Across the UK and Ireland, secondary schools are using Lexia PowerUp Literacy to close literacy gaps and help students access the full curriculum with confidence. Designed specifically for older learners, PowerUp provides an independent, targeted, evidence-based approach that adapts to each student’s needs, building essential reading, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.
We’ve gathered voices from secondary educators nationwide who’ve seen measurable progress, renewed student motivation and powerful data that informs effective intervention.
These schools are helping their students catch up and keep up, and your school can too. Hear first-hand how Lexia helps teachers turn assessment into action.
Your school’s success story starts here
Discover how Lexia PowerUp Literacy can help your students strengthen key literacy skills, build confidence and achieve measurable progress.
Complete the form below, and one of our Literacy Programme Consultants will get in touch to provide personalised guidance and a 30-day free trial of PowerUp, so your school can experience the impact first-hand.
Take the first step: Complete the form below and start your school’s literacy journey today.
The Department for Education’s Curriculum and Assessment Review and the Government’s Response represent the first major review of the education framework in over a decade.
The aim is clear: to ensure the national curriculum remains ambitious, inclusive, and relevant for today’s learners. The curriculum must also equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a changing world.
For secondary schools, the implications for literacy are profound. Reading, writing, and oracy will take centre stage across Key Stage 3 and 4, with new expectations for how these skills are taught, assessed and supported in every subject.
The Review in Context: Evolution, Not Revolution
The Review concludes that the national curriculum remains “broadly sound” but highlights ongoing inequities that continue to limit outcomes for too many learners. Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND remain disproportionately affected, while schools are under increasing pressure to build digital and media literacy alongside core reading and writing skills.
The guiding principle of “evolution, not revolution” is sensible in its recognition that teachers need stability. However, some may feel the Government’s current pace risks overlooking the urgency of persistent literacy gaps that widened during and after the pandemic. Without sufficient funding or training, even the most thoughtful policy intentions may struggle to translate into meaningful classroom impact.
What the Government Response Says
The Government’s response builds on these findings, outlining a roadmap for curriculum reform and assessment change:
- A revised national curriculum in 2028, with updated GCSEs from 2029.
- A renewed emphasis on a curriculum where knowledge and skills work in partnership.
- Reading, writing, and oracy embedded across all subjects, not confined to English lessons.
- A new statutory Year 8 reading assessment, designed to secure fluency and comprehension early in secondary education.
- Enhanced support for SEND and disadvantaged learners, with new digital tools and ongoing professional development for teachers.
Literacy at the Heart of the Curriculum
Literacy is set to become a shared responsibility across every subject area. The Government plans to introduce a new secondary literacy framework; connecting reading, writing and oracy development into a unified strand of learning.
This framework will promote:
- Reading for pleasure as a foundation for lifelong learning.
- Vocabulary development to unlock subject-specific understanding.
- Disciplinary literacy: helping students read, write and communicate like historians, scientists, or mathematicians.
This framework rightly recognises literacy as a shared responsibility across the curriculum. Yet its success will depend on sustained professional development and time for teachers to embed literacy practices meaningfully within their subjects.
Adaptive literacy tools like Lexia® PowerUp Literacy already align with this approach, building reading fluency, comprehension and critical thinking through personalised, data-driven learning.
What This Means for Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 will become an increasingly critical phase for developing and consolidating literacy skills.
- Transition and progression will be a priority: secondary schools must ensure that reading and writing continue to progress from Key Stage 2 rather than restart from scratch.
- The new Year 8 reading assessment will place greater emphasis on reading fluency and comprehension tracking, requiring schools to monitor progress closely across Years 7 and 8.
- Curriculum sequencing should ensure that literacy skills, especially vocabulary and extended writing, are developed through subject schemes of work.
- Early intervention will be vital for pupils entering secondary education below expected reading levels.
Adaptive literacy programmes can provide the support schools need to respond effectively. Lexia PowerUp Literacy enables teachers to identify and close reading gaps quickly, providing targeted practice in word recognition, comprehension and grammar.
Real-time data dashboards in myLexia help staff pinpoint pupils who may need additional support, strengthening readiness for Key Stage 4.
What This Means for Key Stage 4
At Key Stage 4, the reforms are likely to place greater emphasis on mastery and depth:
- Stronger KS3 foundations in literacy will enhance readiness for the complex reading and writing demands of GCSEs.
- Pupils will be expected to demonstrate disciplinary understanding, using language effectively within each subject.
- Continued intervention will remain essential for pupils below grade 4 in English, with sustained literacy support throughout Years 10 and 11.
- Schools will need to ensure consistency of literacy practice across departments, embedding oracy and academic writing in subject teaching.
Here again, adaptive tools such as Lexia PowerUp Literacy can provide structured, motivating pathways that help older students catch up and prepare confidently for exams.
Inclusion and SEND: Literacy as a Gateway to Equity
Both the Review and the Government’s response acknowledge that the current system “does not work well for all learners,” particularly those with SEND and from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Government’s response commits to a more inclusive curriculum through:
- Adapted assessment models that reduce unnecessary barriers for SEND learners.
