March 2012

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    National charity Unitas runs TextNow, a literacy programme for secondary schools in England and Wales More
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National charity Unitas runs TextNow, a literacy programme for secondary schools in England and Wales

Reading boost

Tell me about TextNow

TextNow is for 11 to 19-year-olds who are reluctant or struggling readers. It provides structured one-to-one reading sessions for 20 minutes each weekday for ten weeks, delivered by reading coaches. The sessions focus on three interconnected strands:

  • Choose – increases confidence in how to choose appropriate texts and extends the variety in texts chosen.
  • Enjoy – enables the young person to enjoy an increasing range of texts and understand that they can enjoy texts in different ways.
  • Understand – increases the repertoire of reading strategies and shows young people how to use texts in different ways for a variety of purposes.

Who is involved?

TextNow is delivered in partnership with schools. Schools appoint a coordinator to lead on TextNow in their school and identify reading coaches from teaching staff, non-teaching staff or peer coaches from years 11 to 13. Each school can select coaches according to their local resources and needs. Many schools have found that peer coaches provide additional benefits to the school, apart from the reading gains made by the young people taking part.

What resources are available?

Schools are provided with the proven programme model of TextNow: information, advice and guidance for successful implementation; online training for the programme coordinator and reading coaches; an awards scheme for young people; the NFER (National Foundation for Educational Research) single word reading test 6-12; and a performance report at the completion of the programme.

There is also access to MyChoice!, an online book selection and ordering system, which helps young people to develop their skills in choosing books. MyChoice! enables the programme coordinators to select their own starter library for TextNow (with £100 worth of credits). Young people can use the credits they have earned through the TextNow awards scheme to choose and order books

Does it work?

Greg Brooks, Professor Emeritus of Education at Sheffield University, has evaluated TextNow, based on outcomes for almost 700 young people. He found that “Young people … made substantial and statistically significant gains, on average, in reading, and their attitudes to reading also improved significantly.”

Of young people completing the TextNow programme in schools, average reading ages improved by 27 months over the course of the programme (based on assessment using the NFER single word reading test).

What events are coming up?

There is a one-day national conference, ‘Overcoming disadvantage for struggling learners: effective use of targeted pupil funding to enhance learning’ in Birmingham on 25 April. Prof Brooks’ evaluation report is due for publication in April 2012 as a download from the Unitas website.

What other activities is Unitas involved in?

Unitas is about to pilot the independent use of the MyChoice! website as a literacy resource and incentive scheme for schools.

For more information contact Ella Bourne, TextNow programme manager, at ella.bourne@unitas.uk.net or visit www.unitas.uk.net/TextNow

reading boost

LEADING READING