Spotlight on MS Reading Progress: Success Stories from St Mary’s Bathgate

We are delighted to share some recent success stories from St Mary’s Primary School, Bathgate, following their implementation of the Microsoft Reading Progress Learning Accelerator tool.

Reading Progress became a key focus for literacy and reading interventions following staff CLPL sessions in 2024 and reflection on attainment data. Focus was on supporting targeted pupils and breaking down barriers to learning around comprehension, as well as developing confidence, fluency and expression in their reading. Pupil Support Workers were also targeted in the training and staff sessions, in order to support pupils and build sustainability across the school. Pupils really enjoyed using Reading Progress and were excited when they began to see their improvements.

“Pupils feel secure using Reading Progress with a device. They can go off and record in a quiet space without an audience. The camera really draws them in and they can get instant feedback.”

Class Teacher

The insights generated provide clear data which can be used to support and plan next steps and SMART targets, as well as being used to verify teacher judgement. Line graphs are generated automatically for individual pupils and the class, based on accuracy and reading speed, as well as additional data provided for challenge words and expression in reading.

Unintended Results and Additional Success

Staff were thrilled to see not just an improvement in confidence, fluency and expression when using Reading Coach, but also within the wider class setting. Pupils began to volunteer to read out loud in front of the class, and participate more in class / group tasks with their peers.

“Pupils even began bringing in books from home to share and read – that didn’t happen before!”

Class Teacher

Microsoft Reading Progress and Reading Coach

Microsoft Reading Progress is a Teams based programme, in which the class teacher assigns a text for pupils to read out-loud and record. The platform analyses the recording and generates feedback based on pronunciation, fluency, expression and has the option to add in comprehension.


Microsoft Reading Coach is another Learning Accelerator which can be used within the Reading Progress assignment, or as a stand-alone feature either through immersive reader or through the new web-based app:
Reading Progress tracks the progress of the learner.
Reading coach offers support and opportunities to practice parts they find challenging.

The web-based app offers the chance for pupils to generate their own stories based on their interests, practice in their own time, and earn rewards for continued reading.

Well done again to St Mary’s, Bathgate. We are looking forward to see your continued progress next session!

Celebrating Success with Seafield Primary

We are delighted to announce that Seafield Primary School have recently achieved their Digital Schools Award, recognising the dedication and innovative work of pupils, staff and the whole school community.

Pupils across the school use a range of digital devices to access digital tools and resources to support, enhance and share their learning, such as MS Learning Accelerators, online games for consolidation of learning, Seesaw for sharing, MS Teams for collaboration, Adobe Express for creativity and so much more.

The links below, showcase some of the fantastic ways Seafield staff and pupils have been using Digital Technology to support and enhance learning and teaching.

Accredited by Education Scotland, The Digital Schools Award Scotland is a national award to promote, recognise and encourage a whole school approach to the use of digital technology.

We know there are schools across West Lothian who are working towards their validation this session, so look out for more announcements soon!

Congratulations once again to Seafield PS! We can’t wait to see how you continue to use these skills.

Savvy Searching in Eastertoun Primary

P7 Pupils at Eastertoun Primary School enjoyed exploring the Microsoft Search Coach tool this morning, to support them in finding accurate and reliable information online. Pupils confidently identified the benefits and importance of finding and using trustworthy websites, and enjoyed critically evaluating sites to assess their reliability.

“Using Search Coach can help you find trustworthy websites instead of ones with viruses or false information.”

P7 Pupil

Pupils then utilised their digital skills to collaborate online, sharing their learning through Teams and enhancing their understanding by using the Accessibility Tools built into Microsoft Edge.

By the end of the session, pupils were feeling proud of their achievements and excited to continue to explore other digital tools available to them.

“In Search Coach, you can filter by domain, country and timescale, to get accurate and up-to-date information.”

P7 Pupil

We went on an Elf Hunt… and over 4500 West Lothian students found them all!

We were delighted to continue our annual tradition of a live reading of a Christmas Story by Greg Welsh, Head of Education (Primary, Early Learning and Resources).

Over 200 teachers joined us on Microsoft Teams, from schools all over West Lothian, to hear We’re Going on an Elf Chase by Martha Mumford, followed by a chance to share some Christmas jokes.

Thank you to everybody who voted for the story and who joined us live.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Connecting Classrooms using Microsoft Teams

The Digital Learning Team recently visited Westfield Primary School to find out how they were using Microsoft Teams to enhance their curricular offerings for pupils across P3-7 in their school as well as those in Torphichen Primary School.

Connecting the two classrooms using Team’s conferencing capabilities offers learners a wider circle of peers to learn with and from, providing opportunities for cross-school peer assessment and collaboration.

Learners told us how they enjoyed sharing their learning with another school and that they found lessons were fun and engaging. Primary 7s also valued the opportunity to build relationships with each other ahead of moving on to secondary school next year.

Teachers have been using a range of digital tools, such as ActivInspire or Microsoft Whiteboard, to plan engaging learning experiences which are accessible and meet the needs of both in-person and remote learners.


In addition to the P3-7 offerings, a small group of P7 learners meet on Teams once a week to work together on Numeracy and Mathematics projects. They use a shared Microsoft Whiteboard to communicate their ideas, collaborate, solve problems and discuss their thinking.

One P7 learner shared that even when they decided to work independently for a while, everybody shared their working on the Whiteboard so that as a group they could collectively check each other’s answers. This ensured they were able to confidently move on to the next part together as a group.

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