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Paxton Academy: Transforming reading culture

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Amelia Ernest-Jones
School Delivery Lead

We launched the Digital Reading Log just two months ago and we couldn’t be happier with the engagement we have seen from parents and pupils.

Theresa Moses, Headteacher

Paxton Academy is a primary school in Croydon, London. 63% of families are in receipt of Pupil Premium funding and in the two months of using our Digital Reading Log they have seen 81% of these families record reading at home. We spoke to the Headteacher, Theresa Moses, about why they think it has been such a success.

A culture of reading for pleasure

At Paxton, fostering a love of reading has been central to our school improvement journey. In September 2020, when I became Headteacher, it was clear we needed to reimagine how we engaged children and families with reading. At that time, the school was graded Inadequate in four out of five areas. Having worked in education for 23 years across five different schools, I knew that to change the narrative for our children, we needed to introduce quality texts and foster a love of reading.

As I had done in previous schools, we introduced traditional reading journals. However, I also knew from experience that reading journals had limited impact and, in some cases, were not inclusive. They required parents to have a certain level of literacy and the ability to read and write in English, which inadvertently excluded some families from fully engaging.

Introducing the Digital Reading Log has been a transformative step forward, strengthening our culture of reading for pleasure across the whole school community.

It has enabled us to build stronger partnerships with families, promote reading for pleasure, and ensure every child’s reading journey is visible and celebrated.

Creating a buzz

One of the key factors in its success was the way we launched it. A whole-school launch created a real buzz around the initiative. We also hosted coffee mornings for parents, which gave us the opportunity to answer questions, offer hands-on support, and ensure families felt confident using the portal. Celebration has been another vital ingredient. Certificates are awarded in assembly to children who reach their weekly targets, and school leaders regularly engage with parents about their child’s reading journey.

Gaining valuable insights

One of the biggest achievements of the Digital Reading Log is that the Senior Leadership Team and Reading Lead now have an accurate, real-time overview of reading for pleasure across the whole school. We can clearly see not only which children are reading, but also the enriched reading experiences families are providing at home.

Importantly, it also complements and supports the reading scheme we use in school, by providing a seamless way to track and celebrate children’s progress. We have the live feed of comments, audio clips and photos in the classroom as children start the day.

We have seen pupils who were not previously reading now coming into school truly excited to share the reading they have been doing at home with their teacher and peers – it is really lovely to see!

Further to this, we are now able to gain valuable insights into which children are not reading at home. Working with our School Partnership Manager at Learning with Parents, we are coming up with ways to encourage them to record reading. The ‘audio clip’ function also helps identify what support families may need.

Teachers are also able to record reading in school. The fact that parents can then listen to their child reading with a teacher is just another way to support parents to feel confident in ‘how’ to read with their child at home.

Families having fun

One of the best things about the Digital Reading Log is seeing how much fun children are having reading at home with their parents. We have had pictures of pupils reading in funny places such as on top of their washing machine but they are also reading lots of different things. One pupil has been recording herself reading the Bible everyday, others have recorded themselves reading on the train, in a shopping trolley at the supermarket, in the museum or at the library to name a few.

The Digital Reading Log is supporting families to find pleasure in reading and we cannot wait to see how this develops.

*The children featured in the photos do not attend Paxton Academy

Read about how our Digital Reading Log is helping Emilia and Andrew's family encourage reading for their two children:

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Emilia and Andrew's Story - A photo of a smiling child holding up a book

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Terms and Conditions

PARTIES


(1) LEARNING WITH PARENTS a registered charity (CIO) in England and Wales with charity number 1189812 whose registered office is Newminster House, Bristol, BS1 1LT (Company);


(2) Your school or setting (School);


WHEREAS


(A) The Company has developed a programme to motivate and empower parents to engage in their child’s learning.


(B) The School wishes to use the Company’s programme to help their children and families.


(C) The Company has agreed to grant access to sections of its website to the relevant school staff and families.


(D) The Company has agreed to provide and the School has agreed to pay for access to the Company’s website on the terms and conditions of this Agreement.


IT IS HEREBY AGREED AS FOLLOWS


1. Definitions


The definitions and rules of interpretation in this clause apply in this Agreement:


    

  • “Initial Price” is the price for the Initial Subscription Term. This is calculated by the “Price Calculation”.
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  • “Initial Subscription Term” means the initial term which shall begin on the date this contract is entered into and end after one calendar year.
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  • “Intellectual Property Rights” means patents, rights to inventions, copyright and related rights, trade marks and service marks, business names and domain names, goodwill and the right to sue for passing off or unfair competition, rights in designs, database rights, rights to use, and protect the confidentiality of, confidential information (including know-how) and all other intellectual property rights, in each case whether registered or unregistered and including all applications and rights to apply for and be granted, renewals or extensions of, and rights to claim priority from, such rights and all similar or equivalent rights or forms of protection which subsist or will subsist now or in the future in any part of the world.
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  • “Learning with Parents Package” means a section of the Company’s website personalised for the School that contains the Videos provided by the Company via the Website or any other website notified to the School by the Company from time to time.
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  • “Ongoing Price” means the price for the applicable Ongoing Subscription Term calculated by the Company. This will be shared with the school at least 30 days prior to the renewal date. It is dependent on the number of classes whose parents or carers are offered access to the Learning with Parents Package, as reported by the School in accordance with clause 4.5 below.
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  • “Ongoing Subscription Term” means the term which shall begin at the end of the previous Subscription Term and last for one year.
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  • “Permitted Users” means the School’s current staff, and parents and carers of pupils currently at the School, in each case as at the applicable time of use.
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  • “Price” means, in respect of the Initial Subscription Term, the Initial Price or the Ongoing Price, in respect of the applicable Ongoing Subscription Term.
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  • “Price Calculation” means the value calculated using the formula agreed upon initial sign-up, or updated upon renewal.
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  • “Subscription Term” means the Initial Subscription Term or the Ongoing Subscription Term, as applicable.
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  • “Videos” means the videos provided within the Learning with Parents Package which consist of short clips of children explaining school techniques and are supported by related activities that parents can complete with their child.
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2. Learning with Parents Package