- Flexible curriculum design allowing pupils to demonstrate literacy progress in multiple ways.
- Targeted investment in teacher training, building staff confidence in supporting diverse literacy needs.
- Expanded access to digital and assistive technologies, ensuring every pupil can access high-quality literacy provision.
The proposed measures are promising. However, the real test will be implementation. Schools will need sustained support and funding to deliver genuinely inclusive literacy provision. Without this, the gap between policy aspiration and classroom reality could persist.
Lexia’s adaptive technology already helps bridge this gap, delivering personalised literacy instruction that adjusts to each pupil’s pace, including those with SEND or low prior attainment. By combining accessibility, motivation and measurable progress, schools can ensure every learner develops the skills and confidence to succeed.
Practical Steps for Schools
As schools prepare for these reforms, a few practical steps can help lay the groundwork:
- Audit literacy provision: Review how reading, writing, and oracy are currently taught across subjects.
- Plan for the Year 8 assessment: Implement robust systems for tracking reading fluency and comprehension from Year 7 onwards.
- Refresh your literacy strategy: Align school policies with the forthcoming oracy and reading frameworks.
- Invest in professional development: Empower teachers across all subjects to embed disciplinary literacy.
- Prioritise inclusion: Ensure SEND pupils access targeted literacy support and adaptive interventions.
- Champion reading culture: Promote reading for pleasure and whole-school engagement with texts.
- Track and monitor progress: Use literacy data to guide teaching and intervention strategies. Tools like myLexia can support these processes, providing clear insight and practical next steps into individual and cohort progress.
Partnering with Lexia
At Lexia, we’re proud to partner with schools to help every learner reach their literacy potential. Our adaptive reading programmes, including Lexia® PowerUp Literacy, support fluency, comprehension, and confidence across Key Stage 3 and 4, empowering teachers with the insights and flexibility they need to meet diverse learner needs.
At Longcroft School in Beverley, Lexia has been supporting literacy intervention since 2017. In this month’s interview, teaching assistants Lesley Walker and Pam Fleming detail how implementing Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® has unlocked academic potential from KS3 to KS4, and how the adaptive learning model supports EAL students.
How did you first come across the Lexia Program?
Pam: Lexia was first introduced to our secondary school in 2017 by our SENCO at the time, through our partner trust. It was set up by Lesley and another TA.
Lesley: We started by using it during tutor time in the mornings and afternoons. By 2018, we’d created a nurture group who used it much more.
Pam: I think that’s where we began to see real progress as they were accessing daily. Those students had regular access to the programme, unlike some others who only used it in short tutor slots. Over time, we realised how powerful it was and now we use it regularly – it’s brilliant!
What do you feel makes Lexia stand apart from other reading skills software products on the market?
Pam: For us, it’s easily accessible and promotes independent learning. When the students sit the initial placement test, they start at their own level, and from there they can clearly see their progress from where they started. It’s just amazing!
It’s also something that works well across year groups. We use it from Year 7 through to Year 10, and students enjoy the competitive side of it too.
Lesley: They like getting streaks! You’ll often hear pupils comparing how many streaks they’ve got, which really motivates them. We often hear a commentary from the pupils about who has the biggest streak!
Students with English as an Additional Language (EAL) do great with it too. We have seen lots of progress from them. This really shines in their English lessons, especially since some students start with very little English.
Pam: They are taking control and setting their own work, and they find it fun. I think it’s also the fact that it is on the computer, and it is independent. We are a school that promotes independent learning, and Lexia is student-driven but we are still there to step in when needed.
How is Lexia used in school?
Pam: We use it during registration time. Each year group has one registration slot in the morning, and they also have one full hour lesson of Lexia a week. We identify the pupils through our STAR testing, who are usually the bottom 20% of readers.
Once they’ve been on the programme for a while, we look at their progress. It’s built into the classrooms and overseen by a member of the senior leadership team, who keeps an eye on all the data. We’ll take some students off and put others on depending on how they’re progressing.
Because we’re now getting the minutes in and they’re using it regularly, we can really see how much progress they’re making compared with when we first started using Lexia.
Lesley: We also use it to support English lessons as well. When they’ve got an English literacy lesson, the pupils who are on Lexia come out to us to do their session, while the others stay in the classroom and work with the teacher.
What impact has Lexia had on your pupils?
Lesley: According to the data we’ve have received recently, some of the students have gone up by two year groups with their reading ability, so it is having an impact. We’ve looked at the STAR results across the year and made comparisons, and we’ve even used some GL data at the end of the year. Using different types of data to analyse, we can see they are making good progress.
Pam: Some of the teachers have also said they’ve seen an impact in the classroom in their writing, spelling and grammar, an even just in retrieving information from texts. They can see a difference themselves.
Lesley: I think they’re picking up a lot of decoding skills as well from using the programme, and that helps going forward. If they start on it in Year 7 and are still using it in Year 10, then by the time they get to Year 11 they should be able to decode all the texts they’ll face in their GCSEs.
