8:27am Wednesday 3rd December 2008
By Anika Bourley
Children who were struggling to read made “spectacular” improvements after a trial scheme was run for only 30 minutes a day in Bradford schools.
Academics hailed the success of the Every Child a Reader project, which was tested on six-year-olds in 19 primary schools.
They said the children improved their reading age by nearly two years – at four times the normal rate – after receiving one-to-one tuition for 30 minutes a day, for between 12 and 20 weeks.
The verdict on the £10 million three-year pilot programme, which took place at nearly 500 schools nationwide, clears the way for it to be extended to schools across the country.
It also raises hopes of across-the-board improvements in reading skills at primary level. Across England, about 30,000 children – more than one in 20 – move on to secondary school every year without the most basic skills in English.
At the 19 Bradford primaries selected, pupils were given extra reading time to help them catch up with their peers.
The struggling youngsters tended to be from poorer backgrounds. Almost half were eligible for free school meals compared to a national average of fewer than one in six.
At the start of the course, the average reading age of the children was four years and ten months. At the end, it was six years and seven months.
The researchers, at London’s Institute of Education, found that children who did not receive the direct tuition also improved their reading skills – a result put down to “the presence of a literacy expert in the school”.
Bradford Council’s executive member for children and young people, Michael Kelly, said: “We are delighted that Bradford was included in the pilot scheme for Every Child a Reader and we are now looking forward to it being rolled out to all primary school.”
Gill Cartwright, Education Brad-ford’s teacher leader for reading recovery, said 18 more reading recovery teachers were being trained. “This will double the number of schools in the district giving this vital support to their most vulnerable children.”
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