Presented is a synthesis of data from an online survey and semi-structured
interviews, aiming to: 1) explore the teaching of reading in primary and ALN schools pre, during and post pandemic; 2) explore the impact of the pandemic on reading progress and attainment; 3) summarise current practice in relation to current research evidence, and identify key areas for future research.
Although there was additional disruption in the form of further local lockdowns,
firebreaks and phased returns in some areas of Wales, there were two distinct
periods of widespread school closures that were captured in this study. The first
lockdown period was from March – July 2020, and the second lockdown period was January – March 2021.

1.1 Impact of the pandemic on reading provision

Teachers were asked about their reading provision pre, during, and post pandemic. Pre-pandemic, teachers reported use of a wide range of reading interventions, programmes, and resources (36 for Foundation Phase, 52 for KS2, and 11 for ALN schools). 4 Welsh language resources were also identified.

Some of these strategies/resources were predominantly online (mainstream = 23;
ALN = 6); some were a combination of online and physical (mainstream = 12; ALN = 1); and some were predominantly physical (mainstream = 21; ALN = 4).
The majority of mainstream teachers reported that reading provision changed for
home learners for both lockdown periods, with a less significant change during the second lockdown period.

Universal phonics provision. Teachers strongly agreed that the frequency and
length of phonics sessions decreased. This was not the case for all, and more typical phonics provision was achieved by some schools during the second lockdown.

Reading comprehension provision. Teachers strongly agreed that reading
comprehension provision changed, but that many learners still received direct
teaching of reading comprehension skills.

Targeted provision and differentiation. The majority of mainstream teachers
agreed that targeted provision for struggling readers was not possible during both lockdowns. Many indicated that they were able to differentiate work for struggling readers to some extent, however this was more challenging for younger readers, and it was difficult to support the groups most in need; those with ALN and hard to reach families.

Welsh language reading provision. Welsh language reading provision was impacted more negatively than English reading provision during both lockdowns. However, some Welsh medium schools experienced the opposite. Challenges included lack of available Welsh resources, and lack of parental confidence in Welsh.

ALN schools. ALN school teachers unanimously reported provision changed during the pandemic. Pre-pandemic reading provision involved phonics-based reading programs. During lockdown, the use of online programs and physical resources allowed reading provision to continue to some degree, although this was impossible with some learners. Staff felt better prepared to teach remotely during the second lockdown, but technical issues presented challenges.

1.2 Impact of the pandemic on reading progress and attainment

Mainstream teachers reported that the pandemic had a significant negative impact on reading skills, which was worse for learners at home than those in school. A common theme was the issue of reduced Welsh vocabulary and general
understanding of the language. ALN teachers also reported a significant negative
impact of the pandemic on reading skills, with one school indicating that average
reading age had reduced by 27 months following the first lockdown.

1.3 Barriers and facilitators to engagement

Access to resources. Mainstream teachers agreed that lack of access to technology and Wi-Fi presented a barrier to engagement for home learners. 32% of teachers reported they were unable to provide reading materials for learners in need. Access to skilled support. There was strong agreement from teachers in mainstream schools that not having Welsh language input at home was a significant barrier to engaging with Welsh language reading provision for learners at home. Similarly, the majority agreed that a lack of technological skills in parents or learners themselves was a barrier for many learners, in contrast to the overwhelming disagreement that lack of such skills in teachers or teaching assistants presented a barrier.

Learner motivation and parental engagement. Most mainstream teachers agreed that students lacked interest in home learning. Some schools reported good levels of parental engagement with reading provision, but a marginal majority reported that parents had not enabled struggling readers to meet set targets during lockdown one, although this improved slightly during lockdown 2.

ALN schools. The majority of ALN teachers reported the need to supply equipment to families during lockdown to enable access to online learning. All teachers discussed there were significant conflicting priorities for the families of learners in ALN schools as they navigated various aspects of their care and education
provision.

1.4 Ongoing disruption to reading provision and skills

The majority of mainstream teachers reported that the pandemic had not caused
ongoing significant disruption to reading provision. They felt that learners’ confidence and engagement had improved, and that they had been able to begin to redress the impact on reading skills since the return to school. However, 34% reported that there had been ongoing disruption, reporting challenges related to staff/learner absence, ongoing restrictions to working environments (such as ‘bubbles’), and the need to address more fundamental readiness to learn skills. Similarly, in ALN schools, challenges were reported relating to behaviour, reading confidence, and competing priorities such as the need to reteach social and communication skills.

