The UK’s leading series for SEN and struggling readers at Key Stage 3…
Rapid Plus is the complete intervention solution for struggling learners working behind Age Related Expectations, and children with longer-term special educational needs.
Developed in consultation with Dee Reid, co-author of Catch Up Literacy, Rapid Plus consists of a series of finely levelled, engaging books and an online subscription, perfect for incoming Year 7s or existing KS3 students who are struggling.
1 | Proven to succeed
Approved and recommended by Catch Up, Rapid Plus is independently proven to more than double progress in just a few months. Students see themselves as ‘real readers’ for the first time, and teachers report seeing them grow more confident across all of their subjects.
In a study across several schools in Neath, Port Talbot, the average gain in reading age was 16 months and the average gain in comprehension was 20 months. Rapid Plus was also shortlisted in the 2020 Teach Secondary awards.
2 | Accessible via innovative software
Pearson’s ActiveLearn subscription gives students the chance to practise reading independently through innovative features such as ‘Read to Me’ and ‘Prompts’, with access to on-screen eBooks and activities available from school or home.
There are also fun quizzes and rewards which help to build your learners’ comprehension skills – and you can track their progress through in-depth teacher reporting on the ActiveLearn platform.
3 | Inspiring readers
In each Rapid Plus Stage, the Reading Books are designed to include the optimal number of words per page, and per text, in line with Catch Up pedagogy. Each Stage matches the students’ reading abilities perfectly, ensuring they develop the right skills before moving to the next level.
Each book is matched to the interests of 11-14 year olds across a range of genres and artwork styles, keeping them engaged. Additional non-fiction sections offer them a varied reading experience and each book has ‘before reading’ pages to introduce characters, plots and tricky words.
4 | Support for specialist and non-specialist teachers
The ‘pick up and go’ Rapid Plus Teaching Guides are designed to work for both specialists and non-specialists.
With step-by-step, straightforward guidance for both one-to-one and small group or mainstream class reading sessions and a strong focus on comprehension skills, the teaching support is useful for even the busiest of teachers. Teaching guides are packaged in just two books: Stage 3-6 and 7-9.
5 | Assessment Books
The Assessment Books for your learners contain characters and vocabulary from the main Reading Books, enabling you to assess students’ progress at that level and giving them continuity throughout their learning experience.
These books check decoding skills, comprehension and spelling. You can accurately evaluate progress using the correlating assessment record in your Teaching Guide.
Key points
- Age-appropriate content, with real-life topics that are relevant for 11-14 year olds, to inspire a love of reading in KS3 students
- Designed for SEN, EAL and struggling readers, including a dyslexia-friendly font that was created especially for the series alongside engaging graphics
- Innovative software, including a ‘read to me’ feature and ‘prompts’ to encourage independent learning at school or home, with in-depth reporting for teachers
- Specific teaching guides, including assessment support and level tests that both specialists and non-specialists will find easy to use, without being too time-consuming for you
Find out more at pearsonschools.co.uk/RapidPlus2021.
