We Aim to Help Close the Reading and Writing Gap

The Research on the Instruction of Literacy with Language (RILL) project was initially developed to help children continue to learn to read and write remotely during school closures because of the Covid-19 pandemic (see our page on Remote RILL). Our findings showed that the programme was effective in improving key literacy skills when delivered remotely.

As children return to school, we have become acutely aware that there is a large gap in children’s reading ability between where they are and where they should be (known as the reading gap). This has been exacerbated by the school-closures relating to the pandemic. To help close the reading gap, we have developed the RILL programme as a technology augmented intervention delivered by TAs to target key literacy skills using evidence-based methods.

In this project, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, we aim to test how well the RILL programme can be adopted in schools and used to improve reading outcomes for 7–9-year-old children, particularly those who find reading and writing difficult. Our specific aims are to:

· Deliver the programme to children aged 7-9 years old (Class Years 3 and 4) who struggle with

reading and writing.

· Train TAs to deliver and test the programme in school.

· Examine the ease and effectiveness of delivering the intervention in schools.