Can you give an example of a Lexia success that sticks out to you?
Lesley: I would say some of our nurture group pupils have really stood out. If you look back at their archived data, you’ll see big green ticks showing they’d completed everything in areas like comprehension. They went on to sit their GCSEs and did well, which was brilliant to see. They definitely shone for me!
Pam: I would echo Lesley as I can think of a few pupils in the nurture group that achieved in the same way. Currently we have an EAL student who joined without speaking a word of English. We started her on Core5, because the graphics were a bit more supportive for her, but we’ve just now moved her onto PowerUp. She’s flying now! We can see a huge difference in her progress.
How have you used rewards to motivate and celebrate success on the Lexia program?
Lesley: I tend to print the certificates off every week, and we’ve given them out in assemblies before. We also hand them out in lessons when students come in. They’ll say, “Oh, we’ve got certificates today,” and they’re really happy to receive them. Even the Year 10s have been given them, and you still see a smile on their faces, which is quite surprising given they’re in the higher year groups.
Pam: We also share progress with parents. At parents’ evenings we’ll show them how their child is doing and celebrate with them as well, and information will go home to parents. We encourage parents to be positive with the pupils and celebrate how well they’re doing.
How useful have you found the myLexia reports in terms of demonstrating progression and informing planning?
Pam: We print the data , and we analyse it alongside all the other testing we do in school. And to be fair, Lexia does come out a little bit better. Comparing the STAR testing from when they started to what we’re doing now with Lexia, you can see the difference.
Lesley: Our senior leadership team also get the data. We give them the printouts and one of them even did a presentation to the wider leadership team about how good Lexia is – so it’s being promoted at that level as well.
Pam: When it generates the Lesson Plan, its me and Lesley who deliver them. The reports show us the areas where students are struggling the most and we will let teachers know, then they can also implement that support in the classroom as well.
We use the lessons and paper-based resources quite a lot too. If we don’t have a computer room available, we can print the lessons and Skill Builders off for the session, so no learning gets missed.
What main piece of advice would you give to a school that was just getting started with Lexia?
Pam: The main thing is to make sure pupils are getting their minutes. It’s important that they are getting their full time on the programme because that’s when you see the biggest impact.
Lesley: In the early days, it can be hard because pupils don’t always want to leave their English lesson or their friends. It takes perseverance. But once you get into the routine and they start receiving certificates, they see the rewards and that makes all the difference.
What feedback have you had from your Lexia pupils?
Pam: We did a survey recently and the feedback was very positive. Pupils said they enjoyed coming to the Lexia sessions and that they like how they could clearly see their progress and see that visual of their success. The like that it is computer-based as well. Overall, we have had some really positive feedback from both students and their parents.
Parents have also given strong feedback, sometimes even phoning us to ask about Lexia and how it works.
Lesley: Parents have also encouraged their children to use it over the summer holidays and we have been able to give them access to the program at home.
Finally, if you could describe Lexia in 3 words, what 3 words would you use?
Interactive, motivating and rewarding.
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 is 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 is 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. 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 additional 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.
Our Star School for September is…
Pakefield High School, Suffolk!
At Pakefield High School, Lexia is helping students build confidence and make real progress in literacy. In this interview, Jess Harvey, Teaching Assistant and Lexia Coordinator, shares how the school has embedded Lexia into their intervention strategy, the impact on student motivation, and why it stands out as a valuable tool for reading development.
How did you first come across the Lexia program and what led to the school’s final decision to purchase?
We had a school within our MAT that was already using Lexia. We received an email about it, so we spoke with the other schools to see how they had found the programme. After hearing their feedback, we decided to give it a try. The final decision came after the trial, as we felt it was the best intervention we could implement for English in our school.
What do you feel makes Lexia stand apart from other reading skills software products on the market?
We love that it’s online, it’s interactive, and it interests the children. It’s different from traditional classroom learning; they’re not just sitting with a piece of paper. We love that it’s independent, it’s tailored to each and every student, and it encourages that independent learning.
How is Lexia used in your school? Please provide details of your daily routine and how you ensure that you reach recommended usage as well as which pupils use the program in school.
In terms of identifying students, we were already running phonics and spelling interventions, as well as STAR reading tests. So, we took the students who were already receiving those interventions or had been identified as having a lower reading age. We then spoke with class teachers to get their feedback and see if any other students stood out as needing extra support.
During the transition period, especially with new Year 7s coming in, we assess those students, and if they need intervention, we make sure they’re placed on it.
As for how we use Lexia in our school, we run it in different ways. We have form-time interventions, which are about half an hour in the morning with groups of up to 20 children. We also run sessions throughout the week for groups of 15 to 20 students, which is where we tend to support a lot of our lower-ability students.
In addition, we have Period 6 sessions, two 45-minute sessions for our older students in Years 10 and 11.
Describe the impact that Lexia has had on your pupils. Have you noticed a positive change in their motivation to succeed in literacy?
