The Research on the Instruction of Language with Literacy (RILL) Programme

literacy literacy diffculties research project Nov 04, 2022

RILL Research Project Language and Literacy Programme

Why join our RILL research?

For the pupil:

The student will receive additional evidence-based support to improve their reading and spelling through fun stories and activities.
They will develop their literacy skills and confidence.
Ultimately, it will help children with English and/or Welsh literacy difficulties to ‘catch-up’.

For the school:

Free access to pre-packaged evidence based and effective literacy and language programme.
Free access to Reading Screen for the purpose of this project https://oxedandassessment.com/readingscreen/
Free training and support for staff in delivering the program (opportunities for CPD).
The TAs will develop skills and confidence to teach literacy using technology.
Lessons can be easily adapted to the skills and needs of each pupil and these resources can be retained and used for children who have not taken part in RILL but need extra support.

If you want to join the network of schools we’re working with, please let us know as soon as possible (places are limited) by completing this form and we’ll be in contact:

Contact Form:

Click Here To Be Part Of The RILL Research

Why is this research so important?

School closures over a twelve-month period have caused delays in children’s progress with literacy. Literacy is strongly linked to educational success and this generation of children risk poorer literacy outcomes, with personal, societal, and economic consequences, particularly for children with learning difficulties. Consequently, since COVID, schools and teachers are particularly keen to boost literacy levels, but with limited additional capacity and funding, starting a new project or initiative is hard. This is where the RILL project comes in…

What is RILL and how did it begin?

RILL is a short (15-week), evidence-based programme of activities shown to improve children’s literacy and language skills. It was initially developed in March 2020 as a short intervention programme for Key Stage 2 children during the first national lockdown and was delivered remotely to 200 children in their own homes, across England and Wales. RILL was shown to be successful in improving children’s reading skills.

Now, with children back in school, we are helping teachers to implement RILL in the classroom. Bangor University, including the Miles Dyslexia Centre, has teamed up with literacy research experts at the University of Oxford and Leeds Trinity University and secured funding from the Welsh Government and the Nuffield Foundation. We are currently implementing RILL in around 50 schools, supporting over 300 children to complete RILL, and testing its effectiveness as an in-class intervention for poorer readers.

teacher and children

How is the programmed delivered?

RILL is delivered by teaching assistants (TAs) using OneNote and targets key literacy-related skills such as vocabulary, phonological awareness, narrative skills, and decoding skills. It is delivered twice a week for 15 weeks.

A breakdown of the steps involved:

1. All students in the class take a test to help identify 12 students who struggle more than others with reading and writing.

2. These 12 students are randomly allocated into either Group 1 or Group 2.

Group 1 complete the programme first.
Group 2 complete the programme later.

3. The students complete short test activities with the TA (pre-activities). This is so we can see later how well the programme has worked.

4. The students either do 15-weeks of RILL or just teaching as normal:

Group 1 complete the RILL programme now.
Group 2 complete the programme later.

5. All students then complete the same short test activities with the TA (post-activities). This is so we can see how well the programme has worked.

6. Then the two groups switch:

Group 1 discontinue the RILL programme, carrying on with teaching as normal.
Group 2 complete the 15-week RILL programme now.

7. Finally, all 12 students complete some short test activities with the TA (follow-up activities). This is so we can see how well the programme has worked in the longer term.

children reading

Thank you for your time and for reading this post. If you want to know more about the project or have any queries, please contact:

Rachel Cartin – RILL Researcher
Research Officer, School of Psychology, Bangor University
Email: [email protected]

Esther Owen – RILL Researcher
Research Officer, School of Psychology, Bangor University
Email: [email protected]

Dr Cameron Downing – Co-Principal Investigator
Lecturer, School of Psychology, Leeds Trinity University
Email: [email protected]

Dr Manon Jones – Principal Investigator
Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, Bangor University
Email: [email protected]

If you want to join the network of schools we’re working with, please let us know by completing the form in the link below. A member of the team will be in touch as soon as possible.