In accordance with EEF Recommendation 7 from “Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools”, Mounts Bay Academy provides targeted literacy interventions delivered through the Lexia® PowerUp programme. This is a literacy intervention programme for students in Years 7 – 13 who are at risk of not meeting expected standards. Lexia® is rooted in the Science of Reading, targeting foundation and higher-order literacy skills. It covers Word Study, Grammar and Comprehension using a highly adaptive and full personalised programme, with 180 unique placement profiles. It is designed to complement existing curriculum, not replace it. It is also one of the ways our school supports socioeconomically disadvantaged students in line with our Pupil Premium strategy.
At Mounts Bay, the students that participate in these interventions were selected using NGRT data obtained at the start of the academic year. The bottom 20% of students, based on SAS scores and reading age, from Year 7 to Year 9 are timetabled into Lexia interventions to support their literacy development. Some additional EAL students participate in the programme.
The students complete three, thirty-minute sessions a week, a target amount of time recommended by Lexia® UK. They are scheduled out of their timetabled lessons during the school day. They use their school issued iPads to complete their work. The system assesses their reading needs and taverns improvement in each of the areas it covers. They are placed into three bands upon starting the programme and progress from there: Foundational (Reception-Year 3), Intermediate (Year 4- Year 6) and Advanced (Year 7- Year 9). At Mounts Bay Academy, students are grouped by year group rather than ability. I have found this to be beneficial as they are with close peers and relax easily into learning when they are around those they are familiar with.
“I have found Lexia to be extremely useful for students of all years that have low literacy levels. It is also a beneficial progress for middle level learners who aren’t in need of critical support but find the programme to be a useful tool alongside the wider school curriculum”. Esther Rodgers
‘GCSE ready’
The main goal of the programme is to get them ‘GCSE ready’ so students participate in the programme until completion. The programme adapts in real time to ensure each student is getting the necessary targeted support they need. As part of the programme, students struggling in specific areas will have one on one support with me as Lexia suggests lessons and skill builders to increase understanding.
Sessions are conducted in our specific Lexia classroom which we find encourages higher focus and interest in their work. Lexia also employs a streak system which incentivises the students to get more answers correct and deepen their engagement. One of our Year 8 students has managed to a 1000+ streak, which we all were incredibly proud of!
Contact with home regarding key Lexia information is made to make sure parents and carers are informed on the scheme’s importance. Certificates are sent home with students after they have completed a level, recognising their progress as well as high attainment. These are presented in the classroom also as it is wonderful to see the smiles of children who are proud of themselves.
