For Secondary Schools…

Since the launch of our award winning primary assessment in 2018, we have had a number of secondary schools contact us asking for a quick and accurate reading assessment for the Year 7 transition!

With more than 148,000 pupils leaving primary school every year unable to read, it’s a all too familiar scenario for secondary teachers that pupils often enter the classroom brimming with ideas and ready to engage but the difficulties they face when it comes to reading and writing often hold them back.

For many of these children, whose difficulties have remained hidden throughout their primary education, the barriers they face in the classroom can prevent them from accessing content heavy secondary material or lead to them being taught in lower ability sets where they are not engaged or challenged.

“ The only information we get from primary schools are SATs scores and we don’t feel confident these are the most accurate assessment of a child’s abilities. Using Lexplore Analytics, we can quickly identify who in our new cohort needs additional support and it has allowed us to put the right interventions in place straight away. “

Rhiannon Chanter – Assistant Head – Werneth School

However, the new version of Lexplore Analytics can provide teachers with an in-depth view of a child’s reading in just a few minutes as soon as they enter the secondary classroom. The assessment can also offer a unique insight into a child’s silent reading skills, which has proven invaluable within the secondary classroom, especially when it comes to gathering important evidence for GCSE access arrangements.

“ There is enormous scope for technology and AI to transform aspects of education. Not by taking the role of teachers, but by saving them time and helping to identify difficulties so they can be addressed early enough to make a difference. “

Mark Fraser – Education Consultant

With the assessment taking only a matter of minutes and requiring no marking, it can not only save teachers countless hours of admin time but also help schools quickly and easily evaluate their reading programmes, closely measure the impact interventions and help all students really engage and develop a love of reading away from traditional assessments.

Case Studies How it Works

Adam Luxford

Data Protection Officer • Freemantle C of E Community Academy

” Thanks to Lexplore we now have a rigorous and quick method of assessing children’s reading ability. We can assess children without adding to the work load of class teachers, with the intention of providing effective interventions without creating unnecessary admin.

We will be able to quickly and confidently identify problem areas where interventions may be necessary. Lexplore has also given us the tools for tracking the progress of interventions overtime.

The portal is very clear, straight forward and is easy to use and understand. The data is displayed in a very visual manner giving you an in depth overview at a glance. Being able to see the child’s eye movements has also been fascinating, insightful and at times mesmerising. The assessment has also helped to highlight pupils with optical impairments and those that may require reading glasses.”

Elizabeth Monaghan

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator • Freemantle C of E Community Academy

“Having an unbiased way to assess children’s reading ability can help. Once the foundations of reading in English are in place, we use Lexplore.

The assessment helps us identify which pupils find reading difficult regardless of their fluency in English. And importantly, we are now able to spot possible underlying reading issues which could be masked by a lack of language knowledge.

Assessments that are less reliant on fluency in English give us a more accurate picture of pupils’ reading attainment which we can continue to measure during their time with us.”

Bernadette McLean

• Former principal of the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre

“ If we don’t want struggling readers to lose confidence, we need to radically change how and when we pick up on literacy issues. Current reading assessments are simply not good enough. When we look at a standard test score in isolation, it tells us that a child can’t read. It doesn’t tell us why that child can’t read. Lexplore gives us much more than a simple score or percentile, making it easier for teachers to uncover the potential reasons why a child cannot read. “

” Teachers are already under a huge amount of pressure in the classroom, so it’s imperative to get as much information into their hands as possible about children’s literacy. New developments in AI technology by Lexplore are paving the way for exactly this. By using AI technology to monitor how a child’s eye moves when reading – in a way that’s quick, easy and fun for the child – it’s possible to gain incredibly detailed insight into how his or her brain is processing text at different levels. “

Jayne Mullane

Headteacher • Mersey Vale Primary School

“We have found the results of the screening confirm and back-up other assessments that we carry out in school as well as highlighting some children (particularly girls and those who use coping strategies to present as confident readers) who may have a reading difficulty that has not previously been recognised.

The screening process is quick, straightforward and easy to manage within the normal day-to-day organisation of school. The presentation of results is clear, visual and easily accessible both with regard to whole class/ school outcomes and individual results. We especially like the ability to watch the actual recording of eye-movement whilst hearing the child read aloud.

We are impressed by the privacy of the results which require appropriate security measures to access. The results have enabled us to plan more targeted intervention and adapt quality first teaching to meet the needs of all children.

We are planning to use the results within forthcoming transition meetings between class teachers. Feedback from children was really positive and they are looking forward to the next screening sessions.”