Engaging in learning

Mikey lived with his mum and younger half-sister in a deprived inner city area. Almost as soon as he began school Mikey's behaviour and lack of progress became a cause for concern. He was put on the special needs register and special learning plans were developed for him, but his problems just got worse. He found it hard to sit for any length of time, he didn't join in with activities and seemed not to make friends and, despite the teachers' efforts, by the start of Year 2 he had hardly begun to read or write. He knew only four letters of the alphabet. When shown a letter 'C' he said "Is it teapot or kettle?" and for 'G' he said "It's that story of the girl with long hair" (Goldilocks).

Fortunately for Mickey, he was given a place in Reading Recovery and after just 20 weeks he was reading and writing as well as other children of his age.

“His mum talked about the change in him, in both confidence and behaviour, and she was convinced that learning to read through Reading Recovery had brought about this change.

In National Assessments at the end of Key Stage 1, soon after his Reading Recovery lessons had ended, he achieved an average score for his age group in reading.

Five years later, at age 11, he was above his age group in Key Stage 2 National Assessments for reading, and at the expected level in writing. He's now coping well in secondary school, which is hard to believe for those who knew Mikey before Reading Recovery.