We provide high quality reading interventions for students who require additional support

Our literacy strategy is underpinned by the WeST vision that every student will read at -or above- an age-appropriate level. Writing, speaking and listening are essential parts of effective communication but a student’s development in these areas is inextricably linked to the breadth and depth of their vocabulary.

We assess students’ reading ability (both decoding and comprehension) through the New Group Reading Test at the start and mid-way point of the school year. The information and insight provided by the NGRT is then analysed to ensure the most appropriate support can be implemented for the student. The most important piece of information derived from the NGRT is a student’s Standardised Age Score (SAS). The SAS is based on the number of questions a student has answered correctly; the score is adjusted for age and placed on a scale that makes a comparison with a nationally representative sample of students of the same age across the UK. The average score is 100. The SAS is key to benchmarking and tracking progress and is the fairest way to compare the performance of different students within a year group or across year groups.

After detailed analysis of the NGRT data, students with an SAS below 90 go on to complete a further diagnostic reading test. This is called the York Assessment of Reading for Comprehension (YARC). The YARC test allows use to closely observe reading behaviours, strengths and areas for development. It breaks down the components of reading so that we can target specific skills to bring about rapid progress.

The detailed reading profile generated following completion of a YARC test enables us to assign each student to an intervention that best matches their specific reading needs. The interventions offered are summarised in the diagram below:

Literacy Intervention Waves Autumn 2023

PowerUp Literacy® | Lexia Learning

Read Write Inc. Fresh Start - Ruth Miskin Literacy

Reciprocal Reading | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

Reading comprehension strategies | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)