In consideration of the School paying the applicable Price to the Company (in accordance with clause 5 below) the Company grants the School a nonexclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access, and to allow the Permitted Users to access, the Learning with Parents Package during the Subscription Term.


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Subject to payment by the School of the Price (in accordance with clause 5 below), and compliance by the School with its obligations under clause 4 below, the Company agrees to:


3.1 provide the Learning with Parents Package to the School and use reasonable endeavours to ensure it can be accessed by the Permitted Users at all reasonable times.


3.2 work with the School to support increased parental engagement


4. School’s Obligations


4.1 provide the Company with such information and materials as the Company may reasonably require to supply the Learning with Parents Package and ensure that such information is accurate in all material respects;


4.2 ensure that only the Permitted Users use the Learning with Parents Package and that they do so inaccordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement;


4.3 allow the use of the School’s name and logo on the Company’s website and marketing materials;


4.4 no later than 30 days prior to each Subscription Term, provide an accurate estimate of the number of classes whose parents or carers will be offered access to the Learning with Parents Package.


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6.3 The School shall promptly give notice in writing to the Company in the event that it becomes aware of any infringement of any Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company.


7. Termination


7.1 Without limiting its other rights or remedies each party may terminate this Agreement with immediate effect by giving written notice to the other party if:


7.1.1 the other party commits a material breach of its obligations under this Agreement and (if such breach is remediable) fails to remedy the breach within 30 days after receipt of notice in writing to do so; or


7.1.2 the other party’s financial position deteriorates to such an extent that its capability to adequately fulfil its obligations under the Agreement has been placed in jeopardy.


7.2 Without limiting its other rights or remedies the Company may terminate this Agreement with immediate effect if the School fails to pay any amount due under this Agreement on the due date for payment.


7.3 If the Agreement is terminated pursuant to this clause 7 during a Subscription Term, there will be no refund to the School of the amount of any Price paid by the School in respect of that Subscription Term.


8. Renewal


At the end of each Subscription Term, this Agreement shall automatically renew for one additional year as an Ongoing Subscription Term unless written notice of non-renewal is provided to the Company by the School at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the then-current Subscription Term.


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The parties acknowledge that they have read and understand this Agreement and voluntarily accept the duties and obligations set forth herein.

Nienke Alberts

Evaluation Manager

Nienke worked as a university lecturer for several years before moving into evaluation and mixed‑methods research in the education sector. She has led research at the University of Bristol on how best to support students and developed the evaluation framework for the London NCOP (now UniConnect). Nienke is passionate about using evidence to highlight and address educational inequalities, and has worked with organisations such as AccessHE and the Sutton Trust to identify biases and barriers within the education system.

Amie MacNab-Jack

Early Years Curriculum Lead

Amie began her career in education through the Teach First programme, but her passion for teaching started much earlier — in a makeshift childhood classroom, leading lessons for her teddies! Since then, her career has been shaped by a commitment to addressing educational inequality. She has worked across early years settings, supported disadvantaged families through her work with a charity and developed early years curriculum as a freelance writer. Her work is grounded in the belief that the early years lay the foundation for lifelong learning — and that lasting change in education starts with equity, compassion and a deep commitment to nurturing every child’s potential.

Aimee Christodoulou-Dunn

Marketing and Sales Lead

Aimee has worked in marketing and communications across the arts and charity sectors for several years, most recently for a music education charity before joining the Learning with Parents team. She is passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusion, and strives to champion these values in all of her work.

Libby Taylor

Fundraising Manager

Libby has spent the last five years in fundraising across universities and the not-for-profit sector in Australia. She’s passionate about education as a force for real social change and absolutely loves connecting with people and building partnerships that genuinely matter. Libby is driven by a commitment to tackling educational inequality and ensuring every child gets the chance to thrive.

Jo Seymour

School Partnership Manager

Jo spent 24 years as a dedicated primary school teacher, mainly in Key Stage 1, and held leadership roles in both KS1 and EYFS. Throughout her career, she was passionate about developing children’s love for reading and writing, serving as English Subject Leader for many years. She led a range of inclusive initiatives to promote reading for pleasure, both in school and at home, with a strong focus on engaging all families. Jo is now excited to be part of the Learning with Parents team, where she supports schools in strengthening parental engagement and helping to close the achievement gap for disadvantaged children.

Y'aaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Cap'n Chris Jarman

Technology and Systems Lead

Chris began his career as a software engineer, before transitioning to a leadership role during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he discovered how much he enjoys navigating chaos and uncertainty. He is passionate about mentorship and strives to help people develop and hone new skills.