School Spotlight – Herrick Primary School

Our Star School for March is…

Herrick Primary School, Leicester!

Beth Phipps, Reading Lead at Herrick Primary, shares how Lexia has transformed literacy learning, particularly for English Language Learners. By embedding Lexia into daily routines and fostering pupil independence, Herrick Primary has seen excellent progress with engagement, confidence, and reading skills across the school.

Watch and read the full interview below.

How did you first come across the Lexia program and what led to the school’s final decision to purchase?

I had a friend who worked at a primary school nearby, so a similar demographic to our children and sort of facing similar struggles with regards to basic comprehension, letter formation, sounds and their corresponding letters. I asked her, what are you doing about this? How are you managing and able to target, 60+ children when they have a very similar staffing structure to us?

She raved about Lexia and I hadn’t personally heard of it, so she said, have a look and see what you think and then sign up and they can talk you through the programme. So that’s what I did.

It was around 2018-2019 and I met with a LexiaUK Literacy Software Consultant online. They talked through everything, and I took all the information back to my head teacher and he agreed that this is a way that we can support children across the school. We decided to use Lexia to support our children that struggled the most with learning English. However, I was really impressed to see that there are lots of schools that also use it for their greater depth children too. Lexia is something that’s great because it’s not purely designed for children who struggle. I know schools that use it just to push all children on even further.

So, to answer your question, it was a recommendation from a friend, and it was the best advice she’s ever given to me!

What do you feel makes Lexia stand apart from other reading skills software products on the market?

I had looked at others at the time; how they would work and what their pros were and what their drawbacks were. What we find works best with Lexia to support our children is the home screen allows them to monitor their own progress. The wheel allows them to see how many minutes they need to complete and how many units they’ve worked on. They refer often to the apple in the corner and they’ll give us that feedback themselves. They know when the apple glows red, that they are finding the activity a little tricky.

We wanted something that of course we as staff needed to pioneer and champion, but also something that the children themselves were confident with using. It was no good logging something in handing it over to them and just saying, oh, you need to work on this. They can physically track their progress and the level they’re on. They get so excited to say they’ve moved on to something new.

Lexia was something that we knew was going to really engage them with the graphics and the idea of moving through the world. So, it was something that stood apart from other models that were on the market at the time.

We found that, with other programmes, the onus was purely on the educators to see where the children were, whereas we wanted something that our children could take ownership of as well, and that’s what we found in Lexia.

How is Lexia used in your school? Please provide details of your daily routine and how you ensure that you reach recommended usage as well as which pupils use the program in school.

The children are really independent. The iPads are out on the side, they know their login information themselves. We have created little cards that stay in school and go home. So, if they were to forget their log in, they know where the Lexia card is located.

We use it as a morning task across the school for our children, and they’re incredibly independent that when they come in in the morning, they put their things away, they grab their iPad, they get their headphones on and they want to get started straight away. A lot of the time, I’ll look at their wheel first thing in the morning, and they’ve already filled them in. And I say, how have you done that? And they said, “Oh, I like to eat my breakfast and have a look on Lexia to see what I need to do for the day.” I think it’s really lovely. Some of the routines are really embedded before they even get to school, which is wonderful.

We have comfy reading corners in all of our classrooms, which initially were purely for children to read in, but we found that the children using Lexia really love to go into these areas as well. They take their shoes off, they get cosy and comfortable and they really make use of that time.

If certain children have not been able to meet their usage, maybe they’ve been absent or they’ve had a long term absence for whatever reason, we utilise assembly time, so those children will miss an assembly and work on Lexia during that time.

Sometimes they ask at lunchtime, “Can I come in and do my Lexia minutes?” And we said that’s absolutely fine. They know it’s very much an open doors policy with regards to coming in and completing their minutes. Some children prefer to do their minutes purely at home which is absolutely fine. That allows best for them in their routines and after-school commitments they have. Again, it really promotes the independence of them coming in and getting started straight away.

Describe the impact that Lexia has had on your pupils. Have you noticed a positive change in their motivation to succeed in literacy? 

Something that always stands out to us is the impact that it has had on our English Language Learners. Some children join our school without a word of English, they arrive one day and they can tell you their name but the conversation stops there. They’re still part of our teaching and our lessons, and they’re fully immersed into school life and learning English. I would say for those children, it’s so lovely that they are learning those skills such as capital letters, full stops, which letters correspond with which sound. Then when it comes to their lessons, they’re applying those skills.

