Rast Education in Iraq has chosen LiteracyPlanet to support English literacy teaching at its British International Schools in Zakho and Duhok.

The Zakho British International School and Duhok British International School partner with the British Council to deliver both the Cambridge and the Oxford international curricula, and will now utilise LiteracyPlanet to continue their mission to pave the way for their pupils to progress to university level education.

Shaun M. Pender, COO for Rast Education, said: “It is my pleasure to announce the excitement of Rast Education’s Zakho British International School and Duhok British International School in teaming up with LiteracyPlanet.

“This is a monumental moment for the future of education in Kurdistan and Iraq. The agreement has been made after receiving endless support and advice from the LiteracyPlanet team. Students will now be able to prosper not only in the classroom but in their home. Let the literacy games begin.”

LiteracyPlanet provides pupils with thousands of interactive online exercises and activities to cover development of all key literacy skills from Pre-school through to Year 9. Teachers can also easily access valuable reporting data on each pupil to see where they might be falling behind in the literacy curriculum.

It is expected that the engaging nature of the LiteracyPlanet programme will enhance learning at the schools and provide a boost to English literacy skills for different age groups and student ability levels.

Mr Pender said the impressive track record of LiteracyPlanet, which has helped children from all over the world to improve their literacy skills, reflected its potential as a development tool for teachers at both schools and was an influential factor in the decision.

Recent research has proven LiteracyPlanet’s strength as a learning resource, including standardised literacy tests that found schools using LiteracyPlanet achieve between 5 to 11 percent higher than schools which do not utilise the software.

LiteracyPlanet’s accessibility at home will also provide further flexibility to the learning structure at the two Rast Education schools, allowing pupils to continue to develop their English skills outside of the classroom.

According to David Weston, LiteracyPlanet’s UK Commercial Director, Rast Education’s decision to appoint LiteracyPlanet is exciting and reflects the growing popularity of the programme around the world.

“LiteracyPlanet helps pupils in more than 40 countries develop solid English literacy skills. We look forward to working with Rast Education and delivering the benefits of the LiteracyPlanet programme for the pupils at its leading British International schools.”