We speak to teacher and year-six lead, Katie about the impact that myON has had on the school’s reading culture.
Who we are
Situated in Warwickshire and a part of the Griffin Schools Trust, Race Leys Junior School has a pupil intake of approximately 230.
With around 17% of pupils at the school requiring SEN support, this is above the national average of 13%.
Similarly, Race Leys Junior Schools supports an intake of pupils of which 40% are eligible for Free Schools Meals, again significantly above the national average of 25%
In 2019, Rave Leys Junior School received a ‘Good’ Ofsted inspection report where the inspector made specific comments on the school’s strong literacy development strategy:
“The curriculum is rooted in literacy and exposes pupils to a broad and balanced range of different subjects. For example, extended writing is encouraged through topics linked to history and science. Pupils are encouraged to read widely on topics promoting pupils’ understanding of the wider world.” – Ofsted
The Impact of myON
I can see how many books and what percentage has been read. We also know each pupil’s book quiz score for each text.
In 2017, we changed our library system to accomodate the Accelerated Reader system. Shortly after, we introduced myON, following recommendations from other schools in the Trust, as an additional programme to help students engage with reading.
With myON, the central provision it gives children is additional texts that they might not otherwise be able to find in the library. Now, they can log into their myON account on their iPad and search for the text.
For teachers, myON gives us a whole new analytical perspective on pupils’ reading patterns and engagement. For example, with myON, teachers can see how many books and what percentage has been read. We also know each pupil’s book quiz score for each text.
“I can use myON projects to assign books to pupils that are appropriate for their reading ability according to their ZPD range and books that I know will meet their interests.”
I can use myON projects to assign books to pupils that are appropriate for their reading ability according to their ZPD range and books that I know will meet their interests.
The additional benefit to myON analytics is having complete visibility over how much reading engagement time each pupil has demonstrated. Therefore, if they tell me they’ve finished a book, I can see exactly how much they’ve read and understood.
With myON, the diversity of texts is a huge benefit. For example, I can assign texts of different lengths based on our assessment needs. Therefore, I can set a brief text for pupils if I’m evaluating their comprehension skills. Similarly, we can assign long texts to assess how well pupils can retain and interpret information.
We have a high intake of pupils with access to Free School Meals at Race Leys Junior School. Therefore, each year, we identify the bottom 20% of pupils who need the most support and establish intervention strategies for them throughout the academic year.
With myON, because there is such a range of books and they can all be uniquely interacted with, we can see if pupils are reading books well below their chronological age and set up scaffolding strategies to progress their reading age.
While pupils are undertaking their SATs mock papers, we’re using myON as a supplementary revision tool to ensure a higher percentage of our pupils will meet the expected standard in their reading SATs paper.
Therefore, every afternoon we have 20-minute reading sessions with some pupils using challenging texts and others using myON. Together with the English lead, we’ll use this session to target those pupils who need the most support.
Pupils will be reading books during this time and answering Accelerated Reader book quiz questions at their speed. Using short blocks and retrieval questions with pupils, I can assess whether they are understanding and mastering specific skills in reading comprehension.
Now, at Race Leys Junior School, someone is always on myON. So, whether they’ve finished their SATs practice paper early or just for some downtime, pupils will go to myON for continuous reading engagement.
We have a strong culture of reading at the school; we’re constantly reminding pupils that the more reading they engage with, the more cross-subject skills they will obtain. So especially during this period, while pupils are undertaking their SATs mock papers, we’re using myON as a supplementary revision tool to ensure a higher percentage of our pupils will meet the expected standard in their reading SATs paper.
Evidence
Click here to find out how your school can utilise myON for reading insights and boosting engagement!