Oh, absolutely. We’ve definitely seen an improvement with teenagers, especially in their confidence. Students are able to check their progress and see how far they’ve come, from where they started to where they are now.
It’s great to see those moments where they say, ‘Look, Miss, I’ve completed this level!’ or ‘I’ve powered up!’, it’s really beneficial. It’s lovely to see them gain that self-confidence after a Lexia session.
Can you give an example of a Lexia success that sticks out to you?
Yes, we actually had a student with a low reading age, and from the trial to where they are now, they’ve made huge progress. Their reading ability has really improved, and their confidence has grown massively.
With their GCSEs coming up, they now feel much more positive, like, ‘I do know this, I can do this.’ So yeah, it’s made a real difference.
How have you used rewards to motivate and celebrate success on the Lexia program?
Yeah, so we use the Lexia resources, like certificates, at the end of every half term. We also hold assemblies where we recognise students’ achievements.
We’ll purchase small gifts for students who have really stood out, whether they’ve worked hard in a tricky area like grammar, word study, or comprehension, or if they’ve completed a large number of units and put in extra effort, including using Lexia at home. We nominate those students for a reward, which is really beneficial.
There’s definitely some healthy competition across all year groups. They really want that reward!
How useful have you found the myLexia reports in terms of demonstrating progression and informing planning?
They’re really useful! Great for tracking the progress students are making. We do weekly check-ins to see how they’re getting on, how many units they’ve completed, and whether they might need a bit of extra support.
It’s also brilliant to share this data with other staff during meetings and compare it with other interventions we’re using in school. So, it’s really beneficial.
What main piece of advice would you give to a school that was just getting started with Lexia?
I would say get as many staff involved as possible in implementing it. I have several other TAs who run sessions alongside me, and we also have accounts for the headteacher and English teachers so they can access reports and track progress.
I’d definitely recommend making sure all staff can engage with it. And just give it time. Progress doesn’t happen overnight, but with consistency, you’ll see the results.
What feedback have you had from your Lexia pupils?
They love the reward system, especially that end-of-half-term moment when they receive their reward and see how many certificates they’ve accumulated over the half-term. And of course, they love the bigger rewards, like an Easter egg when Easter is coming up.
They also really like being able to check their progress at the end of each session. That’s something we make sure to do. We review how many units they’ve completed, and if they’re struggling, we can step in with extra support. They know they’ll get that help from us.
And they love the high score streaks too! They like seeing how many correct answers they’ve got in a row!
Is there anything else you would like to add regarding why you think Lexia has been a success in your school?
I think for our students, especially boys, interventions can be a big hurdle. But Lexia is interactive, fun and, well, I want to say ‘cool’! It’s definitely not your typical intervention!
What stands out is that it’s tailor-made for each student. It’s suited to them, at the right level, and they’re progressing as they should be.
Finally, if you could describe Lexia in 3 words, what 3 words would you use?
I would say it’s personalised, targeted and enjoyable.
Time is one of the rarest resources in education. Between teaching, supporting in class and or leading interventions, there’s often little space left in the week to dive into data. Yet, those insights are key to understanding pupil needs and planning next steps.
That’s why myLexia is designed to work with your workflow, not add to it. With just a few minutes each week, it can help highlight where to focus, who needs support and how best to use your time and resources.
To help you make the most of it, our Literacy Impact Coaches have shared three of their top tips, drawn from hundreds of conversations with teachers across the country.
Tip 1: Little and often works best
Rather than saving everything up for an end-of-term review, taking five minutes a week to check myLexia can give you a clear sense of how things are going and where your time can make the biggest difference.
The Action Plan tab is particularly useful. It automatically organises pupils into helpful groups, helping you to quickly answer questions like:
- Who needs more time on the programme?
- Who is ready for a Skill Builder?
- Who is struggling and may need a Lesson Plan?
- Who’s ready to celebrate?
This quick snapshot makes it easy to act early and positively.
“We always say: small, consistent check-ins win the race. Even just five minutes in the Action Plan tab can help you catch issues early, or recognise when a pupil is ready to be challenged further.”
– Denise, Literacy Impact Coach
Tip 2: Use class-level reports to flag priorities
When time is tight, class-level reports offer a quick and efficient way to check in on your whole cohort. You’ll find these reports to the right of the Class Overview screen in myLexia – just a couple of clicks, and you have a full picture of progress and usage at your fingertips.
Start with the Usage Report, which looks slightly different depending on whether you’re using Core5 or PowerUp:
- In the Core5 usage report, pupils who haven’t made expected progress in the last four weeks are marked with a blue exclamation mark (!), a quick visual cue to check in on their learning journey.
- For PowerUp, the weekly usage report is colour-coded based on whether pupils have met their weekly units target. This makes it easy to identify who may need encouragement to stay on track.
Once you’ve reviewed usage, the Skills Progress Report can give further insight into overall progress. Look at the units gained column on the right-hand side of the report. By sorting pupils from most to least units gained, you can quickly see who’s making strong progress and who might benefit from additional support.
