What is ReadingWise Decoding?
Decoding supports a rapid improvement in literacy skills, helping learners access the wider school curriculum.
It’s so much more than just another phonics programme. Our decoding module, for primaries and secondaries, develops deep independence in learners, empowers them, and consistently improves reading ages by over 9 months in just 20 hours.
Decoding is a powerful literacy intervention module.
- It starts by assessing a learner’s reading age, then creating a carefully structured, personalised learning journey.
- Learners work through blends, and progress through common endings, words, and sentences using a variety of innovative approaches to unlock reading.
- Decoding starts with letter sound recognition and progresses through every four-syllable word in the first 3 Harry Potter books.
Delivery: We recommend, and evidence-based research in collaboration with schools suggests that 20-25 minute sessions up to 3-5X a week is ideal. Supervised by 1 trained TA working with 10 pupils.
“At a time when resources are getting ever tighter… and there’s greater scrutiny and accountability, packages like ReadingWise are very very good value for money because we can see the impact and they’re very straight forward to use.”
Hear more from St Ambrose Barlow High School>
How Decoding works
ReadingWise Decoding is a leading literacy intervention, used by thousands of struggling readers in primary and secondary schools, and Multi-Academy Trusts across the UK. On average it increases reading age by 9 months in 20 hours delivering animated lessons incorporating multi-sensory activities.
It's been carefully developed, tailored, and tested over several years to maximise impact. Regularity is key. Schools schedule 3-5 sessions every week. Each session is 20-30 minutes long with up to 10 learners, supervised by one trained member of staff. You can reach large numbers of struggling readers quickly and effectively.
Decoding delivers rapid reading improvement for learners at all stages of their school life:
- Year 2: those who struggled to pass the phonics check or aren’t making expected progress.
- Years 3-6: struggling readers needing additional support to succeed in their SATS
- Year 7: those arriving in secondary school with low levels of literacy (for several reasons, including EAL and SEND).
- Year 8-11: support closing the attainment gap right up to the GCSEs.
- EAL learners: very effective at all key stages.
ReadingWise technology assesses every pupil's initial reading level and then delivers a sequence of interactive, multi-sensory lessons, each lasting 2-3 minutes. Learners must complete each lesson with 100% accuracy to progress.
Due to careful design, this is never frustrating. Learners are always successful, and they own each small success.
Once a lesson is complete, they are rewarded with a snippet of something absurd, wonderful, or humorous in the form of a GIF, a 3-second video. This makes learners light up, preparing them for the next lesson.
They continue like this for the duration of the session, employing a variety of multi-sensory techniques as they progress through the lessons.
In most decoding sessions, the supervisor, typically a trained TA, circulates and supports, offering a facilitatory presence. The learner's independence is an important factor in the programme's success, empowering them to fly solo.
Reading literacy impact is measured by implementing pre- and post-intervention reading age assessments. Reports can be generated to demonstrate impact, per learner, per group, or across an entire school.
ReadingWise Interactive Reading Intervention Technology
In the video, are examples of some of the activities included in the Decoding module. For a more in-depth look, please get in touch for a short demo.Training for Teachers & TAs
TAs are empowered to run ReadingWise sessions with up to 10 learners at a time. We provide a two-hour training session.* ReadingWise Decoding will upskill your staff, improve confidence and reading ages among your learners, and make reporting on impact simple. We also provide ongoing support and ensure that every programme is carefully tailored to the needs of your pupils and school.
*Training can be delivered online or in-house depending on preferences and schedules.
Is Decoding accessible for those with dyslexia or visual impairments?
Across the UK, anywhere from 15% to 20% of children are either dyslexic or have visual impairments, according to the British Dyslexia Association (BDA). Dyslexia and visual impairments are usually picked up by schools, and this means pupils can benefit from extra resources and support as required under SEND provisions.
We have designed every ReadingWise module to be accessible for everyone by default, with dyslexia-friendly font and audio support that comes as standard. Both can make a massive difference for pupils who are struggling to read as early setbacks can often impact them for life unless a suitable intervention is provided.
Is ReadingWise worth the investment?
“As a school, we ended the year 22-23 with an outstanding 90%+ fluent readers across year groups 7-11. We made a remarkable 18% impact in reading following the launch of Star’s World Class Book Culture Programme.”
"Since implementing ReadingWise in our curriculum, we have observed a substantial improvement in the students' vocabulary acquisition. The interactive and engaging nature of the software has captivated their interest, making the learning process enjoyable and effective.”
“ Decoding : this module’s personalised approach caters to individual learning styles, ensuring that each pupil receives tailored support to enhance their decoding skills. The real-time tracking and progress reports have been instrumental in gauging the effectiveness of the program and identifying areas for additional focus.”
“In addition to the software having a pupil-friendly interface, we have found that coupling ReadingWise programmes with regular literacy assessment has incentivised engagement for learners; the faster they progress, the quicker they graduate from the modules.”
Sumaya Omerji, Assistant Principal, Quality of Education and Book Culture Lead, Eden Boys' Leadership Academy (a Star Academy secondary school in Manchester)
Find out more about how ReadingWise supports Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs).
See what other headteachers and literacy leads say about ReadingWise in our case studies and frequently updated testimonials.
Boost your school's literacy results: Arrange your 20-minute demo at a time to suit you.
We highly recommend you spend 20-minutes running through the programme with our friendly and knowledgeable team by booking a demo to suit your diary.
