The Literacy Engine

💥Hot News Alert📷We are super excited to launch our 2025/26 Memberships! Check out the full package here as it is far too big for a post! We've managed to beat inflation & even work in a cheeky discount! Together, we can transform whole school literacy! literacyengine.co.uk/index.php/pric…

Only 5 more weeks until researchEd Warrington 2026! We've got an incredible line up of speakers from a wide range of expertise and we're so excited to see what leanings this year will bring. Full speaker schedule will be shared very soon 👀 📍Kings Leadership Academy Warrington 📅 Saturday 25th April 🎫 Get your tickets here: bit.ly/3JN9fUi

A summary of the Curriculum and Assessment Review recommendations focusing on literary and oracy. Included in the summary is the DfE response and the related parts of the Ofsted Inspection Framework.

Reading for pleasure, enthusiasm & a love of books are all are important, but they don't solve the most serious reading problems. We work with schools to eradicate adolescent illiteracy so that no student leaves school unable to read well.  Find out how we work and how to help your most vulnerable students: thinkingreading.com/how-it-works/

Southern states boost early reading, but gains stall in middle school. Why the ‘Mississippi miracle’ disappears by eighth grade. hechingerreport.org/proof-points-8…

@C_Hendrick I'd gamble that if we looked at these schools' post-phonics reading lessons, we would find not much scaffolded reading practice, the thing required to allow pupils to benefit from the initial decoding taught via systematic phonics. (This is broadly what happened in England.)

At @LiteracyEngine we are unashamedly analogue. Our resources are designed to be printed, hands on, and visualiser modelled. Getting reading back into, and screen time out of, lessons should be the next revolution in education.

🚨 NEW POST 🚨 'What should we do about 'reading for pleasure'?' “But sir, I hate reading!” For teenagers who struggle to read, the idea of choosing books they'll fall in love with is anathema. So, what should we do about it? Link in thread ⬇️⬇️

@BarbaraBleiman @jonnybid @MarieZarro97723 In secondary schools, which is a markedly different context for building + reading habits, RfP practices that are still predominant are DEAR, ‘library lessons’, & form time reading. I’d suggest they often lack structure needed to support those who struggle & don’t enjoy reading.

@JohnBaldLangLit Thanks John that's great feedback. Our schools certainly do report that their students enjoy exploring our wide range of topics when their teachers read our texts with them.

@LiteracyEngine Btw, I'm sorry to say it, but the short texts in your programme would appear to be the basis for enjoyable lessons. Some mistake, surely?

If you are following the discussion around Reading for Pleasure and want an alternative strategy to the ineffective drop everything and read please check out our evidence based, knowledge rich tutor time reading programme. Literacyengine.co.uk

Excellent post. 👏 If you want to explore some of the myths around Reading for Pleasure, come along to our session at @researchEDWarr. We'll be taking a tour of the evidence and busting some of the misreading of it wide open. Pre-read a taster here: literacyengine.co.uk/index.php/2023…

Should schools stop focusing on reading for pleasure? The widely held belief that the strategy improves attainment has been called into question by research, finds @jon_severs tes.com/magazine/teach…

Key Note Speaker announcement! researchED Warrington 2026 is just a little over a month away and we can’t wait to welcome so many professionals together at Kings Leadership Academy Warrington Warrington to learn all about the most recent updates in education. Come and listen to our keynote speakers… Dr Carl Hendrick speaking about: The 10 Rules for Designing Effective Learning David Goodwin speaking about: Checking for understanding Dr Haili Hughes speaking about: Cognitive science “Coaching for Adaptive Expertise” Stuart Pryke speaking about: Cognitive science “From hands up to minds on” 📍Kings Leadership Academy Warrington 📅Saturday 25th April 🕗08:30-15:30 🎟️ Get your tickets here: bit.ly/3JN9fUi @C_Hendrick @MrGoodwin23 @HughesHaili @SPryke2

🚨New Resources Alert🚨 March is now online featuring: ⚙️Should social media influencers be more accountable for their content? ⚙️Castle Bravo ⚙️Aretha Franklin ⚙️Have you ever wondered what taxes are spent on? Comprehension starts with powerful knowledge literacyengine.co.uk/index.php/gear…

🚨April resources are now LIVE🚨 This month features: ⚙️ NATO ⚙️ The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln ⚙️ Mackenzie Scott ⚙️ How much money £1billion really is We equip young people with the essential knowledge to comprehend the world around them literacyengine.co.uk/index.php/gear…

If you want to shift from static PowerPoint to dynamic live modelling but aren't sure where to start, drop me a message. It is the most powerful shift I have ever made. I haven't touched PowerPoint willingly in over a decade. Make the first step today.

ICYMI This Week's Blog Which Experts Should Be Leading Literacy? We have a vast wealth of expertise in education across academia and classroom practice with experts across the board. But which experts should we listen to? literacyengine.co.uk/index.php/2026…