In October 2026, advisers from the Hampshire Improvement and Advisory Service (HIAS) visited St Helena to strengthen literacy standards, assessment systems, and teaching leadership across primary and secondary schools. Their findings and recommendations are detailed in the report below.
Key Strengths and Progress
KS1 School
The most significant area of improvement is phonics. Teaching is now delivered with considerably greater commitment and confidence through the Read Write Inc. programme, supported by targeted one-to-one tutoring and improved assessment practices. Phonics Screening Check results have improved substantially, rising from 20% prior to the previous advisory visit to 68% in 2026, with current Year 1 progress indicating further improvement is likely.
Staff have also shown strong engagement with professional development in reading and writing. New assessment approaches have been introduced to strengthen understanding of reading progression, alongside practical strategies to support pupils across profiles identified within the Simple View of Reading.
KS2 School
School leaders have demonstrated a clear commitment to supporting struggling readers through the introduction of the Read Write Inc. Fresh Start intervention programme. Assessment and implementation planning arecomplete, and training has been delivered to staff to ensure a successful rollout.
Leadership has also shown strong dedication to enhancing overall reading provision, refreshing book stock and reviewing the wider English curriculum. Staff engaged positively with professional development focused on the effective deployment of teaching assistants and strategies to foster pupil independence.
Secondary School
The secondary school has recognised reading as a priority area and has begun preparations to implement Fresh Start for identified KS3 students. Initial staff training has established a foundation for intervention delivery and improved understanding of phonics-based reading support.
Priority Areas for Development
The next phase of improvement should focus on:
- Embedding effective support for pupils with additional educational needs through strengthened attention, communication and phonological awareness provision.
- Expanding access to high-quality decodable reading books and enriching library and reading environments.
- Developing a consistent whole-school reading culture, including reading for pleasure initiatives, reading spines (carefully curated, core lists of high-quality books, picture books, poetry, and non-fiction texts that every child is guaranteed to experience during their time at school) and stronger home-school engagement.
- Strengthening the connection between phonics, reading and writing to ensure pupils apply taught skills successfully in independent work.
- Implementing Fresh Start across KS2 and KS3, supported by robust monitoring and quality assurance.
- Continuing to build leadership capacity in English to secure sustainable improvement across all phases.
The visit confirmed that substantial progress has been made since previous advisory support, particularly in initial phonics provision and leadership. There is growing consistency in teaching practice, improved use of assessment, and a clear commitment from leaders to raising standards in reading and writing. The successful implementation of Fresh Start, the development of stronger reading cultures and continued investment in literacy leadership now represent the key opportunities to secure the next stage of improvement and achieve sustained gains in pupil outcomes across the St Helena Education Portfolio.