“Class-level reports give you a smart starting point. Sorting by units gained lets you spot patterns across the group and highlight any pupils who might otherwise slip under the radar.”
– Louise, Literacy Impact Coach
Tip 3: Let pupil data guide your use of paper-based resources
Paper-based resources like Skill Builders and Lesson Plans can be a valuable part of supporting pupils, but they’re most effective and time-efficient, when used at the right moment. Instead of printing packs for every pupil, use individual pupil data in myLexia to decide where these resources will have the most impact.
Here’s how to approach it:
Skill Builders: Use the Skills Report
This report provides a detailed breakdown of each pupil’s performance within a unit.
- Skill Builders: Look at the Skills Check scores (shown as a percentage). If a pupil scores below 75% on any Skills Check, that’s a strong signal they may benefit from a Skill Builder for that specific skill.
- You don’t need to assign Skill Builders for every skill, focus only where the score indicates a gap.
Lexia Lessons: Check the Step Attempts
Within the same report, you can also see the number of attempts a pupil has made on each step in a unit by clicking into the level name, this will open the Detailed Skill Report.
- If a pupil has made 10 or more attempts on their current unit without success, that’s a sign they may need more direct support with that concept.
- This is the point where using a paper-based Lexia Lesson Plan can be really helpful, providing structured teaching to address the difficulty head-on.
Bonus Tip: Consider a quicker intervention first
In many cases, you can act even earlier. If you notice a pupil struggling after just a few attempts on a step, try offering brief, over-the-shoulder support. A short check-in or prompt while they’re working independently can often help them move past the barrier without the need for a full lesson plan.
“Skill Builders and Lesson Plans are brilliant when used with purpose. By checking just one or two key indicators, you can be confident that your support is timely, targeted and not adding to your workload unnecessarily.”
– Mark, Literacy Impact Coach
When used purposefully, myLexia can help you stay one step ahead without spending hours on admin or analysis. By setting aside just a few minutes each week to check in, you can spot issues early, celebrate progress and direct your support where it’s needed most.
Small, consistent actions, like reviewing usage patterns, sorting pupils by progress or checking skill-level data, can have a big impact on outcomes. Most importantly, they allow you to spend less time working out what to do and more time doing what works.
Remember that you are not alone. Our Literacy Impact Coaches are here to help you interpret your data, plan next steps and ensure Lexia is working as hard as possible for your pupils and your team.
If you’d like support with implementation, training or getting more from myLexia, we’re ready to help.
Contact Us to book an Online Review & Support Session to talk through your school’s data and next steps with a member of our team. These sessions are included as part of your Lexia subscription so there’s no extra cost.
At LexiaUK, we believe that every student has the potential to succeed when equipped with the right tools. Morton Academy is a shining example of what’s possible when educators are empowered with Lexia PowerUp Literacy.
See the Impact for Yourself
Ready to explore how Lexia PowerUp can support your students? We’re offering a free 30-day evaluation so you can experience the transformative power of our program first-hand.
Please fill in the form below and a member of our team will be in touch.
The Lexia® team are dedicated to evolving our literacy programmes to meet the needs of today’s educators and learners. This year’s new enhancements will deliver even more effective, engaging, and accessible learning experiences.
Lexia® Core5® Reading
Core5 is an adaptive literacy program that accelerates the development of literacy skills for all students from Reception to Year 6. It supports reading success by helping students with both word recognition and comprehension.
Enhanced Autoplacement Experience
To create a more supportive experience we’ve added engaging new visuals and audio, such as enhanced Language Support. This now plays before and after the competition of placement, so the learner knows what to expect when working through the programme.
Data-Driven Updates to Skills Checks
Skill Checks have been refined using data-driven insights, boosting student engagement while preserving assessment accuracy.
Audio Updates to Passage Fluency Units
The updated intro and directional audio in Passage Fluency activities provide clear guidance and a more immersive experience for learners.
Core5 Instructional Resources: Empowering Educators and Learners
The Comprehension and Vocabulary Lexia Lessons® have been updated with a new format that aligns with the science of reading and research-based best practices. Core5 Digital Lexia Lessons for Phonological Awareness, Fluency, and Phonics also now reflect these changes.
We’ve expanded language accessibility with the addition of Bengali translations for several key caregiver materials, including the General Achievement Certificate and General Home Use Letter, ensuring more families can stay informed and engaged.
Core5 Accessibility Enhancements
Recent enhancements to Core5 strengthen alignment with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), making the program increasingly accessible, inclusive, and user- friendly for all learners. Updates include:
- Improvements to keyboard navigation for easier movement through the program.
- Significant upgrades to colour contrast to improve readability.
- Additional support for sensory characteristics to ensure that students engage meaningfully with the content.
Lexia® PowerUp® Literacy
PowerUp is designed specifically for students in Years 7 to 11 who need support with literacy to fully access the wider secondary curriculum. The program focuses on accelerating literacy gains through an personalised learning experience that enhances reading, writing, and comprehension skills. PowerUp enables students to make multiple years of growth in a single academic year.
