Research School Network: Building a reading culture: getting ready for change Continuing the series on building a reading culture by Louise Gregson

Reading Mastery is a daily reading session where staff read aloud to students. It is a vehicle to build a reading culture whilst tackling the disadvantage associated with low literacy levels.

In my first blog, I articulated our ​‘why’. Now I want to focus on the how. And for this, we start with readiness. Building readiness for Reading Mastery began months before the programme began…

Starting with SLT: securing alignment

Before anything reached the classroom, it had to be understood by the leadership team. I presented the evidence base and rationale for Reading Mastery to SLT during an SLT meeting and this was not a quick conversation. Even finding time for the meeting was challenging; schools are busy places and it is easy to get lost in the day to day – but Reading Mastery had become a moral issue – I needed students to read daily.

Understandably, they had questions – lots of them – and my advice here for others in a similar situation would be to absolutely know and believe in your rationale as ideas that have not been fully thought through do not always pass this rigorous process. Leadership teams have their own worries and concerns and being ready to champion your own idea with clear evidence alleviates any procedural concerns they have.

I presented my ideas, replied to their challenges and at times I felt more like an entrepreneur in Dragons Den than an educator. But the need for a consistent, protected reading experience for all students is necessary to improve outcomes and to spark joy, and this was understood by all.

One of the main stumbling blocks was the decision of when Reading Mastery would take place. Timetabling needed to ensure there was no impact on learning across the curriculum; we had learned from DEAR that reading at the same time was powerful, and we wanted to build upon this, but the logistics of whole-school delivery were nuanced and losing tutor time was not an option.

The second issue was staff. Who would deliver? Advisors (form tutors) seemed the most logical response. However, operationally we already had some staff who would be delivering Fresh Start (reading intervention) at this time – another hurdle. It was decided Heads of Year would deliver in place of a tutor and SLT would cover any other sessions due to the Dixons 0.9 timetable. Problem solved, except not really, as the issue with staff is never the what or the how or the when, it’s the why.

Starting with staff: building capability

Staff buy in is what ensures enthusiasm for any given initiative; if staff do not understand the rationale behind something, they won’t buy in. It is that simple. For us we were building from the ground up, and the most important people in this type of process are the staff who will eventually deliver the initiative, day in, day out. So, we started with the staff.

Starting at the very beginning meant a professional growth session that began with hard hitting facts relating to illiteracy and the impact this has on the community we work in and the students we teach. The evidence was clear – we needed to ensure that our students are the strongest readers they could be and, morally, we wanted to provide them with an opportunity to escape with a book, we wanted to give them the reading experiences they may have missed at home, we wanted them to master the art of reading.

As a teacher of a full timetable, I empathise with the concerns staff have when it comes to any changes (however small) to their timetables or teaching loads. I knew that adding an extra timetabled period to the day would cause anxiety and worry, and the ​‘why’ needed to be the anchor that steadied the ship. It hit home for staff that some of our students are the strongest reader in their household, some students are young carers, some have parents who work shifts and cannot read with them, some students have parents with limited literacy skills. Upon hearing this, staff understood the moral imperative we had to ensure protected reading time, and that by reading to our students we would be bring joy, a break from the cognitive load and an atmosphere of relative calm. Having a caring staff body benefitted the programme massively – our staff care and therefore they saw the benefit which negated any worry surrounding a change to their working day.

At Dixons we have a culture of deliberate practice, and luckily, staff are well versed in this. I needed the practice to be accessible, whilst outlining the process, and (hopefully) fun. I knew I had to delve into the minutiae of modelling fluent, expressive reading aloud to a class. As an English teacher, reading aloud is part of our everyday practice; we instinctively vary pace, tone, volume and emphasis to bring a text to life. However, I could not take for granted that colleagues from other disciplines had the same experience or confidence. For many staff, particularly those teaching practical subjects, reading extended extracts aloud to a class was unfamiliar territory.

One of the most valuable parts of the implementation process was working closely with a teacher from a practical subject area who openly shared their lack of confidence in reading aloud. Their honesty helped shape my approach to professional development. It reminded me that successful implementation shows an understanding of barriers and provides the support colleagues need to feel successful. Through coaching conversations, modelling and deliberate practice, I was able to see their confidence grow significantly over time.

Implementing fluent and expressive reading involved several strategically mapped professional growth sessions dedicated solely to the craft of reading aloud. During these sessions, I modelled what effective reading sounded like, explicitly drawing attention to features such as pace, intonation, emphasis and strategic pausing. Staff then practised these techniques in small groups, reading to one another and providing supportive feedback. This low-stakes environment allowed colleagues to develop confidence without fear of getting it wrong in front of students.

To keep the sessions engaging, I deliberately selected humorous and entertaining extracts from novels. The aim was not only to develop staff expertise but also to create a positive and enjoyable atmosphere. Put the joy into reading. Laughter regularly filled the room as colleagues experimented with voice, dramatic pauses and expressive delivery. By choosing engaging texts, the sessions felt less like training and more like a shared reading experience.

What emerged from this process was a recognition that reading aloud is a skill that can be practised and improved, regardless of subject specialism. Staff embraced the deliberate practice approach and, in doing so, began to experience the same enjoyment that we wanted our students to feel. Rather than viewing Reading Mastery as another initiative to implement, colleagues started to find genuine joy in the programme. The shared experience of reading together became a powerful part of our culture, helping to build confidence, consistency and enthusiasm across the school.

Curating student experience: choosing the right texts

One of the most important decisions we made when implementing Reading Mastery was recognising that the quality and relevance of the texts matter enormously. Our original text plan was built around a carefully sequenced collection of novels and non-fiction texts that would broaden students’ knowledge, develop vocabulary and expose them to high-quality literature. However, like many schools, we faced financial constraints. Whilst some texts were purchased specifically for Reading Mastery, budget limitations meant that we also accepted a number of donated class sets from another school. These texts were not all part of our initial vision, but rather than viewing this as a barrier, we saw it as an opportunity to be flexible and make the very best use of the resources available to us – never look a gift horse in the mouth.

A key principle underpinning our text selection was representation. We wanted students to see themselves reflected in the books they read whilst also providing windows into experiences beyond their own. Texts such as Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman, Ghost Boy by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Sawbones
by Catherine Johnson were deliberately chosen because they offered diverse perspectives and experiences. These texts reflected many aspects of our school demographic whilst also introducing students to authors whose voices contribute significantly to discussions around equality, diversity and inclusion.

Importantly, we recognised that a stock cupboard full of books does not automatically create a reading culture. Literacy leads must make their stock work for them by understanding both the texts (reading a wide selection of YA lit is key here) and the students. This means understanding the purpose of each text, knowing when a particular group may need challenge, representation or inspiration, and being prepared to adapt. Effective Reading Mastery means making thoughtful choices that align with the needs of students and the wider aims of the curriculum.

Building readiness is crucial when implementing an approach such as this. The EEF share a checklist that might be helpful when considering implementation of a reading programme:

• Have we conducted implementation planning collaboratively so that it unites understanding?
• Is there a shared understanding of why the change is taking place, what it entails, and how it will be implemented?
• Have we selected a tailored package of strategies to implement the approach and address implementation barriers?
• Have we identified and empowered a range of people across the school who can support the changes?
• Are systems and structures in place to enable effective implementation?