What makes reading a priority? on Creating Value In Schools

Reading

Policy

Social equality

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Top takeaways

For young people, reading is ‘the passport to the rest of their lives’, says Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. That’s the rationale behind the proposal for a Year 8 reading check, a statutory test in England. Results won’t be published (like with the phonics check).

In the EEF’s research into pupil premium spend, they found English and literacy to be the number one priority for schools. While there was 80% success at the phonics check this year, for disadvantaged pupils, that drops to 67%. There’s going to be a new target of 90% of children meeting the expected standard at the Year 1 phonics check.

Reading as a priority need

In their research of school priorities, based on analysis of a sample of pupil premium statements, the EEF found English and literacy to be the number one priority for schools, with 83% citing it in their statements.

As headteacher Stuart Mayle describes it on the accompanying podcast, ‘The limits of our language are the limits of our world.’

Results of this year’s phonics check highlights the gap that opens up early on: while there was an 80% pass rate overall, that decreases to 67% for disadvantaged pupils.

Reading comprehension strategies as an effective intervention

The EEF have also been updating their teaching and learning toolkit to reflect recent research studies. Reading comprehension strategies are now second on the list in terms of high impact for low cost, with an average of seven months additional progress.

There are a variety of reading comprehension strategies, such as inference, summarising and predicting, as this illustration highlights.

Reading comprehension strategies from the EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit

Year 8 reading test

We don’t yet have detail on the format of the test, other than it will assess reading fluency and comprehension.

Why test at Year 8? As other research has shown (see Need to Know: Pupil engagement for example), there’s a point post secondary transition where pupil engagement and achievement dips. Phillipson describes it as a ‘key point when too many children either spin their wheels or fall further behind’.

The test won’t be used as an accountability measure. As with the phonics check, data will be made available to Ofsted and the government, but individual schools’ results will not be published. Schools can make children’s results available to parents.

Responses from the sector

Not surprisingly, responses to news of the test have been mixed. Some leaders, such as the CEO of Lift, have welcomed the move, describing reading as ‘the key that unlocks everything – learning, engagement and opportunity’.

Others are concerned about factors such as:

The expense of creating and administering another national test.
The accountability factor: will the promise not to publish the results be kept?
Extra workload created by the demands of the test.

A Teacher Tapp poll found respondents generally underwhelmed by the prospect, with 36% ‘neither supporting or opposing’ the idea.

Questions for reflection and action

Is reading, or English or literacy more generally, a priority area for your setting? What are you doing to intervene in this area? Is it a whole school priority – everyone’s business?
How do you feel about the introduction of another national test?
Have you used the EEF’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit to support evidence-based decisions in your setting? Do staff know about it?

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