Using AI to help young people read with confidence

I’ve been a secondary school teacher for over 30 years, which means I’ve got stories and tales galore. What keeps me in the job is the creativity and autonomy I’ve built through my areas of responsibility – and now I have AI tools to play with. In this article I want to share something close to my heart: how technology is helping more young people access texts, read with confidence, and begin to enjoy reading in new ways. All of these examples are from the 11-18 age bracket, with a greater focus on model exam answers and specialist terms as pupils get older.

When a cartoon unlocks a textbook page

One of my favourite examples came from a History colleague who used Gemini to turn a PDF scan of a textbook page into a cartoon – and it worked brilliantly. A visually complex or word-heavy page that might otherwise intimidate a reluctant reader becomes an engaging entry point. I often lead with this approach when introducing challenging source material: the visual version first, then a gradual move towards the full text. That journey – from accessible image to dense source – is reading comprehension in action.

Layered texts that build reading stamina

This is where AI genuinely gave me more time and gave children more confidence. Using ChatGPT to summarise articles gave me two levels of reading in seconds. Reluctant readers who might have shut down in front of a dense page could now access the same content through a shorter, simpler version, building the stamina and confidence to tackle the original over time. More confident readers moved straight to the source. My golden rule was to gatekeep everything – proofreading and only using AI-generated items I was happy with. From there I could generate model answers directed to be ‘accessible to pupils with low literacy skills’ or ‘for pupils with ADHD, so build in recaps’ – always with reading access at the centre.

Translation as a route into reading

EAL pupils benefit hugely from simplified language, when pupils are beginning to learn English, direct translations can genuinely transform their access to texts – not just their understanding of instructions and I think this is an important distinction. AI translation tools aren’t just about helping pupils follow directions; they’re about opening up reading itself, allowing pupils to engage independently with materials they’d otherwise be locked out of entirely.

Structured reading journeys and growing independence

For confident readers, I’ve favoured building in key terms and well-structured model answers to help pupils read more strategically. When making worksheets, I now create a double-sided resource in minutes: 15 key words as a starter, a 200-word reading comprehension text with 10 questions of varying challenge, then an interview with imaginary protagonists and 10–15 questions for pupils to choose from. The aim is to create structured reading journeys that not only build skills, but also help young people feel more confident and motivated to explore texts independently. Using AI tools as part of the process also gives them a window into how these technologies work, feeding naturally into wider tech literacy.

Setting up a Gem (in Gemini), an Agent (in CoPilot), or a GPT (in ChatGPT) as a specialist engine means I can return to these tasks without starting from scratch each time. This keeps the quality high while freeing up the time and energy I’d rather spend on my pupils.

By carefully selecting and refining what I use, I can maintain high expectations while creating more opportunities for pupils to succeed as readers. Ultimately, the goal is simple, to help more young people see themselves as confident, capable readers.