I have heard so many success stories where teachers have asked a child, ‘how have you learned how to do that?’ And they’ll say, ‘I was working on that on Lexia’. That’s so lovely for us to hear because all schools would love to have a specialised unit for children who first need to learn English. But realistically, they are part of the main class environment, and they have to learn at the same pace as everyone else. It’s been really great for us to see how Lexia has supported those children.

We have also had feedback from a lot of our Year 6 teachers as they’ll be teaching grammatical concepts to our children. They’ll be teaching them things that they have not yet worked on in class, but they’ll have a good understanding of it from their Lexia work as well. That can be for prepositions, verbs, adverbs or it can be just how to tackle comprehension questions. They even recognise certain activities such as when they’re underlining words and then writing a definition next to it in class and they will recognise the task as something they have completed in Lexia. It’s been really great for our teachers to see that the children are applying what they’re learning on the online programme, physically into their writing such as answering questions or writing letters. I’d say there’s been so many transferable skills gained from Lexia which has been really positive to see as well.

Can you give an example of a Lexia success that sticks out to you?

It always strikes me when children start off with quite low motivation with regards to education in general. To them, we are just one more person on their case, telling them something to do. Whereas when you watch them use Lexia, they’re playing games, having fun on the iPad and getting to have some downtime. They’re fully immersed in what they’re doing and you’ll see them have a little chuckle, you’ll look over and it’ll be an animation moving over the screen.

I think that has been really wonderful for us to see something like Lexia, which can really help with those hard-to-reach children. They might not want another person telling them we’re going to learn how to use full stops and capital letters, but instead, they’re seeing it as synonymous with games and playing. That’s been really, really nice to see.

I would also say confidence for children who have arrived with very little English. They may start off not knowing the routines, maybe not even having used a tablet before. Five months later, they come in, get their iPad, talk to their friends about what it is they’re learning, help another child to log in. So, it’s provided almost a sense of community for those children. Their peers are working on it as well, and they work in a little area together. It has supported them in embedding a daily routine whilst also learning those basic first literacy skills.

How have you used rewards to motivate and celebrate success on the Lexia program?

We have the Lexia certificates that we use. There are lots of different ways in which the certificates can be presented, but for us, the winner is always the bright, colourful one! The children love it because it’s got their first and last name so it’s official and it really shows it’s theirs. The fact that it references at the bottom to what it is they’ve achieved is great too. So many times, children will receive a certificate and if you were to ask them what it was for a week later, they might not be able to tell you. Whereas Lexia certificates specifically break down what they’ve been able to do. They then take that home and show it to their parents and rather than just ‘I got a certificate’, they can specifically explain why. So, certificates have been great for motivating our children, and teachers have used them in different ways. They’re always printed for the children, but sometimes they’re given out in assemblies as well. We also have them displayed on the large screen the children can clap for their peers and congratulate their Lexia success!

We use Dojo rewards at our school, so they’re also awarded for children that either complete a time goal or complete a unit. We found that for children that were struggling, they might be completing their minutes for the week, but there might be units that they’re still stuck on. So, we’ve looked at the data and used this to award a Dojo reward or incentive for when they finally get past that unit. That’s worked really well to support them progressing.

Often, the children celebrate their success with others. So, even if it’s not completing an entire level, you’ll see them talk to each other and they’ll swipe along the iPad and see how many more units they have to complete. It’s been really lovely again to see them monitoring their own progress and sharing their successes with each other, which I don’t feel you’re able to do with other programmes. They can monitor it themselves so that’s really helped, along with rewards, in keeping the children motivated.

How useful have you found the myLexia reports in terms of demonstrating progression and informing planning?

Lexia has been incredibly useful for our school. Whenever a child moves on to a new school, I download their progress reports and share them with their next school. This ensures that their new teachers know what they’ve already completed with us. The way the data is presented also allows us to see what skills the child had when they first took their assessment, which has been really valuable.

If a teacher is unsure about a child’s progress, myLexia is a fantastic tool. It clearly shows whether the child has mastered basic skills and allows teachers to dig deeper into the specific skills they’re currently working on, along with their predictor traffic light status. We can instantly see their speed and accuracy in completing a particular skill.

