Rhythm for Reading is a programme which aims to improve children’s reading ability by taking part in rhythm-based exercises such as stamping, clapping and chanting, while reading musical notation. The intervention builds on the evidence of a link between the natural rhythm and phrasing of prose and intuitive reading comprehension.
Rhythm for Reading was originally developed as an intervention for primary school pupils. In this evaluation, the intervention was delivered to Year 7 pupils who had not reached a secure Level 4 in English at the end of Key Stage 2. They received weekly ten-minute sessions over a period of ten weeks between April and July 2013. Pupils were randomised to receive the intervention in Year 7 or to a waitlist control group. The intervention was delivered in schools by the developer.
The evaluation was funded by the Education Endowment Foundation as one of 23 projects focused on literacy catch-up at the primary-secondary transition. It was one of four programmes funded with a particular focus on reading comprehension.