High-quality education begins with “truly understanding every child”
Every child is a unique learner.
Each has their own interests, learning pace, strengths, and areas where additional support can make a difference.
That is why outstanding education is not simply about providing rich learning opportunities—it is about truly understanding where each child is in their learning journey and knowing how to help them take the next step.
At Harrow Shanghai, we believe academic excellence is not about pursuing high scores alone. It is about using meaningful data and professional insight to provide every pupil with personalised, continuous support that enables them to thrive.
From robust reading assessments, to personalised reading pathways, and a rigorous phonics programme, Harrow Shanghai’s Primary School has built a comprehensive academic framework that helps every child develop strong foundations, grow with confidence, and foster a lifelong love of learning.
Seeing Growth Through Data: How NTS Assessments Help Every Child Progress
For the past five years, Harrow Shanghai Primary School has used the National Test Style (NTS) Assessments to gain a precise understanding of each pupil’s progress in Reading. From Year 1 to Year 5, pupils complete these assessments three times a year, providing teachers with regular, reliable insights into each child’s academic development.
This is not about giving children a “score label.” Instead, it helps us answer a far more important question: Where is each child now, and how can we best support their next step?
Through NTS assessments, teachers gain a clear understanding of: What each child has already mastered; Which areas need further consolidation; Where they are ready to be challenged further.
When a child encounters difficulties, the assessment results help teachers identify areas of need early and provide timely, targeted support.
At the same time, by building up longitudinal data over several years, we are able to track each child’s learning journey over time and continuously refine our teaching strategies, ensuring every pupil progresses at the pace that best supports their individual development.
More importantly, NTS assessments benchmark Harrow Shanghai pupils against thousands of students across the UK. This means our academic standards are not measured solely within our own school—they are validated against nationally recognized UK standards.
Five years of continuous data have also given us a deeper understanding of how our pupils learn and develop, enabling us to keep improving our teaching practice year after year. Because outstanding education is not simply about recognising where a child is today—it is about helping them reach where they can be tomorrow.
Making Reading a Skill: How Star Assessment & Accelerated Reader Foster Lifelong Readers
At Harrow Shanghai, we firmly believe that reading is not simply a part of learning English; it is the foundation of all learning.
A child with strong reading skills is better able to understand mathematical problems in greater depth, explore scientific knowledge, analyse historical events, and gradually develop independent thinking and critical thinking skills.
Therefore, from Year 3 to Year 8, Harrow Shanghai has fully implemented the Star Assessment and Accelerated Reader (AR) reading programmes, creating a continuous reading development pathway that supports students throughout their Primary and Upper School journey.
Why this reading program so important？
⭐️Every child has their own personalised reading journey
Through scientific assessment, Star Assessment accurately identifies each student’s current reading level and their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).
This means that children are not simply choosing books at random. Instead, they read books that are carefully matched to their current abilities — books that are challenging enough to help them grow, while still allowing them to build confidence and maintain their love of reading.
The school conducts 3–6 reading assessments each year and shares progress reports with parents, enabling families to clearly understand their child’s reading development journey and track their growth over time.
⭐️Every book read marks a moment of growth
After finishing a book, students complete a short AR Reading Practice Quiz to check their understanding. This not only helps teachers assess whether children have truly comprehended the content, but also allows students to receive immediate feedback on their learning.
For younger readers, the repeated moments of “I understood it!” and “I completed it!” create a sense of achievement — one of the most important drivers in developing a lasting love of reading.
Reading therefore becomes more than just a task; it gradually becomes a habit of actively exploring and understanding the world.
⭐️Data-driven insights to provide the right support at the right time
Star Assessment also enables the school to track students’ reading age and rate of progress in real time. If a student’s reading development begins to slow, teachers can often identify the change and provide targeted support before it impacts learning in other subject areas. Because the most effective support happens before challenges become barriers.
Why do we continue using the same reading programme consistently from Year 3 to 8?
⭐️One consistent approach, six years of reading growth
Many children experience a significant transition when moving from Year 5 to Year 6, as they progress from Primary school into the Upper School.
At Harrow Shanghai, this transition does not interrupt students’ reading development. Their reading data journey continues with them as they move into the Upper School, providing a consistent record of their progress.
New teachers can immediately understand each student’s current reading level, interests, and development needs without having to start from scratch. This ensures a smoother transition and more personalized learning support for every child.
⭐️Creating a whole-school culture of reading
When students from Year 3 to Year 8 use the same reading platform, reading becomes much more than a classroom task.
The school is able to create meaningful opportunities such as Reading Buddy and whole-school reading challenges, allowing students of different ages to connect, share ideas, and build relationships through books. A single book becomes a powerful link that brings the entire Harrow community together.
⭐️Six years of progress tracking, making every step of growth visible
Compared with a single assessment, long-term development matters more. Through six years of continuous reading data collection, teachers gain a deeper understanding of each child’s reading development journey and can continually refine and personalise learning support.
This long-term, consistent, and evidence-based approach helps every student maintain strong reading abilities while building a solid foundation for more advanced academic learning in the future.
At Harrow Shanghai, reading is never simply a learning task limited to the primary years. It is a core skill that develops throughout a child’s entire educational journey. We hope every student can use reading as a tool to understand the world, express ideas, and develop the ability to think independently.
Reading Excellence: Harrow Shanghai Recognized as a Harrow Education Literacy Leader
“We are incredibly proud to announce that Harrow Shanghai has been recognized as a Literacy Leader within the Harrow Education Group. This recognition reflects how Harrow Shanghai’s innovative and effective approaches to literacy development have become an outstanding example of best practice across the wider Harrow family. As part of our commitment to building strong foundations in reading, the school implements the Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics programme, helping students develop essential early reading skills and build the confidence they need to become independent readers. ”——from Head of Lower School, Avril Phillips
Why is phonics so important?
For young learners, learning to read is not simply about memorising words. It is about building the foundations to: connect sounds with letters, understand the structure of language, gradually develop the ability to read independently.
At Harrow Shanghai, the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme groups students according to their individual reading abilities rather than simply their age. This ensures that every child learns at the right pace and receives the support they need to progress.
Through precise teaching and expert guidance from specialist teachers, students develop essential reading skills more effectively — from recognizing letters and sounds at the earliest stage, to becoming confident independent readers who can enjoy storybooks and explore increasingly complex texts.
At the same time, our teachers continue to develop their professional expertise, ensuring that every child receives the guidance and support they need to thrive as readers.
Becoming a Reading Leader represents far more than an honour. It reflects Harrow Shanghai’s long-term commitment to investing in literacy education and creating a strong reading culture across the school.
From our extensive library resources to whole-school reading initiatives, we hope that students do not simply learn how to read, but truly develop a lifelong love of reading. Because the imagination sparked by a book, and the curiosity inspired by exploration, can become powerful forces that shape a child’s future learning journey.
Rigour: Empowering Every Child to Excel
From regularly assessing each child’s learning progress, to carefully matching every student with books suited to their reading level, and to the continuous refinement of reading instruction by our expert teaching team —Harrow Shanghai’s Primary School English literacy programme is built upon a rigorous framework and a long-term commitment to every child’s development.
Because we believe that true excellence is not defined by short-term achievements, but by the reading ability, communication skills, and independent thinking that children gradually develop throughout their learning journey.
Reading is the key that unlocks the world of knowledge; literacy is the foundation upon which children build success across all areas of learning.
At Harrow Shanghai, we hope every student will not only learn to read, but also use reading as a way to understand the world, express themselves, and develop the confidence to continue exploring the future.
Rigour creates excellence. This is the enduring educational commitment of Harrow Shanghai Primary School.