Geoff Barton speaks to Professor Jessie Ricketts, a psychologist at Royal Holloway, University of London, whose research focuses on reading development in adolescence. Jessie explains why reading engagement and reading proficiency must be considered together, how widely students’ skills can vary within a single classroom, and why reading is an issue of educational equity as well as attainment.

They explore the importance of whole-school leadership, disciplinary literacy and choosing approaches that match a school’s intended outcome. Jessie also explains how The Day’s differentiated versions of the same current-affairs story can help students with different reading abilities access a shared discussion — connecting literacy, oracy and learning without limiting anyone’s intellectual potential.

In this episode

- What research tells us about teenagers’ reading habits

- The difference between reading engagement and reading proficiency

- Why variation in reading and language skills matters in every subject

- Reading as a social-justice issue

- The role of senior leaders and subject teachers in building a reading culture

- Why reading initiatives need a clearly defined goal

- How differentiated texts can create more equitable classroom discussion

- The close relationship between literacy and oracy