Devon schools join Hon. Dr Stuart Lawrence to front project to improve reading standards in primary schools

Devon County Council is backing a special programme that can help struggling children improve their reading age by more than two years in just eight weeks.

HFL Education’s KS2 Reading Fluency Project is being launched nationwide today (11 July 2023) and is backed by teacher, author and activist Hon. Dr Stuart Lawrence.

The programme has been running in schools around Devon since 2020. 87 schools in the county with 689 pupils ranging from Year 2 to Year 8 have taken part.

School and library closures during the pandemic significantly impacted reading standards in primary school children. Despite £3.5 billion in Government funding to help young people catch up, one in four (25%) 10-11 year olds in the UK didn’t make the grade for reading in 20221, and learning loss among disadvantaged children remains greater than for other students2.

The launch of HFL Education’s Reading Fluency Project is being back by Hon. Dr Stuart Lawrence, brother of Stephen Lawrence, who was tragically murdered in a racially motivated attack in 1993. Dr Lawrence, an advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion in education, has seen the project already inspire children who have fallen behind with their reading.

Stuart’s debut book ‘Silence is Not An Option: You Can Impact the World for Change’ is one of the texts being studied on the 2023 KS2 Reading Fluency Project. In his book, Stuart shares his insights into the tools that have helped him live positively and kept him moving forwards when times have been tough. Written for younger readers, the book aims to help children find their own voice and work towards a better future.

Stuart, who worked as a Design Technology teacher before moving into a career as a motivational speaker and author, says: “Having worked with children and young people for many years, I know exactly what a disadvantage poor reading skills can be. I’ve seen first-hand how it can lead to a lifetime of struggle for jobs and social inclusion, and then an increased likelihood of living in poverty or even taking part in criminal activity. It’s vital that at this pivotal age, children’s reading skills are embedded to set them up for life. That’s why I’m backing this ground-breaking initiative from HFL Education, which has the potential to change the lives of children taking part.”

The KS2 Reading Fluency Project was created by HFL Education to help Year 5 and 6 students who are working below the expected standard in reading to catch up with just two 20-minute teacher-led sessions per week. It uses a combination of strategies including modelled expert reading and echo reading to improve fluency, which in turn enables students to better comprehend the text.

Now in its sixth year, the powerful programme has been run in 300 schools around the UK, with 2,600 students taking part. Since the project began, the average reading comprehension age of students starting on the programme has dropped significantly from 8 years and 7 months, to 7 years and 10 months in 2021/22, evidencing the impact the pandemic has had on primary school children.

Penny Slater, Education Development and Partnership Lead (Primary English specialist) at HFL Education said: “A positive relationship with books and reading gives children a significant advantage not just in their studies but in many aspects of life. Sadly, we’ve seen the average reading comprehension age of the students who come to start our programme drop in the five years we’ve already been running it. We’re pleased that the programme has been able to help them and believe there’s never been a more important time for our programme to be available to young readers.

“We created the 2023 Reading Fluency Project to give schools the resources they need to help struggling students become enthusiastic and confident readers who are able to understand and engage with what they are reading and learning. Stuart’s book is the ideal text to help teachers bring our project syllabus to life; it is uplifting and empowering for all children, and there is also a live webinar with Stuart as part of the course this year to help young people engage with Stuart’s words and connect with them on a whole new level.”

Rebecca Cosgrave, English Adviser (team lead) at Devon County Council, said: “We could not be more delighted to be working with HFL Education to offer schools in the South West the opportunity to engage with the Reading Fluency Project.  It is not an exaggeration to say that in 30 years of teaching, I have never seen such enormous impact on children’s reading.  For so many children, the strategies and ethos of the project seem to unlock their engagement with texts and therefore their ability to read for meaning.”

Schools interested in taking part in the KS2 Reading Fluency Project in Autumn 2023 can visit the HFL website, email reading.fluency@hfleducation.org or call 01438 544464