In 2021, Hachette UK and the National Literacy Trust partnered to create the Changing the Story reading programme. This exciting new initiative supports disadvantaged children in 25 primary schools with the aim of improving reading skills and developing a love of reading.
22,000 Reading Planet and Hachette Children's Group books were donated to the participating schools along with free access to Reading Planet Online eBooks and PiRA tests.
We are now thrilled to reveal the findings of the first year of the project in the Evaluation Summary Report. Key findings include:
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Reading age on average improved by 11 months across a nine-month period.*
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9 in 10 (91.3%; n = 21) teachers agreed that all children show greater resilience when it comes to applying their phonic skills and decoding after taking part.
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The percentage of children whose reading skills were below the national average decreased from 43.8% at the start of the programme to 16.3% at the end.
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All teachers agreed that children’s level of engagement with reading improved, and that children are more interested in reading and books.
*Data from New Progress in Reading Assessment (New PiRA) tests.
You can read the Summary Report here or visit the National Literacy Trust website for the full Evaluation.
Tags
English and Literacy,
literacy,
Reading,
Reading and Ebooks,
reading scheme,
Rising Stars Reading Planet