With evidence-based approaches to the teaching of reading ever more prevalent in schools, and with reading for pleasure and high-quality phonics instruction a focus for Ofsted, DfE English Hubs and therefore schools, we would expect reading standards to be on the rise. In many ways, they are. If we consider the key stage 2 reading SATs outcomes of 2024, the percentage of children achieving the expected standard rose to 74%, up from 73% in 2023. We know that considering this measure alone as a barometer for success is flawed. Reading is a complex undertaking, and therefore requires a complex approach to its assessment, but nonetheless, around a quarter of 10 and 11 year olds have left primary school each year in recent years unable to demonstrate the stamina, fluency and written reading comprehension skills required of them.
We have supported hundreds and hundreds of teachers through our successful Reading Fluency Project over the years with closing this very specific gap for their pupils - lack of comprehension of age-appropriate texts. In our most recent rounds of the project, I have been struck by just how many times I have had the same discussion with teachers. It goes something along the lines of: “My bottom 20% seems to be getting bigger and bigger each year and they seem to be further and further behind!” (Any non-educationalist mathematician will swiftly identify the lack of logic in that statement, but this term bottom 20% has become somewhat synonymous with ‘struggling readers’). If we are getting better at understanding the science of how children learn to read, teaching the code with more efficacy, on a bed of authentic reading for pleasure culture, then why does this long tail stubbornly remain in year 6?
I have a theory about this. One of the difficulties is that in some schools, children’s only form of reading instruction, perhaps since year 2 or year 3, has been whole class guided reading. In some cases, in real terms, this could mean that for the last four or five years in every reading lesson, for the most vulnerable learners, the text presented has been too hard. The very children who need the most practice, as they are at risk of falling behind, are denied the ability to even participate meaningfully in the lesson.
Let’s imagine Mia. Mia is in year 3 and when she was in year 1, she attained the expected standard in the phonics screening check. She achieved a score of 34. She could read the phonemes presented on a flashcard and blend them into words. She could read her decodable reading books but she read them slowly, often pausing to blend and did not progress through the bands as swiftly as her peers. She sounds dysfluent to listen to when attempting to read from an age-appropriate book but can read her well-matched reading book. Now Mia is in year 3, she participates in whole-class reading lessons as she doesn’t meet the threshold for requiring phonics intervention. However, when the teacher asks the whole class to read from the class novel or extract, Mia pretends. When she does attempt to read it, she crunches through the words slowly and has no headspace left for understanding. She thinks reading is hard and that she’s not good at it. She no longer reads regularly at home, because she perceives that reading isn’t for her - she prefers other pursuits. In lessons, Mia can sometimes answer the questions that the teacher poses, especially following discussion or help from her peers. Her vocabulary is pretty good as she enjoys listening to stories and engaging in chat and role-play with her peers.
Fast-forward 3 years and Mia is now in year 6. She still doesn’t enjoy reading at home. She has developed a suite of masking strategies which she artfully employs in reading lessons. She can lift surface-level retrieval responses without understanding. She can hide under the radar, appearing to be reading whilst her mind is somewhere else entirely. She doesn't put her hand up. She still loves listening to stories and in class story time, will participate enthusiastically. Mia will form part of that 26% of children who do not meet the expected standard in the SATs. It’s obvious when we consider her story. She met the expected standard in the screening check in year 1 but found reading hard - she lacked the automaticity required to develop proficiency. She knew the code but without very regular practice, she was not able to apply that code without conscious effort. The books were getting harder and harder each year, and Mia’s fluency was not able to keep up. What she needed was practice and lots of it. Instead, she was denied the opportunity to read at all during the school day; the texts on offer were all inaccessible to her. She was stuck in a vicious cycle. Reading was hard - therefore she didn’t practise - therefore reading remained hard. It seemed to her that those around her who loved the whole class reading lessons were able to read the chosen text and got better and better at reading. She didn’t see a problem with the form of instruction, she thought the problem was her - ‘reading isn’t for me.’
In my view, the problem isn’t with the whole class guided reading lesson, the problem is that in this case, it’s the only reading lesson. In Mia’s case, this lack of access to appropriate reading material to build her fluency and comprehension is exacerbated by the fact that she doesn’t read at home. As teachers, we can’t control this, so we need to ensure that we have systems in place which allow for enough reading to happen within the school day, so that those who aren’t reading at home aren’t further disadvantaged.
What might the solution be to this long tail which we are seeing at the top end of our primary schools?
Fluency pre-read
Where the class reading lessons utilise a shared text which is pitched at age-relatedness, then those children who lack the automaticity to read it independently with comprehension can have a pre-read of the text prior to the lesson. There need be no pre-teaching of vocabulary, or preparation of questions and response, simply reading and re-reading the text over and over a few times will allow for a level-playing field once the lesson begins. Those children like Mia will be at an advantage, rather than a disadvantage.
Independent reading
In addition to the whole class reading lessons, time can be sought within the school day for children to simply read their book. Success with this yields huge reward but is hard-won. All children need to have access to rich and high-quality texts which are correctly matched to their reading ability. There needs to be opportunity for authentic book chat and recommendations from the adults as well as the peers. A wealth of ideas can be sought on the OU’s Reading for Pleasure site. Once this will to read is well-developed, children choose to read at home of their own volition, thereby creating a virtuous circle. The more they do it, the better they get at it.
Assisted reading
Tweaks within the taught reading lesson to enhance access are easy to implement. One of the most effective can be assisted reading. Instead of asking children to take turns to read aloud, or asking them to read the extract in their heads, reading the text aloud to the children with expert prosody, asking them to follow along with their eyes will develop their understanding and ability to read with prosody themselves. Children can then independently re-read the text, before discussion commences.
Asking the right questions
Most successful reading lessons will take the form of reading, thinking, discussion, questioning and response. Often, the key to enjoyment and understanding will be in asking the right sorts of questions. Inference is the outcome of good reading; we want to be able to visualise, empathise, connect and understand when we read, in order to derive joy from it. Provocations which lead to thinking and inferential understanding are the most important kind.
The long tail of struggling readers at the upper end of primary school reflects the need for a more nuanced and tailored approach to reading instruction. Whole-class guided reading, while valuable, is not sufficient on its own for children who have not yet developed fluency or comprehension at the required level. To break the cycle, schools can provide opportunities for fluency-building practices, independent reading, and targeted support to ensure all children, including those who struggle, have access to appropriate texts and the practice they need to thrive. By embedding strategies such as pre-reading, assisted reading, and fostering authentic reading enjoyment, we can create an environment where every child, like Mia, has the chance to not only keep up with their peers but to develop a love for reading that lasts a lifetime.
To join our renowned Reading Fluency Project and learn our evidence-based suite of strategies and resources which swiftly close attainment gaps in reading, then get in touch via reading.fluency@hfleducation.org.
Kathy Roe
