Literacy

The latest news, analysis and best practice advice when it comes to literacy, from recent research and how to implement it to new guidance and what it means

Monday

29th Jul 2024

Can you trust a reading age?
Reading ages are a staple of reading assessment in many schools, says Megan Dixon. But how much faith should we put in the results of these tests?
Girl reading physics

Sunday

14th Jul 2024

A new plan to end the reading wars
‘It’s not about phonics vs whole language,’ say two researchers who offer their new theory on teaching reading and writing effectively
‘It’s not about phonics vs whole language’ - our plan to end the reading wars

Monday

8th Jul 2024

Thirst for knowledge left reading comprehension in the shadows
The previous government’s obsession with building knowledge was counterproductive for teaching reading comprehension – now I’m hoping for a new era with less focus on knowing more, says Megan Dixon
reading book

Wednesday

3rd Jul 2024

Teachers get ‘minimal’ training in helping pupils to write
A quarter of secondary teachers surveyed by the EEF report having no training on writing in the past two years

A child writing

Wednesday

19th Jun 2024

7 ways to solve the KS3 grammar knowledge problem
Grammar knowledge can be a big issue in key stage 3 and is often blamed on challenges owing to transition – here, Mark Roberts argues there are multiple barriers to address and gives some possible solutions
7 ways to solve the KS3 grammar knowledge problem

Tuesday

4th Jun 2024

Pupil enjoyment of writing falls to ‘unprecedented low’
Children need more ‘meaningful opportunities’ to enjoy the creative elements of writing, charity urges
Typewriter The End

Monday

3rd Jun 2024

How teachers can tap into Scottish Euro 2024 excitement
As Scotland plays warm-up matches against Gibraltar and Finland this week, this teacher suggests ways to harness football fever in the classroom
Scotland v Spain

Wednesday

24th Apr 2024

Modern language assistants disappear from Scottish state schools
The only MLAs left in Scotland are based at independent schools, fuelling fears about declining interest in learning languages
French exit sign

Monday

22nd Apr 2024

A simple but radical new way to assess writing
Measuring writing development can be a tricky process, writes Megan Dixon, but a new systematic review proposes an easy and effective approach
A simple but radical new way to assess writing
5 ways to support reading for pleasure in the classroom
Research suggests that reading for pleasure boosts both wellbeing and attainment across all subjects
5 ways to support reading for pleasure in the classroom

Wednesday

17th Apr 2024

NI ‘early years communication crisis’ highlighted
More children in Northern Ireland waiting for speech and language therapy per head of the population than anywhere else in the UK, ministers told
Tin can phone Northern Ireland

Monday

15th Apr 2024

In the battle of books vs videos, there is a clear winner for literacy
New research compares the vocabulary in books and programmes aimed at young people – and we should heed its findings, says Alex Quigley
Reading battle fairytale woods