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CAL:ON Cymru is a Welsh Government funded, bilingual literacy initiative led by Professor Manon Jones from the School of Psychology in 58�Թ� in collaboration with Dr Cameron Downing and his team at York University, and OxEd and Assessments.

Two newly published research papers have provided strong new evidence for the impact of the Research‑Informed Literacy with Language (RILL) programme, an evidence‑based literacy intervention developed and evaluated by CAL:ON Cymru researchers. Together, the studies show that RILL improves reading outcomes for children with reading difficulties in both  Welsh‑ and English‑medium settings, with important implications for literacy support across Wales.

Professor Manon Jones, Centre Lead for CAL:ON Cymru, said, “The success of these trial lays the basis for CAL:ON as a centre of excellence for literacy. They show that comprehensive, structured language interventions help children who are struggling with reading, not only in reading words but in comprehension and across languages. This is what CAL:ON Cymru will be delivering and developing over the next two years.”

RILL is a structured, small‑group intervention designed for children who struggle with reading. Delivered over 15 weeks, the programme targets core components of literacy including phonics, word reading, vocabulary and reading comprehension. It is designed to be delivered by trained teaching assistants, making it a scalable and cost‑effective option for schools.

The , published in , evaluated RILL in English‑medium schools with children aged 7–9 who had reading difficulties. Children who received the intervention made significant improvements in decoding, spelling, taught vocabulary and reading comprehension. Crucially, these gains were sustained several months after the intervention ended. Analysis showed that improvements in reading comprehension were linked to earlier gains in word‑level reading and vocabulary, highlighting the critical role of decoding in supporting reading success beyond the early years.

The , published in , focused on bilingual literacy and represents the first randomised controlled trial of a Welsh‑language literacy intervention. The study demonstrated that delivering RILL in Welsh led to immediate and lasting improvements in Welsh word reading and expressive vocabulary for bilingual children with reading difficulties. It also provided new evidence of short‑term cross‑language transfer, with gains in Welsh reading leading to improvements in English word reading. The findings suggest that while literacy skills can transfer between languages, the timing and sequencing of intervention matter, with earlier support producing the most sustained benefits.

Together, the studies provide a robust evidence base for RILL and underline the importance of early, structured and language‑rich literacy interventions for children who need additional support. Building on this evidence, CAL:ON Cymru has confirmed that the RILL programme will be rolled out nationally across Wales in 2027, offering schools access to a tested, research‑informed approach to improving literacy outcomes for children in both Welsh‑ and English‑medium education.