Tested in real school settings
Pupils used Word Roots through structured routines that asked them to identify meaningful word parts, decode unfamiliar vocabulary, test meaning in context and apply their learning in reading and writing.
The pilot also helped refine lesson flow, resources and implementation guidance, supporting more consistent delivery in schools.
What the data shows
Strongest gains for lower starting pupils
Across participating groups, pupils who began from lower starting points made average gains of between 17.3 and 22.7 percentage points.
Knowledge transferred into reading
Word-parts meaning, root recognition, context application and comprehension all ended above baseline. Comprehension also improved across the matched reading cohort, suggesting that learning transferred beyond recognising roots in isolation.
Writing outcomes were positive
Across the matched pilot data, the average writing score rose by 15.1 percentage points.
Every pupil with matched writing data improved or maintained their baseline score.
