Midlands Success Stories
A complete change in attitude towards reading with the results to show for it!
St Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic School, Birmingham
In 2013 St Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic School, part of the Lumen Christi Multi-Academy Trust, invested in Accelerated Reader (AR) and Star Reading (SR) to promote a love and motivation for reading amongst their students.
Since then, the school have gone on to see a year-on-year improvement in their Progress 8 score. Most notably, the Progress 8 score for their disadvantaged pupils has increased substantially over the last two years. In 2019, according to the DfE's latest published data, the school performed within the top 29% of all secondary schools in Birmingham based on Progress 8 Score.
The Complete Literacy Solution at Finham Park Multi-Academy Trust
FInham Park Multi Academy Trust, Coventry
In 2017, Finham Park School, Finham Park 2 and Lyng Hall School all invested in Accelerated Reader and Star Reading to improve literacy levels and develop a sustainable reading culture. In July 2020, they also invested in myON by Renaissance, the online digital library, to tackle a further loss to reading development to support the blended learning throughout the 20/21 academic year. This is their story.
Using Focus Skills to ensure understanding and mastery
Ellis Guilford Comprehensive School, Nottingham
I want to make use of the data more for teachers and I’m hoping, in time, our teachers will have a better grasp of Accelerated Reader and Star Reading. I think the Star Reading programme will be invaluable for our teachers because once you know whether pupils are growing or not, you can now group them and use the instructional planning report to see what individual skills each pupil has mastered and what they are yet to master, still. Therefore, if teachers begin to regularly work with their individual groups more often then they will be able to offer more appropriate intervention, subsequently allowing them to share this vital data with other teachers.
Transforming the way our Trust supports learning
David Ross Education Trust, Schools across the UK
We spoke to Lyndsay Bawden, Trust-Wide Subject Lead for English at the David Ross Academy Trust, since 2018. Lyndsay explores the decisions that were made at trust-level to utilise Accelerated Reader and Star Reading as a learning enhancement programme.
A new Trust-wide reading culture
Charnwood College, Loughborough
The David Ross Education Trust rolled out Accelerated Reader and Star Reading across all secondary schools to improve reading levels and develop a love of reading for all pupils across the trust. We discussed the impact with Charnwood College...
Using Accelerated Reader across our whole trust
St Martin's Multi-Academy Trust, Bilston
St Martin’s Multi Academy Trust is a three-school trust in Bilston, West Midlands. Its academies are all located in areas of high deprivation. Read the story from Christine Ivory, Assistant Headteacher at Grove Primary School, and Ben Davies, Executive Headteacher, about why they chose Accelerated Reader and Star Reading to support reading across the trust.
Taking Accelerated Reader into the future at Skegness Academy
Skegness Academy, Skegness
Skegness Academy wanted to share their success with Accelerated Reader with us even though they've not been using it for very long! We spoke to Kerry Cussons, Learning Resource Assistant, about her first impression.
“With Accelerated Reader, we couldn’t want for more.”
Christ Church Church of England Primary School, Chesterfield
In June 2019, Christ Church CofE Primary School received a ‘Good’ Ofsted inspection report, with specific acknowledgement of the school’s effective reading strategy. The school’s reading progress score has also been consistently increasing since 2017. We spoke to the school’s headteacher, Sue Beckett, about how Accelerated Reader played its part.
Helping to provide and nurture a lifelong core skill
Northampton International Academy, Northampton
Northampton International Academy first opened its doors in September 2016 and currently its Year 7 and 8 pupils use Accelerated Reader. In July 2019, Northampton International Academy had its first Ofsted inspection and was graded ‘Good’, with specific praise given to their strong reading culture. Tracey Frohawk, the Learning Resource Centre Manager at the school, has been instrumental in the integration of AR.
Engaging reluctant readers with myON
Nishkam High School, Birmingham
Nishkam High School in Birmingham, an avid Accelerated Reader user, was one of the first schools in the UK to use myON with its students! Here, Sharan Kaur, the school’s librarian, discusses how she’s found it so far.