Learning support assistants can deliver effective reading interventions for ‘at-risk’ children

Evidence suggests that phonic interventions delivered by trained researchers improve early reading and spelling. This study sought to explore whether school Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) can also improve performance using these methods. Four groups (each of n = 27) of the poorest reading 6-year-old children in nine schools were screened and selected for this study. LSAs were briefly trained to administer phonic programmes as small group interventions for nine weeks. Rhyme- and phoneme-based programmes were also contrasted with controls receiving the National Literacy Strategy. At post-test, all intervention group children were better decoders, and had better phonological awareness and letter – sound knowledge than controls. The phoneme-based group had better letter – sound knowledge than the other intervention groups. It is concluded that trained Learning Support Assistants can deliver effective early preventive programmes for literacy difficulties.