New: Units Goals
PowerUp students now have weekly Unit Goals that display directly on the Home Screen. Each strand card features a progress meter showing how many units the student has completed during the week, along with their weekly time goal.
Each strand has its own specific unit goal, balancing achievability and progress, with these resetting at the start of each week. Students are encouraged to meet, and exceed, their unit goals on their way to improving their reading proficiency.
Flexible Strand Management Option
Educators have the ability to turn off automatic strand management, ensuring all learning units remain active even after students meet their weekly usage goals. This flexibility supports a wider range of instructional models and implementation strategies.
Boosting Student Engagement
PowerUp introduces the following exciting new features designed to create a more engaging, efficient, and motivating experience for students.
- Background music has been added to the Home Page, creating a more dynamic and inviting atmosphere.
- Animations now appear when students meet unit goals, offering positive reinforcement that encourages continued progress.
- A button on the Home Page allows students to return to their last activity by jumping straight back into the unit they were working on during their last session. This time-saving feature helps students bypass intro videos and activity selections, encouraging them to complete unfinished work and stay on track. The button appears once a student has begun working in the program.
Engaging Content and Stronger Vocabulary Support
As part of PowerUp’s ongoing commitment to delivering research-driven, student-centred literacy instruction, we’ve made the following updates to strengthen comprehension and vocabulary support across the program:
- The Comprehension strand in Levels 2 and 4 now feature new passages, refreshed themes, and updated artwork, all designed to increase engagement. These enhancements support key instructional goals by integrating rich content-area topics, targeted vocabulary development, and higher-order thinking skills to deepen comprehension.
- In Levels 7–15, students will benefit from brand-new Essential Vocabulary activities that include explicit instruction and custom artwork to introduce key terms before reading. This offers meaningful vocabulary support that strengthens understanding and boosts overall reading success.
- To better reflect current research and ensure alignment with Core5, and educational standards, “Sight Words” in PowerUp are now called “High-Frequency Words.”
myLexia
myLexia is a platform and reporting tool designed to support educators using Lexia’s Core5 and PowerUp. The platform provides real-time student performance data, allowing teachers to monitor individual and classroom progress while equipping school leaders with progress and usage monitoring tools.
Deeper Insights, Streamlined Navigation, and Enhanced Reporting
Usability Improvements for Educators in myLexia
- Improved Student Navigation in the Reading Tab (Core5 and PowerUp): Educators using Core5 and PowerUp can now easily switch between students within the Reading tab using a dropdown class list or arrow navigation.
- Set a Default Class (Core5 and PowerUp): Teachers using Core5 and PowerUp can now set a default class to appear upon login. This enhancement enables quicker, more focused access to the student data that matters most.
Core5-Specific Enhancements in myLexia
See When Core5 Students Were Flagged for Instruction
In the Core5 Needs Instruction tab of the Class Action Plan, educators can now view the date each student was flagged. This added detail helps educators more effectively prioritise and plan timely interventions.
PowerUp-Specific Enhancements in myLexia
- Class-Level Student Activity Export With Skill Check Scores: A new export option in the Skills Status report lets teachers view all PowerUp activity data for their entire class in one place—including Skill Check scores—without needing to open individual student reports.
- PowerUp Certificates on Student Action Plan: Teachers can now access a student’s latest PowerUp certificates directly from the Student Action Plan, making it easier to recognise student success.
PowerUp Unit Goals and Usage Report Enhancements
Weekly unit goals have been added for students using PowerUp. Educators can now monitor student progress toward these goals in the Class Usage Report within myLexia. To support this, we’ve improved the report layout, making it easier to find key information at a glance. Updates include a clearer display of student usage and unit progress, now organised by strand.
Learn more about Lexia Core5 Reading and Lexia PowerUp Literacy by visiting our product pages below:
Our Star School for May is…
Launceston College, Cornwall!
We spoke to Zoe Brundell, English Teacher and Attainment & Intervention Lead, who shared how Launceston has embedded Lexia PowerUp Literacy into the timetable and created a culture of praise that keeps students motivated and on track.
How did you first come across the Lexia program and what led to the school’s final decision to purchase?
So we’ve had it for several years actually, but for a while, we weren’t really doing that much with it.
Then we decided maybe two or three years ago to give it a good go and in the last two, we’ve managed to convince leadership to dedicate the time needed to the programme to make it work.
We really liked the fact that it was student friendly. It’s not pitched too high and it looks like a game to them – so it’s fun! Since we’ve managed to convince everyone that it’s worth spending the time on the timetable, it’s taken off!
What do you feel makes Lexia stand apart from other reading skills software products on the market?
Firstly, the ease of use. The students can use it without much supervision. As teachers, we’re in the room giving lots of praise and deliver the skill builders. It’s student friendly – simple and straightforward for them to use by themselves.
It helps us support them with things that they are finding difficult. So when we go in and look at kind of the breakdowns in the back end, you can see where it is that they’re struggling or what they’re maybe of what trying to avoid doing.
