New £1m drive to improve reading and writing skills of Oxfordshire's children

The funding boost follows the success of the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign, a two-year programme launched in 2012.

Over the past two years, almost 1,200 primary school pupils have taken part in the campaign, run with the National Literacy Trust, backed by the Oxford Mail and funded by the county council.

The campaign was launched to counter poor Key Stage 1 exam results in Oxford in 2010 – the worst in the country – for seven-year-olds.

Children taking part came on in leaps and bounds, raising their reading age by 13 months after only four months on the scheme, and many primary schools are continuing with reading campaign techniques.

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Now two new schemes are being launched and will run for two years from January.

Gaining Momentum, continuing the partnership with the National Literacy Trust, aims to boost literacy and communication skills among Year 7 and 8 pupils – aged 11 to 13. It will involve up to 20 schools over the two years.

And Every Child Writes, run with guidance from staff at Lancashire’s Edge Hill University, will focus on pupils in Years 3 and 4, seven- to nine-year-olds, from up to 60 schools across the county.

Julie Gibbings, schools manager for the National Literacy Trust, said: “We are delighted to be working with the county council and Oxfordshire secondary schools to deliver the Oxfordshire Gaining Momentum Scheme.

“We hope our experience in working with schools across the UK to bring outstanding literacy levels will close the attainment gap between dis-advantaged pupils and their peers in Oxford’s schools. We are excited to build on the success of the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign and raise the profile of reading, writing and speaking and listening in secondary schools.”

Edge Hill University’s director of intervention support Nick Dowrick said: “We know just how important writing skills are to children’s development as they progress through the school system.”

The programmes for primary and secondary schools will be launched in January, once participating schools have been identified.

Melinda Tilley, the county council’s cabinet member for children, education and families, said: “The Oxfordshire Reading Campaign has achieved some real results in terms of raising average reading ages for children who took part, and improvements in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 results.

“The Oxford Mail has been instrumental in raising the profile of this work and encouraging schools to take part.

Melinda Tilley

“We are determined to build on this work and broaden its scope with a focus on both reading and writing, with secondary pupils as well as primary.”

The council has secured the £1m fund from the Oxfordshire Schools Forum, led by headteachers from across the county.

The National Literacy Trust will also continue to support primary schools in the area through the NLT schools’ network, according to NLT trust spokeswoman Claire Nevill.

The network directs schools to resources and support for improving literacy attainment. The reading campaign scheme was one of a number of literacy projects in the county.

Others include a city council-run programme and a volunteer scheme led by charity Assisted Reading for Children in Oxfordshire (ARCh).

Gaining Momentum

THE aim is to improve literacy and communication skills among secondary school pupils in Years 7 and 8 (aged 11 to 13). The scheme is designed to help children engage confidently and fluently across all subject areas, through reading, writing and speaking.

Every Child Writes

THIS will focus on writing skills to boost seven to nine-year-old pupils’ access to, and engagement with the wider curriculum, as well as their confidence across subject areas. Delivered by Edge Hill University, it will focus on children in Years 3 and 4 (seven- to nine-year-olds).

Cutteslowe Primary School heads queue to join scheme

PUPILS at Cutteslowe Primary School are among those hoping to take part in Every Child Writes, one of the new schemes.

Jon Gray is headteacher at the school in Wren Road, North Oxford, where pupils took part in the reading campaign.

He said: “Thanks to the campaign 95 per cent of children in year six — 11-year-olds — were reading at expected levels at the end of their academic year in 2014, and that’s above the national average.

“But only 76 per cent were writing at expected levels so there is still work to do there and I think Every Child Writes is a good idea — I have already been on the phone asking if we can join in.”

Kira Forbes, seven, from North Oxford, said: “I love writing adventurous stories because when you get to read it, it feels like you are in it.

“I love learning to join my writing,” added Suhana Abdullah, seven, from Cutteslowe.

Olivia Minter, seven, from North Oxford, said: “Every time I go to my table I like trying to write more and more.”

‘Great readers make top-level students’

Oxford Spires Academy principal Sue Croft with pupils in the library 

EDUCATION bosses knew they had to take drastic action after Key Stage 1 pupils at primary schools in Oxford were the worst in the country.

The results in 2010 were a wake-up call for the county council and following an inquiry in February 2011, a six-point plan to bring improvements was launched in November 2011.

In May 2012 county council leader Ian Hudspeth said improving primary school reading standards was a priority and in July the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign, to improve reading standards at primary schools, was unveiled, to be launched in October.

Volunteers worked with children on a one-one-one basis to help them with their reading as part of the £600,000 initiative.

Forty-four schools joined up initially and after four months teaching staff around the county said they were pleased with the effect the scheme was having.

Peter Cansell, then headteacher at Harwell Primary School near Didcot, said at the time he could see “positive results within a very short time”.

Sue Croft, headteacher at Oxford Spires Academy, in Glanville Road, East Oxford, backed the new schemes, adding: “Great readers make top-level students.

“Every child needs competent reading to access the curriculum and make progress in life.

“Reading is such an important skill for all levels of success.”

Pupil Shaarai Spriggs, 12, from Marston, Oxford, said: “Here you can read at lunchtime in the library – my favourite authors are JK Rowling and Veronica Roth.”

At the end of the scheme, statistics showed it was responsible for significant improvements.

A total of sixty-three schools took part in the reading campaign and figures revealed that literacy levels soared:

• 82 per cent of Key Stage 1 pupils in schools that took part in the Reading Campaign achieved a level 2B+ in 2014, compared to 77 per cent in non-participating ‘focus’ schools
• In both years of the campaign, the average reading age gain of pupils taking part in the Project X Code reading intervention was 13 months, with some pupils achieving nearly 20 months
• 100 per cent of pupils now read regularly, with 50 per cent of pupils reading at least once a day and 50 per cent reading at least several times a week
• 73 per cent of pupils enjoy reading much more as a result of the campaign
• 74 per cent of pupils feel strongly that they are better at reading now
• 68 per cent of pupils read on their own, while 75 per cent read with parents and/or teachers.

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