In recent years, schools have invested in high-quality phonics teaching, with many adopting validated Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) programmes. Rightly so - we know that a phonics-first approach remains the most effective way to teach young readers the code of written language - enabling them to accurately decode the words on a page and develop their language comprehension. Children need both ‘good word reading’ and ‘good language comprehension’ to become ‘good readers’, as detailed in the simple view of reading:
Why do Year One pupils need fluency instruction?
It’s a valid question - and one we asked ourselves when we began the trial phase of our Year One Reading Fluency Project. Children in Year One are still developing their knowledge of Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondences (GPCs). Because of this, both their decoding accuracy and reading fluency are still emerging, and since fluency acts as a bridge between word recognition and comprehension, their overall understanding of texts is also still in development.
However…
Through our work with Year One teachers and pupils, we’ve observed a key pattern: while many children grow increasingly confident in recognising GPCs or words in isolation - such as on flashcards or during phonics assessments - they often struggle to apply this knowledge when reading connected text. Even with well-matched decodable books, some pupils fail to recognise familiar words or rely heavily on overt sounding out, which disrupts their fluency, hindering their comprehension and of course their enjoyment and attitudes toward reading and books in general.
Many children also face challenges with foundational reading skills, such as tracking text with their eyes or fingers, and understanding basic print concepts like directionality, spacing, or how books ‘work’.
We’ve also seen similar challenges in writing. Many pupils find it difficult to transfer their decoding skills into accurate spelling, highlighting a fragile link between decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling).
This led to the launch of the Year One Reading Fluency Project: Foundational Fluency.
Following a successful trial and pilot phase, the project is now in its first official round. It forms a key part of our wider Reading Fluency family, designed to strengthen the foundations of fluent reading from the very start.
How does the project work?
The Year One Reading Fluency Project is designed to develop children’s accuracy and automaticity, and later their prosody, thereby strengthening the fluency bridge to comprehension and enjoyment.
Authentic assessment
Through high-quality, diagnostic assessments, teachers are supported in closely analysing their pupils' reading behaviours. This insight directly informs fluency instruction, making it more targeted and effective. Many teachers have described the assessment process as ‘eye-opening’, offering a clearer picture of what children can - and can’t yet - do as developing readers.
Accessible reading
Many teachers involved in the Year One Reading Fluency Project have found that, although phonics assessments often place children within a specific book band, stage, or phonics phase, the texts at these levels are frequently pitched too high. While pupils may have been exposed to the relevant GPCs or vocabulary during phonics lessons, this knowledge is not always securely embedded or readily accessible when reading in context.
By lowering the pitch of independent reading texts - ensuring they are truly decodable and matched to pupils’ secure knowledge - teachers notice a significant improvement in both reading confidence and engagement. Children are more likely to access the text successfully, leading to a greater sense of achievement and willingness to re-engage with reading.
As Dr. Timothy Rasinski highlights in his research, reading fluency is not just about speed and accuracy, but about fostering a sense of competence and motivation. When children feel successful, they are far more likely to persevere and develop a positive relationship with reading. This echoes the findings of our own research into Reading Fluency, which emphasises the importance of explicit fluency instruction.
Explicit fluency instruction
At the heart of the Year One Reading Fluency Project is repeated reading - a powerful strategy that allows children to revisit a carefully selected text multiple times. Through guided, purposeful repetition and the use of targeted strategies, pupils are supported in developing automaticity, which in turn reduces cognitive load. With decoding becoming more effortless, children are freed to focus on other elements of fluency and of course, comprehension and enjoyment.
Alongside repeated reading, the project places strong emphasis on explicit vocabulary instruction, print awareness, and oral language development. These elements help pupils become active, reflective readers who can monitor and make sense of what they read.
Each fluency session is intentionally designed to support not just accuracy and automaticity, but also prosody, confidence, and deeper text understanding. Together, these components lay a strong foundation for long-term reading success - and a lifelong love of reading.
The outcome: promising progress from trial to pilot
The results from our trial and pilot phases have been highly encouraging. Analysis of pre- and post-assessment data reveals clear progress across several core areas of early reading fluency:
Fluency
On average, children made a 3.5-point gain in their fluency scores, based on Dr. Tim Rasinski's fluency rubric, with an impressive 97% of pupils showing progress - demonstrating the project’s effectiveness in building confident, independent readers.
Accuracy
We observed a substantial 16 percentage point improvement in reading accuracy, with 82% of children achieving over 90% accuracy by the end of the project. Accurate word recognition is a vital foundation for fluent, meaningful reading. Significantly, teachers reported noticeable changes in their pupils’ application.
Automaticity
Children’s reading rate also showed significant gains, with an average increase of 10.5 words per minute, reaching an overall average of 24.7 words per minute. This increase in reading rate, combined with maintained or improved accuracy, reflects a freeing of pupils’ cognitive load with meaningful development in automaticity!
Reading Behaviours: Growing Confidence and Motivation
The data shows clear progress in key reading behaviours, particularly in motivation and engagement. A growing number of children now report that they enjoy reading – now, both at home and at school. Many describe themselves as ‘good readers’, reflecting a positive shift in their perception of themselves as readers.
Teachers have also observed noticeable improvements in oral and reading blending, the ability to combine individual sounds to form words - whether heard aloud or seen in print - with less overt sounding out and greater fluency in decoding. Children who were once reluctant readers are now showing increased enthusiasm and confidence, becoming more willing and motivated to engage with texts independently.
During the project’s final review, teachers voiced powerful reflections, including:
- “One girl, who used to sound out every word, now reads with automaticity!”
- “My children are now checking for errors and self-monitoring.”
- “My less confident readers are now so enthusiastic and can’t wait for the sessions.”
- “We have seen more engagement with home reading and an improvement in reading attitudes!”
- “Children have loved bringing the text to life!”
- “A previously less confident reader asked to read in assembly… and they did!”
…and that is the point of reading!
Join us!
These outcomes underscore the value of focused fluency instruction and the importance of carefully matched, accessible texts. As we continue to refine the Year One Reading Fluency Project, these findings inspire confidence in the impact it can have on young readers’ success.
To find out more about participating in the Year 1 Reading Fluency Project: Foundational Fluency, email us reading.fluency@hfleducation.org.
Kayleigh Valentini