It’s also great for just being able to give praise and celebrate those students who maybe don’t get that positive reinforcement as much. Because we award them for all sorts of things to do with Lexia, it’s just such a positive experience for them. They’re improving and they’re getting recognised for it. They’re often students that have struggled and not found much success in other places. So, to see it working with them and having evidence of that on the screen in front of them is really, really helpful and makes them feel good about themselves, their progress and their journey.
How is Lexia used in your school?
We select students to participate Lexia based on their reading age. They take a reading age test each year, and anyone significantly below their chronological age is selected for Lexia.
We timetable it so they have three hours a week on Lexia. Two of their English lessons are dedicated to Lexia, while the other two follow the normal curriculum. They also have one hour taken from their languages lessons—so instead of doing French or Spanish, they spend that time on Lexia as well. Our languages department has been incredibly supportive. They’ve said for a long time that if these students can’t access English properly, they’re going to struggle with French and Spanish too. So, they were keen to get involved and help support them in this way.
We’re very lucky to have those three hours, and it’s great that other departments support it too. It means students can meet a minimum of 90 minutes per week on the programme. Before this, we tried having just one hour in school and expecting them to do the rest at home, but students with lower reading ages often struggled to access it independently, even with incentives. But now, with the extra time and support from across the school, it’s working really well.
Describe the impact that Lexia has had on your pupils.
Yeah, many of them do make progress in their reading age by the end of the year. We haven’t done this year’s reading age test yet, but every year, we see improvements.
Even just in lessons with my own class, I can definitely see the difference. Their comprehension and decoding skills have improved. In our normal English lessons, we’re currently studying war poetry, and previously, we’ve read Animal Farm and other challenging texts. As the year goes on, they become much better at understanding difficult words and grasping the meaning of what they’re reading.
They struggle less with complex vocabulary because they’ve learned to break words down—looking at prefixes, suffixes, and understanding how words are structured. It’s nice to see that progress as a classroom teacher.
Even without this year’s reading age data, you can see their confidence growing in lessons. That shift in their ability and self-assurance over time is just lovely to see.
The Year 6s, where the format of the previous programme maybe wasn’t as mature for them. So, last year we decided to switch them over to PowerUp, and the difference has been incredible.
Can you give an example of a Lexia success that sticks out to you?
So far this year, we’ve actually had a couple of students who have already completed the whole programme and have been moved up sets. That was awesome, and amazing for them to see their own progress.
One of my Year 9s, in particular, has struggled with reading for a long time. He used to find it really difficult to get high streaks. As you know, streaks show when they’re getting consecutive answers right, and we reward students for streaks of 25 or more. He would often say, “Oh, I was almost there, but I lost it.”
But now, he’s frequently getting streaks in the hundreds! It’s been amazing to see his confidence grow—to see him getting more and more questions right and holding onto those streaks. From the start of the year to now, the progress is incredible.
How have you used rewards to motivate and celebrate success on the Lexia program?
We have these little praise postcards where we can write a message on the back, and they’re worth five praise points in our school system. Students get one of these if they manage to reach a streak of 25 or more during a lesson.
Sometimes, I turn it into a bit of a competition—who can get the highest streak in the lesson. It can get a little boisterous, but since it’s all about the work, that’s always a good thing!
After my implementation review the other day with LexiaUK, we’ve just introduced praise for units gained in a lesson as well. Now, whoever gains the most units in a lesson also gets a praise postcard. This has really encouraged students to stick with sections they find difficult. Before, they would sometimes jump between different sections to avoid getting stuck, but now they stay focused because they want to earn their praise postcards.
We also track how many minutes they complete each week. I export all the data, put it into a spreadsheet, and an admin assistant sends emails home. The top three students with the most minutes get a message congratulating them on their effort. We make it as encouraging and rewarding as we can.
How useful have you found the myLexia reports in terms of demonstrating progression and informing planning?
I usually use it to track minutes and make sure students are meeting the minimum of 90, because we know that if they reach that target, they’ll make the progress they need.
We also use it to monitor where they are in terms of progressing through the levels—from Foundation to Intermediate to Advanced—and to keep an eye on who’s close to finishing sections.
In the future, we hope to make more use of the Skill Builders and instructional resources that are generated. That’s something I’m working towards—maybe having a reading mentor or someone else in the room who could take a smaller group and focus on Skill Builders or targeted instruction. While we’d like to use the resources more, for now, we mainly focus on tracking progress through levels and ensuring students complete the minutes they need. Hopefully, we can expand this in the future.
What main piece of advice would you give to a school that was just getting started with Lexia?
The biggest thing is just praise—constant praise for anything and everything you can. If you can get students on board and excited about it, everything becomes so much easier.
The other key thing is making sure that everyone in the school understands the importance of reading. We’re very lucky here at Launceton because reading is a whole-school priority. We do lots of different things to promote it, like tutor reading in the mornings, so it’s a school-wide initiative. That’s made it much easier for me to get everyone on board with Lexia.
