The Kickstart project is organised by teachers who have specialised reading knowledge and practical experience of implementing reading strategies.

What is Kickstart?

Kickstart is a reading intervention programme which uses a broad range of ideas, resources and activities. It involves teachers, classroom assistants, parents and children working together in a "whole school" approach which is realistic and cost effective in tackling under-achievement in reading. 

The Kickstart programme has been developed by Sue McCaldon and Arthur Burns. A project was initially set-up involving Manchester City Council, the Head Teachers and Governors of Ravensbury County Primary and Crowcroft Park Primary schools. This project was very successful and led to a larger project being funded by the GEST initiative "Raising Standards in Inner Cities".

The starting point in the Kickstart programme is to carry out a series of diagnostic assessments to establish the reading cues being used by a reader. This assessment includes information from a miscue analysis, knowledge about letter name, letter sound and sight vocabulary. When an assessment has been completed then an appropriate reading programme can be implemented which is tailored to the readers needs, the programme will use the Kickstart resource package.

Impressive Results

Results have been very impressive. Data collected from six schools using the Kickstart methods and two control schools not using the methods has shown that all children involved in a Kickstart programme have progressed significantly more than identified following a school programme. Teachers have also reported additional benefits of improved behaviour, increased attendance, improved self esteem and increased enthusiasm for reading books.

The project has served as a catalyst in two of the schools for a revision of their reading policy and the implementation of a whole school approach but it is the individual stories which best illustrate the project success.

What it's really all about - the child

Jesse entered a Year 1 class having just arrived from Jamaica. A diagnostic assessment revealed that he knew 5 out of 52 letters of the alphabet (this includes both uppercase and lowercase letters), he did not have a 1:1 word match and effectively had no sight vocabulary.

A year later, Jesse was reading a National Curriculum level 2. As well as including him in a Kickstart programme, the school also involved Jesse's Mum and it is together they brought about this dramatic progress.

Reading Resources

Sue McCaldon and Arthur Burns have refined their initial ideas and activities for reading into a package consisting of resources and training. Custom Built Software has worked very closely with the Kickstart project to develop computer software which is easy to use and highly functional. The result is the Book Database.

Further Information

For further information about the Kickstart project, Kickstart training and materials contact:-

Sue McCaldon

Training Matters

Telephone 01663 766694