Ofsted

Boosting reading in secondary schools: 6 Ofsted report findings

Watchdog says tips from top schools will help others improve reading for struggling pupils and inform its own inspections

Watchdog says tips from top schools will help others improve reading for struggling pupils and inform its own inspections

31 Oct 2022, 14:15

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A new Ofsted research report looks at effective practice for secondary school pupils struggling with reading

Inspectors “rarely see” secondary school leaders “developing a coordinated strategy for struggling readers” that picks up and address their specific needs, a new Ofsted report said.

The watchdog has today published a research report into how six high-performing secondary schools provided targeted support for children.

The guidance aims to “support other secondary schools” and inform inspection practice. However, Ofsted added the findings showed what worked in the schools it visited, “rather than providing recommendations for all schools”.

The report cited research showing only 10 per cent of disadvantaged children who leave primary school with below the expected reading standard get passes in English and maths at GCSE.

Here’s the key findings:

1. Leadership of reading ‘at senior level’

Ofsted found in each of the six schools, leadership of reading was led by a deputy head or literacy lead who were part of the senior leadership team.

This ensured reading was part of a “well-thought-out” curriculum and a wider school reading strategy.

“The priority that senior leaders gave reading, and their investment in reading, meant it had a high status across the school,” the report read. “Teachers and support staff all said it was part of their role to help struggling readers.”

An example of embedding reading across the whole school included teachers having ‘what I am currently reading’ posters in their classrooms.

“Staff did not see reading as solely the responsibility of the English department,” the report said.

2. Test, test and test …

Ofsted said leaders of the six schools “understood the importance of accurately identifying pupils’ reading needs”.

They ran screening assessments across the whole of year 7 to identify pupils struggling with reading. They then used more “granular” diagnostic assessments to identify specific gaps and weaknesses, “so they could give pupils the appropriate additional teaching”.

This also included different diagnostic assessments to test different aspects of reading including phonics, accuracy and speed. Information, including “pupil profiles”, was shared with all staff via “frequent” emails, school management systems and departmental meetings.

Doing so meant schools “extended the additional teaching for struggling readers into the classroom and curriculum subject teaching”.

Schools then ran “regular assessments to understand the gains pupils had made” after the extra support.

An analysis of 30 secondary school inspections between September last year and January found while 28 assessed all year 7s to find those struggling, they did not follow up with diagnostic tests to “identify precise gaps in knowledge”.

3. … and train staff on early reading

During a focus group, senior inspectors said secondaries “did not always have staff trained to teach pupils who were in the early stages of learning to read”.

While schools widely shared reading age data, teachers and support staff were not given the training they needed to help those pupils. Staff often have “little experience or, and training in” supporting struggling readers in subjects including science, history or modern foreign languages.

A lack of expertise can lead to relying “too heavily” on commercial programmes, rather than investing in staff training.

In the six schools, staff had external training to teach reading and some had intensive training courses of phonics and reading fluency. Trained staff then “shared their expertise and delivered internal training”.

The six schools also utilised the expertise of primary teachers, with two employing primary-trained teachers to teach struggling readers and train staff.

4. Schools say librarians are key

The schools also told Ofsted about the importance of having “highly skilled” librarians to help purchase books and direct pupils to “books they found interesting”.

Three of the schools had at least one professionally qualified librarian. Some had access to data on struggling readers and helped pupils find suitable books. Some also ran reading tests and one had engaging with struggling readers as a key performance target.

A 2019 study found one in eight schools do not have a library, but this dropped to one in five for schools with more poorer pupils. A current funding crisis means such provision could also be first on the chopping block.

5. Why does support stop at end of year 9?

Despite the positives, Ofsted found schools did not “always know the longer-term impact of help” because the assessment and monitoring stopped at the end of year 9.

“This means that pupils who begin to struggle later, or new starters in key stage 4, might not receive targeted support,” the report said.

The report suggests “a lack of additional funding after key stage 3” may be one reason. Another could be the perception “once pupils have reached their chronological reading age, or ‘graduated’ from a reading programme, they do not need further help or monitoring.”

However, several pupils told inspectors they felt “less enthusiastic and motivated to read for pleasure” in key stage 4.

A wider analysis of recently inspected secondary schools found the lack of such support in key stage 4 was widespread.

6. Spielman: ‘Staff should be aware pupils lacking the basics’

Amanda Spielman, the inspectorate’s chief inspector, said the ability to read is a “fundamental life skill” and secondary school staff “should be aware that a significant number of their pupils are lacking the basics”.

Each year around one quarter of 11-year-olds do not meet the expected standard in reading at the end of primary school.

“That’s why it’s essential that children who leave primary school unable to read well get the additional teaching they need to participate both academically and in wider society,” Spielman added.

Nerd note on which schools were chosen

Ofsted identified 40 top performing secondary schools where data showed year 7 pupils with below expected standards in reading went on to make “accelerated” progress.

However the data was based on results across 2017 to 2019 because of Covid. Ofsted “further validated” schools by analysing their catch-up statements and looked at recent inspections mentioning reading. The final selection was down to those that could host a visit during Covid. Three council schools, two converter and one sponsored academy was visited.

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