If you can create that culture, it helps secure time for students to actually use the programme. Without dedicated time, it just doesn’t work.
And finally, make sure those minutes are happening in school, ideally with support from the whole staff. If everyone recognises that reading and literacy are essential, and that this programme will support those skills, it makes a huge difference.
What feedback have you had from your Lexia pupils?
A lot of them have said it’s helped build their confidence. They feel more confident in class, more confident when reading, and more confident that they understand what’s happening when we read together. That’s always lovely to hear.
Some have said, “I understand more of what I’ve read,” or “I get why sentences are structured the way they are.”
And then, of course, a lot of them just say, “I really like it. It’s fun. I like seeing my streak. I like that I’m beating someone’s streak. I like winning my postcard.”
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I think the key over the last couple of years has been having backing from everyone across the college—our languages teachers, our senior leadership team—all working together to implement Lexia in the way we have.
That support has made the biggest difference, not just for the students, but for us as Lexia teachers and for me as a Lexia lead. Without it, we were struggling because we didn’t have the dedicated time, and the students weren’t always completing it at home independently. Not every child has the same level of access or support at home.
Knowing that we’re all working together has been the biggest factor in boosting Lexia attainment. You can see from everything we’ve achieved this year just how much of a difference it has made.
I’m grateful to everyone in the school for supporting the programme and, most importantly, for supporting our students. As we all know, GCSE papers require a reading age of 15+, so without these interventions, we would be letting our students down.
So, I’m just incredibly grateful to everyone for making the most of the time our students have with us and ensuring they get the support they need.
Finally, if you could describe Lexia in 3 words, what 3 words would you use?
I would say impactful, engaging, and, due to the fact that it gives me data on student progress, insightful.
Watch Morton Academy in Action
At LexiaUK, we believe that every student has the potential to succeed when equipped with the right tools. Morton Academy is a shining example of what’s possible when educators are empowered with Lexia PowerUp Literacy.
Lexia PowerUp Literacy – More School Success Stories
Learn from schools across the UK that have successfully implemented Lexia PowerUp to boost literacy attainment.
Theale Green School
How structured support improved GCSE outcomes
At Theale Green School, Lexia has transformed literacy support into a structured, data-informed, and highly motivating journey that is directly contributing to improved GCSE outcomes. Faced with rising literacy needs and limited intervention capacity, the school introduced Lexia to deliver tailored, high-impact support for a growing number of students—particularly those with SEND or in receipt of Pupil Premium.
Since implementation, Lexia has enabled staff to triple the number of students receiving individualised literacy intervention while tracking progress with precision. Pupils’ confidence has flourished, and sustained Lexia use is helping bridge critical gaps in phonics, grammar, and comprehension—skills essential for accessing the wider curriculum and succeeding in English at GCSE.
The school’s whole-staff approach, including collaboration with the English department, has embedded Lexia into daily routines, resulting in higher motivation, measurable progress, and students walking into lessons ready to engage.
The Compton School
Promoting secondary curriculum readiness
At The Compton School in London, Lexia has become a powerful tool in improving literacy outcomes, particularly in supporting students to achieve stronger results at GCSE. Introduced as part of a whole-school reading strategy, Lexia was implemented to target the bottom 20% of readers in Key Stage 3. Assistant Headteacher Emily Walker-Nolan and Lexia Lead Deeya Sharma have embedded the programme into the school’s culture through structured routines, including breakfast clubs, transition initiatives, and personal development time, ensuring pupils achieve the recommended usage each week.
The adaptive nature of Lexia has enabled students to close individual reading gaps efficiently, with clear links between engagement and accelerated reading progress—one pupil even gaining nearly four years in reading age. The school has seen a 20% uplift in the number of students reaching the expected reading benchmark, a testament to Lexia’s role in supporting GCSE readiness.
With robust use of data through myLexia, personalised interventions, and creative reward systems, The Compton School continues to position its most vulnerable readers for long-term success.
Upton-by-Chester High School
The measurable impact of Lexia on reading ages
At Upton-by-Chester High School, Lexia has been key to the school’s literacy intervention strategy, helping students make measurable, meaningful progress in reading. With a clear focus on supporting learners who fall just below age-related expectations, Lexia was chosen for its student-led, highly targeted approach, allowing pupils to work independently on their specific areas of need. The school’s structured model, backed by regular assessment and robust pastoral support, ensures consistent engagement and visible outcomes.
Pupils in Years 7 and 8 benefit from two hours of dedicated Lexia time each week, supported by a thoughtfully developed rewards system that has transformed intervention into a space for celebration and growth. As a result, students have seen reading age increases of up to two years within a single academic year—an achievement the school attributes to sustained engagement and Lexia’s accessible, confidence-building format.
Request Your Free Trial Today
Join the growing number of schools seeing real literacy progress with Lexia. We’re offering a free 30-day evaluation so you can experience the transformative power of our program first-hand.
Simply fill in the form below and a dedicated member of our team will be in touch to get you started!