Case Study
Varndean School
Speedy but Sustainable Success
Average reading age gain across Varndean School: 28 months
Students completed Lexonik Advance: 121 students
Meet Dawn Gillam
Dawn Gillam, Head of English at Varndean School in Brighton, East Sussex, shares her experience with Lexonik and how it’s driving transformative reading improvements across the school.
“We’re a school that values a strong pastoral approach and was recently commended by Ofsted for having teachers who are ‘experts in their field’ and pupils who show ‘unwaveringly strong respect for others,’” Gillam says proudly.
Discovering Lexonik
The introduction to Lexonik came through Varndean’s headteacher, who had seen its effectiveness in action at another school. At a time when Varndean was exploring reading interventions to combat the learning gaps amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lexonik seemed like the ideal fit. “We were particularly concerned about students who weren’t yet ‘secondary ready,’ and we knew they would need accelerated support in reading and vocabulary,” explains Gillam.
Assessing the Potential
With the headteacher already impressed, Varndean was eager to connect with Lexonik. “From the outset, Lexonik really understood our concerns. They grasped the issues we face around time and resource constraints,” recalls Gillam. The fact that Lexonik is “created by teachers, for teachers” made it even more appealing.
A Powerful Impact in Just Six Sessions
Varndean was initially skeptical but hopeful about the prospect of achieving significant reading gains in only six weekly sessions. “It sounded almost too good to be true,” admits Gillam, “but the results spoke for themselves.” The first data report revealed an impressive two years of progress after just six sessions, a transformation that gave the entire teaching staff confidence in Lexonik’s impact.
Scaling Up the Success
Following this success, Varndean expanded the program. Initially, three English teachers were trained to support Year 7 students identified as ‘not secondary ready.’ Over time, this grew to five staff members, including educators from other subjects. “We even reached out to our feeder primary schools, helping 16 children prepare before they started with us,” says Gillam. By the time these students joined Varndean, their reading skills were on par with their peers, eliminating early concerns.
Sustainable Impact and Future Commitment
Varndean initially funded Lexonik through pupil premium funds, and the investment has more than paid off. “Our Ofsted report recognized Lexonik as our intervention of choice, and teachers across the school have noticed a real difference in student engagement and learning,” says Gillam. The school plans to train additional teachers and continue building on the positive results they’ve seen.
Gillam reflects on the journey: “Lexonik has become an integral part of our strategy to help students thrive. The sustainable, rapid progress they achieve is exactly what we need to support every student’s success.”
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