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.

Talking Points: Assessment, Celebration, Data, Data Review, EAL, Incentives, Independent Reading, Intervention, Library Use, Motivation, Progress, Progress Monitoring, Reading Culture, Reading for Pleasure, Staff Engagement, Staff Workload, Student Engagement, Target Setting

A noticeable new reading culture

Dunstone Primary School, Plymouth

We spoke to Teaching Assistant (TA), Sally Geary, who has been with the school for twelve years. Sally was only recently appointed the primary contact for Accelerated Reader since January 2019. With the help of a team of dedicated TAs, Sally oversees the daily maintenance and effective administration of the Accelerated Reader and Star Reading programmes. The team have one goal, to help nurture a love of reading for all pupils. 

Talking Points: Assessment, Celebration, Data, Data Review, Incentives, Intervention, Library Use, Motivation, Parents, Progress, Progress Monitoring, Pupil Progress, Reading Age, Reading At Home, Reading Culture, Reading for Pleasure, SATs, Student Engagement, Target Setting, Whole-School Literacy

After our school closed, the learning didn’t have to stop, thanks to myON by Renaissance

Miwada Gakuen, Tokyo, Japan

I found myON from Renaissance when I was looking for a digital book to improve students reading and listening as EFL learners. The sales representative was very helpful, and we were offered a trial period free of charge during remote learning due to pandemic.

Talking Points: Assessment, Celebration, Independent Reading, Intervention, Progress Monitoring, Reading At Home, Reading Culture, Reading for Pleasure, Staff Engagement, Staff Workload, Student Engagement

Belvedere British School, UAE

Belvedere British School, UAE, United Arab Emirates

Talking Points: Assessment, Celebration, Data, Intervention, Motivation, Professional Development, Progress Monitoring, Reading Culture, Reading for Pleasure, Student Engagement

How we became a reading school

Swans International School, Marbella

Swans International School in Marbella, Spain, educates over 800 children of more than thirty nationalities, from EYFS all the way to Year 13. We spoke to Kate Ling, the librarian at Swans for over seven years – she’s been there for the initial implementation of Accelerated Reader through to its continued use today.

Talking Points: Attainment, Celebration, Library Use, Progress Monitoring, Reading Culture

Making gains across the whole curriculum

Hans Price Academy, Weston-super-Mare

Hans Price Academy in Weston-super-Mare has around 950 pupils and has been using Accelerated Reader for four years. We spoke to their librarian about the changes it has made across the school.

Talking Points: Assessment, Boys, Celebration, Curriculum Access, Independent Reading, Library Use, Reading Culture, Staff Workload

The Merseyside primary school with the complete literacy solution

Prescot Primary School, Merseyside

Prescot Primary School can be found in Knowsley, Merseyside, the second-poorest local authority in the country. Their percentage of EAL students is very low at only 5.7%, but they were still seeing low reading scores in their students.Since implementing Accelerated Reader in 2016, and later adding myON, they've been doing some awesome things. We spoke to Steve George, the headteacher, as well as Dawn Molloy, the school librarian, to find out what it is about the Renaissance literacy solution that works so well.

Talking Points: Assessment, Book Stock, Celebration, Diversity, Equality, Independent Reading, Parents, Reading At Home, Reading Culture, Staff Workload, Whole-School Literacy

Using Accelerated Reader to empower reluctant readers

Thorpedene Primary School, Shoeburyness

Thorpedene Primary School is a large primary school in Shoeburyness, Essex. We spoke to two of their members of staff about how the programme has impacted on their students and supported their vision of creating a culture of reading for pleasure.

Talking Points: Celebration, Customer Service, Incentives, Intervention, National Expectations, Parents, Pupil Progress, Reading At Home, Reading Culture, Reading for Pleasure, Reluctant Readers, SEN

“Ahead of expectations or well above them” – what Accelerated Reader did for Charlotte House

Charlotte House Preparatory School, Rickmansworth

Charlotte House Prep School is an independent all-girls’ Nursery and Prep School in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, for girls aged 3-11. They’ve been using Accelerated Reader since 2018. Here, Caroline Guise, the school’s Head of English and SENCo, tells us the difference it’s made to their school.

Talking Points: Celebration, Comprehension, Independent Reading, Motivation, Parents, Progress Monitoring, Reading Culture

“Children are talking about the books they love.”

St Joseph’s Primary School, Greenock, Scotland

St Joseph’s Primary School in Greenock, Inverclyde, is a small school with about 150 pupils on roll. Mark Deegan is the school’s Depute Headteacher, and we spoke to him about the difference he’s seen at St Joseph’s since Accelerated Reader was introduced.

Talking Points: Celebration, Comprehension, Data, Library Use, Motivation, Progress, Progress Monitoring, Reading Culture, Reading for Pleasure