New Online Training: Supporting Reading in Secondary Schools
Exciting news for all secondary school practitioners! A new evidence-based online training package focused on supporting reading in secondary schools has been published and is now available. Developed in collaboration with teachers and school leaders and led by Dr Jessie Ricketts of Royal Holloway, this training aims to equip all staff – including teachers, teaching assistants, and school leaders – with the knowledge and confidence to support students' reading development.
The training package is designed as a first step towards building a sustainable, evidence-informed approach and fostering a strong reading culture in secondary schools. It is closely aligned with the Department for Education Reading Framework and current research, using the Simple View of Reading as a core framework and integrating research from primary and secondary contexts. A pilot demonstrated the training is effective, necessary, valuable, and accessible. The videos are available on the DfE YouTube channel and the guidance documents are linked below.
The training is divided into two distinct, but complementary, packages: one for practitioners and one for leaders.
For the Classroom: The Practitioner Package
This package, accompanied by the "Guidance and workbook for all secondary school practitioners" document, is designed for teachers and teaching assistants of all subjects and experience levels. It's particularly useful for those without an English specialism or recent reading CPD.
What does the practitioner package include?
- 11 short videos available on the DfE YouTube channel.
- An accompanying guidance document/workbook to aid reflection and note-taking while watching videos.
- Introduction to the Simple View of Reading and research on reading in secondary students.
- Focus on seven core strategies for supporting reading in the classroom, detailed in teacher-led videos and workbook sections:
- Choosing curriculum texts appropriately.
- Identifying and teaching text types and features.
- Exploring vocabulary, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 words.
- Activating students' background knowledge.
- Explicitly teaching reading comprehension strategies (like prediction, questioning, summarizing).
- Considering when and how reading happens in lessons (e.g., aloud, silently, individually, whole class).
- Checking student comprehension effectively.
- Exploration of common reading profiles in secondary students using the Simple View of Reading framework, with examples and suggested strategies for each profile (Successful, Mild needs, Substantial word reading needs, Substantial comprehension needs, Substantial needs with both).
- Estimated completion time of approximately one hour, though more time can be allocated for reflection/discussion.
- Guidance on completing the training individually or in a group.
After completing the training, practitioners are encouraged to review notes, make an action plan, read about reading profiles, look at next steps, and provide feedback.
Leading the Way: The School Leader Package
This package, detailed in the "Guidance and workbook for secondary school leaders" document, is designed for all school leaders. It aims to build their knowledge, outline assessment approaches, provide leadership principles, and aid in delivering the practitioner training to staff.
What does the secondary reading leader package include?
- 6 short videos available on the DfE YouTube channel.
- An accompanying guidance document/workbook to introduce the training, videos, outline the teacher package, and guide implementation.
- Recommended three-step approach: Read the guidance, Engage with the leader videos, and Implement the training with staff.
- Content on the Simple View of Reading and research on reading in secondary students (overlapping with the teacher package).
- Detailed information on assessing reading to identify needs, evaluate progress, and capture impact.
- Focus on four principles for school leaders to consider when developing a whole-school reading culture:
- Emphasising the importance of reading for independent learning across all subjects.
- Promoting frequent and wide reading opportunities for students.
- Implementing systems to monitor, screen, and check student reading progress regularly.
- Prioritising teacher continuing professional development (CPD) to build staff confidence and strategies.
- Guidance on implementing the teacher training with staff, including identifying relevant colleagues (all practitioners), enabling individual or group completion, grouping strategies (e.g., by department or mixed), and suggestions for delivery (e.g., Jigsaw, individual watching followed by group discussion).
- Exploration of common reading profiles in secondary students, providing context for understanding student needs.
- Emphasis on the leader's role in post-training action planning, discussing plans with the leadership team/subject leads, planning regular follow-up for staff, monitoring progress, and evaluating the impact on student proficiency and achievement.
Both packages represent a valuable resource for secondary schools committed to enhancing their support for student reading.
Download the secondary reading for leaders PDF
Download the secondary reading for practitioners PDF
Visit the relevant DfE web page
Next Steps
For over a decade we have worked alongside secondary schools to improve reading.
Learn more about ReadingWise and our work in secondary schools.
