How do Students Survive Secondary School When Reading Remains a Mystery? Listening to students, teachers and TAs to identify the strategies that enable students with reading difficulties to access the secondary school curriculum

Aims It intrigues me to know how poor readers progress through the system of schooling and how they feel during this process. I aim to explore the experiences of students through interviews. Along side this I intend to explore the experiences of the teachers and TAs who work with those students. I want to discover what strategies they and their teachers use to enable them to 'release their potential', as stated in the SEN Code of Practice (2001). Methods This is a piece of qualitative research. To collect my data I have interviewed students, teachers and teaching assistants. This data has then been analysed. My findings have been written in narrative form, quoting from my interviewees and interspersing this with the views of other researchers and my own personal, critical reflection. Results My results identify practical teaching strategies which are of benefit to students who have persistent reading difficulties. My research showed that the commitment of the individual teacher and the whole school to inclusion was crucial to make all students feel comfortable, welcome and successful. My respondents indicate that relationships between teachers, teaching assistants and students have vital impact on student progress. There was a perceived need for continuing professional development for teachers and teaching assistants.Faculty of Educatio