Evaluation of Bug Club: a randomised control trial of a whole school primary aged reading programme

Literacy levels for children leaving primary school, internationally, remain a cause for concern. There is a limited evidence base for whole school reading programmes and resources in the first two years of primary school compared to studies of interventions for children with reading difficulties. This study used a longitudinal randomised control trial (RCT) design to evaluate the efficacy of Bug Club; a whole school reading programme. Data from1273 pupils in Years 1 and 2 from 30 schools in the United Kingdom were analysed. A new cohort of 1425 Year 1 pupils was recruited in the second year. Over two terms, the experimental group made 1.75 more standardized points progress in reading compared to the control group, a small but significant effect. A replication study in the second year did not elicit the same significant gains. Over five terms, experimental pupils were 11 months ahead on age equivalent reading scores, relative to their chronological age. This study is the first of its type to evaluate the efficacy of a whole school reading programme in the United Kingdom. The findings contribute to an emerging understanding of what pupil progress might be expected as a result of a whole school reading programme.