Evaluating the effectiveness of the RILL literacy with language intervention for primary-aged children in English and Welsh
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN96336230 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN96336230 |
| Sponsor | Welsh Government |
| Funder | Llywodraeth Cymru |
- Submission date
- 20/01/2026
- Registration date
- 22/01/2026
- Last edited
- 22/01/2026
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Many children find learning to read difficult, particularly if they have weaker language skills. The Research-Informed Literacy with Language (RILL) programme is a structured literacy intervention designed to support children aged 7–9 years who are struggling with reading. Previous studies (efficacy study https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN14821945) have shown that RILL can improve children’s vocabulary and reading skills. This study will evaluate an updated version of the programme, which is delivered over a longer period and uses online lesson materials.
Who can participate?
Children aged between 7 and 9 years old who have the lowest ReadingScreen scores at participating primary schools
What does the study involve?
The study will take place in primary schools across Wales and will be run separately in English and Welsh. All children in participating classrooms will complete a short reading screening assessment in the language of their education. Children with the lowest reading scores will be invited to take part in the study.
Children who take part will be randomly allocated to one of two groups. One group will receive the RILL programme, delivered in small groups by trained teaching assistants during the school day for 20 weeks. The other group will continue with their usual classroom teaching during this time. This group will be offered access to the RILL programme after the study assessments are completed.
Children’s reading skills will be assessed before the programme begins and again at the end of the 20 weeks. The study will examine whether children who receive the RILL programme make greater improvements in reading skills than those who receive usual classroom teaching.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The researchers expect children receiving the RILL intervention to improve their language skills and possibly also improve their reading skills. The findings will help determine whether the RILL programme should be made more widely available in schools across Wales. The researchers do not expect any risks from taking part in this study. All activities are educational, age-appropriate, and carried out within the normal school environment.
Where is the study run from?
Bangor University, Wales
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2026 to July 2026
Who is funding the study?
Llywodraeth Cymru (Welsh Government)
Who is the main contact?
Prof Manon Jones, manon.jones@bangor.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific, Principal investigator, Public
Brigantia Building
Bangor University
Bangor
LL572AS
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-3266-5472 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 07779114832 |
| manon.jones@bangor.ac.uk |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional | |
|---|---|---|
| Allocation | Randomized controlled trial | |
| Masking | Blinded (masking used) | |
| Control | Uncontrolled | |
| Assignment | Parallel | |
| Purpose | Treatment | |
| Scientific title | An evaluation of the efficacy of the RILL literacy with language programme for primary-aged children: two randomised controlled trials in English and Welsh | |
| Study acronym | RILL | |
| Study objectives | The primary objective is to evaluate whether the RILL literacy with language programme leads to improvements in reading ability in children aged 7–9 years compared with business-as-usual classroom teaching. | |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 03/12/2025, School of Psychology & Sport Science AREC (Brigantia Building, Bangor University, Bangor, LL572AS, United Kingdom; -; seniorresearchgovofficer@bangor.ac.uk), ref: 1211 | |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Lower reading performance | |
| Intervention | This is an interventional effectiveness study - children are randomly allocated using stratified random sampling to one of two arms (intervention/business as usual). There is one two-arm RCT in Welsh and one two-arm RCT in English. This effectiveness study is very similar to a previous efficacy study (https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN14821945), but is at a much larger scale to see how the programme fares when rolled out across Wales. The RILL programme is a 20-week literacy and language intervention delivered by trained teaching assistants in small groups. The programme consists of 40 structured lessons targeting vocabulary, oral language, decoding, and reading comprehension skills. Eligible children are identified using ReadingScreen and randomly allocated within classrooms to either the intervention or control group, with allocation minimised by age and baseline reading performance. | |
| Intervention type | Behavioural | |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
| |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) | ||
| Completion date | 24/07/2026 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Lower age limit | 7 Years |
| Upper age limit | 9 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 1440 |
| Total final enrolment | 1440 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Children aged 7–9 years attending participating primary schools 2. Identified as having the lowest reading scores within their classroom on ReadingScreen 3. Assessment conducted in the language of school instruction (English or Welsh) |
| Key exclusion criteria | Children who do not meet the inclusion criteria |
| Date of first enrolment | 26/01/2026 |
| Date of final enrolment | 17/02/2026 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- Wales
Study participating centre
Bangor
LL57 2DG
Wales
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| IPD sharing plan |
Editorial Notes
20/01/2026: Study's existence confirmed by the Bangor University School of Psychology and Sport Science Research Ethics Committee.
