Introduction
Secondary schools face complex challenges, from growing academic pressures and stretched resources, to managing student wellbeing and behaviour. Among the most difficult to support are the pupils who appear disengaged from learning altogether.
These learners often arrive in Year 7 already on the back foot. They may have struggled throughout primary school, fallen behind in reading, and developed a deeply rooted belief that school isn’t a place where they can succeed. By the time they reach secondary education, their refusal to engage, especially with reading, isn’t just a behaviour issue. It’s often a sign of a much deeper problem: significant gaps in literacy.
And when reading becomes a barrier, it limits access to every area of the curriculum. In effect, they’re shut out of learning before they’ve had a chance to catch up.
Disengagement or Disadvantage? Looking Beneath the Surface
It’s easy to label these pupils as ‘disruptive’ or ‘unmotivated’. But for many, what looks like defiance is actually a defence mechanism. For years, they’ve struggled with the foundational literacy skills needed to access schoolwork. They’ve experienced early failure, and often repeatedly, which chips away at their self-esteem.
By the time they arrive at secondary school, they’ve already learned ways to cope with the shame and frustration:
- Avoidance of reading-based tasks.
- Low-level disruption to deflect attention.
- Withdrawal, refusal or even behavioural escalation.
These aren’t pupils who won’t engage, they’re often pupils who can’t. And after years in this cycle, they carry a mindset of disengagement with them into secondary school, believing that no matter how hard they try, success is out of reach.
What These Pupils Need to Succeed
To break this cycle, these learners need more than just good intentions and extra support. They need targeted, consistent, and compassionate intervention that tackles the root cause of their disengagement, their literacy gaps, while also rebuilding their confidence.
What does that look like in practice?
Re-engaging struggling readers in secondary school starts with creating the right environment, one that removes barriers, supports confidence, and allows learners to rebuild their skills at a pace that works for them. While the right technology can support this process, it’s the principles behind the approach that make the real difference.
Here are some key strategies and how they can work in practice:
Autonomy
Pupils who’ve struggled with reading often prefer to work independently, away from the pressure of performing in front of others. Giving them space to learn at their own pace, in a structured but self-guided way, helps reduce anxiety and gives them control over their progress. In practice, this might involve timetabled sessions using adaptive tools or online programmes, where pupils can quietly work through literacy tasks suited to their current level.
Quick Wins
When learners experience early success, however small, it builds momentum. Literacy interventions that focus on building blocks, such as decoding or sentence structure, can help pupils achieve small but meaningful progress quickly. Over time, these wins can start to shift a pupil’s mindset from “I can’t” to “Maybe I can.” Recognising these milestones, even informally, can go a long way in restoring confidence.
Low-Stakes, High-Impact Practice
Struggling readers may associate literacy tasks with failure, especially when they’ve had to repeatedly perform in high-pressure environments. Instead, regular opportunities for low-stakes practice, such as short, independent exercises with immediate feedback, can help reinforce skills without triggering fear of failure. Pupils benefit from being able to revisit and retry tasks without judgement, building fluency in a supportive way.
Bitesize Challenges
Literacy activities that are broken into manageable, skill-focused segments can make reading and writing feel more approachable. Many schools embed this approach into the day by offering short, structured literacy sessions. For example, during form time, as part of intervention periods, or in catch-up lessons. Keeping tasks concise helps reduce cognitive load and supports learners with lower attention spans or processing challenges.
Age-Appropriate Design
Engagement is closely tied to how relevant and respectful pupils find the content. For older students, intervention materials that feel too simplistic or “babyish” can be a significant barrier. It’s important that literacy tasks use age-appropriate language, themes, and visuals that reflect the interests and maturity of KS3 and KS4 learners. This helps ensure that pupils feel included and valued, rather than singled out.
Data to Inform, Not Overwhelm
Teachers supporting disengaged readers need timely insight into what’s working and where further support is needed, without adding to their workload. Digital tools that provide real-time data can support staff in identifying gaps, tracking progress, and offering timely intervention. This approach enables a more responsive and efficient use of staff time, helping schools reach the pupils who need the most targeted support.
How Lexia PowerUp Literacy Re-engages the Learners Others Struggle to Reach
Lexia PowerUp Literacy was developed specifically for struggling readers in secondary school. It’s not a one-size-fits-all programme, it adapts to each pupil’s needs across word study, grammar, and comprehension, filling in the foundational gaps that are holding them back.
What makes PowerUp different?
- It empowers pupils to work independently and at their own pace, crucial for restoring confidence.
- It celebrates progress, no matter how small, to show learners that they can improve.
- It’s accessible and age-appropriate, designed to avoid the stigma often associated with reading interventions.
- It gives teachers real-time insight into progress, so they can offer timely support without guesswork or unnecessary testing.
And crucially, it supports pupils in developing the skills they need not just to read, but to thrive across the curriculum.
The Bottom Line: Literacy is the Foundation of Engagement
If you’re seeing pupils switching off, acting out, or falling behind across the board, it’s time to look deeper. Disengagement is often not about attitude, it’s about ability. And for many pupils, that ability hinges on literacy.
By closing the literacy gap, we can unlock access to learning, restore confidence, and re-engage the pupils who’ve been left behind for too long.
Are you ready to PowerUp your students' literacy skills?
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