Hope Academy identified that students’ literacy - in particular, the accuracy, speed and fluency of their word and text comprehension - was an essential component in making them exam-ready. Jeniffer Sing, vice principal, and Michael Chapman, strategic lead for educational research, introduced Lexonik to help:
“Two years ago, we knew something had to change. If we wanted to give our students the opportunities they deserved, then we needed to teach them the reading, writing and oracy skills to sound like experts in these fields.
“This opened a dialogue about where the literacy gaps were, and where they were most evident across the curriculum in particular. Students were unable to articulate their knowledge of topics, as they had not mastered the ability to utilise key terminology and develop ideas in a coherent and structured way. We needed to model this at every opportunity.
“What this highlighted further was that many of our students had confidence issues when deciphering new words. At this point, we introduced the Lexonik programme.”
What is Lexonik?
“Lexonik is an intensive, highly-structured programme, specifically designed for students who are underperforming with low literacy skills and weak vocabulary knowledge. The programme is rigorous and intense; students make rapid progress which they continue to build on after the taught programme ends.
“Led by a dedicated Lexonik trainer, the programme is taught for one hour a week, over a six-week period. The sessions occur on a rolling programme so as not to hit the same subjects each week. We made a conscious decision not to focus on training our English teachers, but instead to train staff who weren’t necessarily restricted by timetables. Our Lexonik trainers consist of a Business Studies teacher, an RE teacher, two teaching assistants, the SENCO, and the data analyst. This approach means that our trainers can teach more than one cohort at a time.
“We have now completed the training with a succession of cohorts, of differing ages and abilities. Each cohort took part in six hour-long sessions over a five-to-six-week period. On average, students in our academy have made 43 months improvement in their word reading age, and we know that they now have a better chance at decoding words with increased speed and fluency.”
Lexonik Cloud
“Our teachers currently use the Lexonik website to ensure that they emulate the reading strategies from the taught programme. It’s easy-to-use, and all staff value it as an important tool. It is an exciting time for Hope Academy, as our students continue to excel in confidence and ability, all within our school’s budget. Literacy is now at the centre of all we do.”
Value for money
Hope Academy purchased a four-year Lexonik Partnership License, allowing them to maximise potential and ensure the lowest possible cost, all without compromising impact. With the number of students participating to date, the projected cost per student, over the four-year period, will be approximately £25. Get involved today by visiting www.lexonik.co.uk or contacting [email protected] / 01642 42 42 98.
Want to receive cutting-edge insights from leading educators each week? Sign up to our Community Update and be part of the action!