1.5 Beyond the pandemic

Many schools continued to use apps and online programmes utilised during
lockdown periods to aid reading proficiency and communicate with parent’s post-pandemic. They also reported trying to maintain the strong parent-learner
relationships developed over lockdown to support learning. Staff suggested that
funding for reading resources and training practitioners to run specialised
interventions, and the creation of a positive school ethos for reading, are priorities for supporting learners’ reading skills post-pandemic.

Teachers also identified a need for greater training in a number of areas; online
learning to deliver blended teaching approaches, mental health and wellbeing
training, and training to teach the building blocks of reading and phonics for older as well as younger learners. They also identified a need for time to help learners settle back into education; to develop social skills and independence, as well as a need for age-appropriate resources, specifically for older students in ALN schools. Finally, the need for the Welsh Government to provide clearer guidance on the use of phonics programmes (including access and available support), was identified, as well as a need for more comprehensive support and investment of teaching time beyond the early years for ALN learners to develop reading skills.

1.6 Recommendations

Many of the recommendations from this report come directly from participating
teachers in mainstream primary and ALN schools across Wales. Further
recommendations are made following our synthesis of the broad range of insights provided by the data gathered in this report, including those specific to the pandemic and pandemic recovery, and broader recommendations for policy, practice, and related research. Fourteen recommendations are made.

Applying learning to potential future lockdowns.

1. If schools were to close, or if learning from home becomes more frequent for any groups of learners again, Welsh Government must ensure there is clear, planned provision in place, which allows for the best possible reading provision to continue for learners who are at home.
2. As such, further research is needed to collate and evaluate potentially effective
practices for providing support for learners and parents/carers to access the
necessary technology and educational platforms. This must include those families
and learners who are hard to reach, and those with ALN, with a particular need for close consideration of effective ways to deliver such provision for learners with more complex needs.
3. Similarly, Welsh Government must ensure there are systems in place to provide
access to the necessary technology for all learners who need it. Supporting the reading development of learners negatively affected by the
pandemic.
4. For learners whose reading skills have been negatively affected by the pandemic, Welsh Government should provide targeted funding and initiatives to further redress this.
5. Learners now in Upper Key Stage 2 and early Key Stage 3 should have access to
targeted intervention, that focuses on developing their decoding skills as required. Welsh Government should provide the required additional resources for schools to increase staffing capacity to deliver this intervention work at a larger scale than is typical for these year groups, as well as additional training for teachers of learners in these year groups to enable them to more effectively support their reading development more broadly across the curriculum.
6. Due to the numerous challenges reportedly faced upon the return to school (e.g., social and learning skill deficits), learners across the primary years are likely to need additional support to ensure they develop fluent reading skills within primary school.
7. Disadvantaged and vulnerable learners and learners for whom English is an
Additional Language are likely to require even greater levels of additional support to ensure they develop fluent reading skills.
8. Learners in Welsh medium or bilingual schools who are from non-Welsh speaking homes will require further support to ensure the negative effects reported in relation to their Welsh reading, vocabulary, and understanding of the language can be redressed. This issue has particular significance for the Cymraeg 2050 agenda and the related recent census results. The future of reading provision for learners in Wales: effectively supporting the reading development of learners across Wales.
9. The way reading is taught across Wales needs to be explored further, through
further research to audit and evaluate the evidence for the range of approaches
being employed.
10. Areas of promising practice need to be identified and evaluated to help inform practice across Wales.
11. Welsh Government should review the evidence driving the implementation of
very different policy and practice in Wales, as compared to that in England, to ensure our learners are receiving the best possible support with their reading development.
12. Guidance from Welsh Government is needed to ensure sufficient significance
and time is given to the development of a strong foundation in early reading skills, for all learners across mainstream primary and ALN schools in Wales, regardless of age and stage. This will require further research and collaboration with schools to discuss how effective practice in the teaching of reading can be embedded in the implementation of the Curriculum for Wales, which in turn will require funding.
13. To support recommendations 4-8, and recommendation 12, Welsh Government should commission a review of training provision in to relation reading instruction for existing and trainee teachers, including the professional learning offer and Initial Teacher Education provision in this domain.
14. There is a need for better access to age-appropriate reading resources and
programmes for learners who might need to access teaching of early reading skills beyond the Foundation Phase and lower Key Stage 2.
15. There is a need for further development of Welsh language reading resources
and programmes for all learners, and evaluations of such programmes to ensure the most effective provision possible.