I also really like how the predictions update throughout the year, showing how likely students are to meet their goals. The progress tracking feature is excellent—it immediately highlights the percentage of children meeting their goals. I believe it’s essential to check the school overview each week, even if just one person does it and shares a summary with staff. It helps us identify where the children are and if there are any gaps for certain groups of children. It also helps us to identify if any children deserve a special shout-out for their dedication in completing their units.

I find the online platform incredibly easy to use, especially how the PDF reports and resources can be downloaded.

What main piece of advice would you give to a school that was just getting started with Lexia?

For schools just getting started with Lexia, my advice would be to involve as many staff members as possible. When it comes to initial training, or even just setting aside time in a staff meeting, use a demo account to explore the programme. Experience it from a child’s perspective—see how they access it, how they move through levels, and what happens if they get stuck. That way, when you observe pupils using Lexia, you’ll understand what they’re working on and be better able to support them.

Involving as many staff members as possible isn’t just about class teachers—it’s about teaching assistants too. Our TAs have played a huge role in embedding Lexia in our school, and much of our success is thanks to them. They know exactly which children should be using Lexia, they help get them set up, and they establish those routines quickly. The faster those routines are set at the start of the year, the sooner they become second nature for the children.

It can be difficult for staff to lead something if they don’t feel confident in it themselves. That’s why it’s so important to fully involve anyone who’s expected to use Lexia, helping them understand what it is and what it can achieve.

When it comes to parents, we ran a workshop when we first introduced Lexia, and we also have information available on our school website, which can be translated. So when children take home that initial letter about Lexia, parents have something physical to refer to. We also make sure every child gets their login card so they can access Lexia at home and show their parents what they’re doing.

Another great way to engage parents is by setting up a dedicated Lexia area at school events—whether it’s a parents’ evening or any open school event. Even just having a table with demo students logged in can make a big difference. Children who use Lexia naturally gravitate toward it when they see the logo, and they love showing their parents what they’re working on.

Celebrating success is also key. If a child is really motivated and consistently meeting their Lexia minutes, let parents know! When parents see that their child’s engagement with Lexia is making a real difference at school, they’re more likely to encourage them at home.

Ultimately, the key is to involve as many people as possible—staff, teaching assistants, and parents—so that everyone understands what Lexia is and how it supports children’s learning.

What feedback have you had from your Lexia pupils?

We’ve had really positive feedback from the children. They love the ‘around the world’ theme—you’ll often hear them saying, “I’ve just been in China,” or “I’m moving on to India next.” For people unfamiliar with Lexia, they can wonder what it is they are talking about at first, but it creates such a buzz around the programme.

The visuals are really eye-catching and vibrant, which makes a big difference. The children relate to them, and they spark conversations—especially any references to animals, which they are always interested in.

They also really enjoy the mix of fiction and non-fiction texts. A lot of school materials are often photocopied in black and white, whereas Lexia’s content is bright, colourful, and interactive, which the children love. It’s easy for them to use, and they quickly learn how to track their progress. They like having something to listen to, and they know they can repeat instructions if they need extra help.

What’s great is that this enthusiasm comes from children at all levels—whether they’re right at the beginning of their Lexia Journey, learning basic print concepts, all the way to children in Year 6 working through comprehension tasks. For those at the higher end, Lexia helps them tackle new vocabulary and understand word meanings in a way that really supports their learning.

Overall, it’s been fantastic to see such positive engagement from children at all ends of the spectrum.

Is there anything else you would like to add regarding why you think Lexia has been a success in your school?

One of the really special things about Lexia is seeing the journey children go on. Some start at that very initial placement, settling into the nursery level skills, and then three or four years later, they’re not far off their peers in sentence completion or passage comprehension. Watching them go on that journey with Lexia supporting them every step of the way, is really quite special.

When they move from Year 2 to Year 3, they already know Lexia is something they’ll continue with. They’re already familiar with the routines, which makes the transition seamless.

A lot of this success is testament to initial time and effort spent setting everything up. At first, it can feel like a barrier to be constantly chasing the same children or sorting out the infrastructure—but once those routines are in place, the daily running almost takes care of itself.

Getting as many staff members involved as possible—logging in, checking where children are up to—makes a big difference. The more people engaged, the better the experience for the children.

Most importantly, persevere with it. It’s so worth it. Once everything’s set up and running, you really start to see the success shining through!