles, Rastle & Nation (2018)
Ending the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition From Novice to Expert, Castles, Rastle & Nation (2018)
A comprehensive tutorial review of the science of learning to read, spanning from children’s earliest alphabetic skills through to the fluent word recognition and skilled text comprehension characteristic of expert readers. We explain why phonics instruction is so central to learning in a writing system such as English. But we also move beyond phonics, reviewing research on what else children need to learn to become expert readers and considering how this might be translated into effective classroom practice. We recommend reading acquisition that is balanced, developmentally informed, and based on a deep understanding of how language and writing systems work.
A comprehensive tutorial review of the science of learning to read, spanning from children’s earliest alphabetic skills through to the fluent word recognition and skilled text comprehension characteristic of expert readers. We explain why phonics instruction is so central to learning in a writing system such as English. But we also move beyond phonics, reviewing research on what else children need to learn to become expert readers and considering how this might be translated into effective classroom practice. We recommend reading acquisition that is balanced, developmentally informed, and based on a deep understanding of how language and writing systems work.
Quantitative meta-analysis evaluating the effects of systematic phonics instruction compared to unsystematic or no-phonics instruction on learning to read.
Conducted using 66 treatment-control comparisons derived from 38 experiments.
Overall effect of phonics instruction on reading was moderate, d = 0.41. Effects persisted after instruction ended.
Effects were larger when phonics instruction began earlier (d = 0.55) than when begun after after first grade (Year 2 in Wales) (d = 0.27).
Phonics benefited decoding, word reading, text comprehension, and spelling in many readers.
Phonics helped low and middle socio-economically wealthy readers, younger students at risk for reading ALN, and older students with ALN, but it did not help low achieving readers that included students with cognitive limitations.
Synthetic phonics and larger-unit systematic phonics programs produced a similar advantage in reading.
Delivering instruction to small groups and classes was not less effective than tutoring.
Systematic phonics instruction helped children learn to read better than all forms of control group instruction, including whole language.
In summary, systematic phonics instruction proved effective and should be implemented as part of literacy programs to teach beginning reading as well as to prevent and remediate reading difficulties.
Literacy_KS1_Guidance_Report_2020.pdfKS1_Literacy_Discussion_Questions.pdfEEF-KS2-lit-Reading-comprehension-house.pdfPhonological_awareness_and_Phonemic_awareness_2021-08-18-154019_eiuj.pdf
KS2-Lit-Readers-theatre.pdfFROM READING RECONSIDERED.docxReconsidered Reflection EN.pdfText Research Reflection Thinking Reading BT ENG.pdfGwE-Reading-Projects-policy-overview-2021-FINAL.pdfRethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension, Catts, 2021.docxWhat does the evidence say about the teaching of reading?
Caroline Bilton, deputy headteacher Cragside C of E Primary, has been a primary class teacher for thirty years, whilst also working to support schools to improve the teaching of reading as an SLE. Caroline is also a Senior Associate for Primary Literacy with the EEF, having previously been their Literacy Content Specialist. She recently co-authored the updates to the Key Stage 1 and 2 Literacy guidance reports, and delivers primary literacy training for the Research School Network.
Presentation is alongside and link to recording is here: What does the evidence say about reading? (you may need to request to join the Partneriaeth Team if you are not already a member)
Welsh Literacy conference What does the evidence say about the teaching of reading.pptxWhat Every Teacher Needs to Know About Reading
Christopher Such is the author of The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading. He is an experienced primary teacher, school leader and reading consultant who has delivered professional development for schools, trusts and ITT providers on the subject of evidence-informed reading.
Link to recording of session: KS1 – KS4 What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Reading
‘Just reading’ 2019.pdfOriginal research supporting the 'Just Reading' approach for poorer readers aged 12-13 (2019)
Original research supporting the 'Just Reading' approach for poorer readers aged 12-13 (2019)
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