Developing literacy is a marathon, not a sprint that happens in primary school.
Studies indicate that all students benefit from an ongoing focus on continuing to build their literacy skills as they move into secondary school, and that everyone (parents, teachers, school leaders and the wider community) has a part to play.
But it can be difficult to know where to start and how to help. One of the challenges is that the research base is not wide or robust, and that creates a space for unevidenced opinion and snake oil.
To help teachers and school leaders navigate through that landscape, this list includes a range of research and research-informed perspectives that explore literacy in the secondary school context.
It’s important to note that this list is not about English (the subject or the discipline) but about literacy: developing the skills to communicate through spoken language, reading and writing.
The bigger picture
How the Brain Works: What Psychology Students Need to Know by Michael Thomas and Simon Green
Adolescence is a time of huge change in a young person’s life, and the social and emotional aspects of growing (including puberty) cannot be ignored. How the Brain Works is a useful primer on the psychology and neuroscience of the brain and learning. There is also an online summarised of the book available.
Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
For something more focused on the idiosyncrasies of the adolescent brain, this book is a fascinating read. Again, you can find a summarised version of Blakemore’s ideas .
The Reading Lives of Teens: Research and Practice, edited by Chin Ee Loh
Looking more closely at reading, The Reading Lives of Teens will be of interest to both researchers and practitioners. Each chapter explores a different aspect of adolescent reading and challenges some of the long-held assumptions about teenage reading behaviour.
If you are interested in understanding what and why students read for pleasure, and strategies that can be used to extend these valuable practices, then this may be a book worth dipping into.
Developing Writers Across the Primary and Secondary Years: Growing into Writing, edited by Honglin Chen, Debra Myhill and Helen Lewis
Although the newly published Department for Education writing framework has relatively little to say about writing development in the secondary classroom, this book provides some much-needed wider context.
Research in Writing at the University of Exeter
In addition, the (previously the Centre for Research in Writing) at the University of Exeter is an excellent resource to learn more about the research in this area. It’s also a good place to find to use in the classroom.
Oracy: The Transformative Power of Finding Your Voice by Neil Mercer
The most recent publication by Professor Neil Mercer on oracy is described as a “manifesto”, calling for oracy to become a subject alongside literacy and numeracy. But it is also a very practical book, summarising some of the key strategies of how to use talk to teach and learn in the classroom.
Exploring practical strategies
Timothy and Cynthia Shanahan on disciplinary literacy
If you’re after practical approaches to developing literacy in the secondary classroom, then plenty has been published by researchers and teachers in the US.
American schools are very different to those in the UK, and it is wrong to assume that what has been effective there will be equally as effective here. Nevertheless, there are some great materials to dip into.
In particular, the work of Timothy and Cynthia Shanahan on disciplinary literacy practices is worth reading. They have been researching and writing in this field for many years. Try Timothy’s explanation of the , this overview of , or the article .
What Works Clearinghouse educator practice guides
What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is an American organisation that aims to translate education research into practice. I find WWC’s educator practice guides to be very helpful. Although they do need to be adapted for a UK context, the guides are precise, with clear examples of practice.
provides a clear overview of five recommendations for developing literacy (mainly reading and spoken language skills) in any classroom, in any subject.
offers specific, actionable guidance on developing writing in the classroom and, again, offers suggestions that are applicable to any subject or discipline.
I also find the guide helpful for thinking about how to support those students who find literacy challenging.
Supporting all readers in secondary school
Many of the recommendations from American research have been developed further and for a UK context in the free DfE training programme, , which was published recently. You can read more about the programme in Tes here.
Reading Resource Centre
If you are interested in further understanding how to support students who find literacy challenging, Dr Johny Daniel and colleagues at Durham University have been working to develop accessible and acceptable solutions.
They have designed freely available to support the development of reading proficiency for students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. The materials they have produced exemplify what we know about .
Young Adult Book Prize 2025
Finally, why not become a reading role model during the next academic year by dipping into texts that are recommended for young adults?
Try The Bookseller’s or The Reading Agency’s ” for some recommendations.
Megan Dixon is an associate lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University
You can now get the UK’s most-trusted source of education news in a mobile app. Get Tes magazine on and on
