Lexonik Supports Literacy Efforts in Northern Ireland

May 2nd 2025

With Northern Ireland facing urgent literacy challenges, a Teesside education company is stepping in with transformational results.

Based in Middlesbrough, Lexonik delivers award-winning literacy intervention programmes which consistently produce remarkable results.

Students who complete the company’s flagship programme see their reading age improve by an average of 27 months - after just six one-hour sessions.

The evidence-based training equips teachers with clear, effective strategies that focus on phonology, reading fluency, and etymology.

Lexonik’s work is especially timely in Northern Ireland, where literacy challenges are growing. According to the National Literacy Trust, 17.4% of adults have very poor literacy skills, and only 34.6% of children read for pleasure - the lowest rate in nearly 20 years.

In response, Education Minister Paul Givan launched the Strategy for Education Excellence in March 2025 - a 10-point plan aimed at strengthening classroom resources, improving literacy, and raising standards.

Supporting this initiative, Lexonik will host a key event this week (May 9th), at St Catherine’s College in Armagh, where the programme has already shown strong success.
English Teacher Helen Donnelly from St Catherine’s College said:

"As an all-ability school, we often have a small group of students who enter secondary education without the literacy skills needed to access the curriculum.
I knew we needed explicit phonics instruction, but most primary resources weren’t suitable for older learners. That’s when I discovered Lexonik through social media. Their programme offered exactly what I was looking for, along with the training I couldn’t find elsewhere.

We were the first school in Northern Ireland to adopt Lexonik. The results were immediate: students made years of reading progress in just a few months. We’ve since expanded our use of Lexonik, including Lexonik Leap and the Vocabulary programme."

Lexonik was created by former teacher and dyslexia specialist Katy Parkinson, inspired by the learning barriers she saw firsthand in North East classrooms.
What began as a mission to drive real change has grown into an international programme, now supporting schools in the UAE, USA, and beyond to build long-term literacy and learner independence.

In the UK, Lexonik’s work is especially relevant amid ongoing debates around educational access.
A legal challenge to the proposed VAT on private school fees argues the change could displace up to 35,000 SEND students into an already stretched state sector.
Private schools often provide vital support for dyslexic and SEND learners - support that’s harder to access in larger state settings. Lexonik offers a scalable, effective solution, ensuring students get the focused literacy instruction they need, whatever their background.

As Lexonik continues to expand, its vision remains unwavering: to empower learners of all ages through the power of reading. With dedication, innovation, and proven results, Lexonik is helping to redefine what’s possible in literacy education. Sarah Ledger, CEO of Lexonik said:
"Every child deserves the opportunity to read confidently. At Lexonik, we believe that no one should be held back because they can’t read - reading truly is the foundation not just of academic success, but of lifelong opportunity. Our team has seen first-hand the difference that targeted literacy support can make, and that’s been clearly demonstrated by the powerful results at St Catherine’s in Armagh. The success there has only strengthened our commitment to sharing our expertise more widely across Northern Ireland."

"With the curriculum under review, this is a crucial moment to rethink how young people are equipped with the literacy skills they need to thrive. We’re proud to stand alongside teachers and school leaders at our upcoming CPD event, offering practical strategies that deliver immediate impact in the classroom.”
For more information, visit www.lexonik.co.uk