A powerful resource for primary English and maths leads, available for free to all schools, is the Question Level Analysis (QLA) element of the DfE’s Analyse School Performance (ASP) site. In this blog I will highlight some of the lines of enquiry subject leaders might follow.

Of course, an important principle of all assessment activity (indeed, of any activity) is that we should only spend time doing things that are worthwhile – i.e. things that tell us something useful (that we didn’t already know) and that could inform our future decision-making or lead to some new actions.  When we look at QLA data, we must bear in mind that we are looking at information that relates to last year’s Year 6 cohort, who will in most cases have now left the school. Finding out where that cohort performed strongly and where they ‘went wrong’ is not necessarily going to be completely applicable to your current cohorts, but it could be extremely powerful if it reveals something systemic about your school – maybe about your curriculum, your pedagogy or your preparation for that peculiar week in a child’s life that we call SATs.

Accessing the QLA

Before I dive into what me might discover from QLA, a quick word about how to access it.

Every headteacher should be be able to access the ASP site via DfE Sign-in. Every school should also have a user-approver for DfE Sign-in, who is able to create logins for other members of staff and allocate them the services that they need. This user-approver might be the headteacher or might be a member of the office team. Good practice would be for this person to create individual logins for all senior leaders in the school and, I would suggest, the curriculum leads for English and maths. Provided a user has been granted access to the ASP (Named) service, they should be able to access QLA. If you log into ASP and can’t see the link to QLA, you have not been given the right level of permissions, so speak to your user-approver. You might have been given access to ASP (Anon) – which does not allow access to pupil-level data.

Once you are logged in and looking at the QLA element of ASP, you will find the data for your school, compared with national, showing performance in last summer’s tests at overall level, broken down by domain (sub-topic within the subject area) or by question.

Exploring maths QLA

The first thing we see is the bar chart, showing the percentage of correct responses across the school, with a national comparison, for each domain (pictured below). When hovering over each bar, the number of marks available for each domain along with the school and national correct response rates are revealed.

For convenience, here is a summary of the data for the 9 domains:

It should be noted that the largest number of marks available is for the Calculations domain (hardly surprising really). Nationally, 73% of the possible marks for this domain were awarded. It is also worth noting, by the way, that a very significant proportion of those marks can be gained from questions that test elements taught in Years 3, 4 or 5 of the National Curriculum. The published mark scheme indicates, for each question, which element of the curriculum, and the year group in which it should be taught, is being tested.

The second largest number of marks available is for Fractions/Decimals/Percentages, although nationally only 63% of marks were awarded in this domain.  The domain with the highest proportion of correctly answered question is Number/place value at 83%.

The biggest ‘wins’, therefore (from the point of view of attainment in the SATs which, I accept, is not the be-all and end-all of primary school life) are to be made by focusing a large part of your teaching on these areas – including building children’s knowledge, fluency and strategies for reasoning.

If the QLA figures for your school differ significantly to the national figures for these domains, ask yourself why that might be. Could it be to do with how much curriculum time was devoted to these areas? Is it to do with pedagogical approaches? Are strong foundations being laid in lower Key Stage 2  (and earlier) that are being successfully built upon in upper KS2? Are your children stronger at the non-contextualised questions (arithmetic paper) than the reasoning questions and, if so, why might that be?

It is then worth drilling down to look at the question-level data. Are there particular questions where your children’s correct response rate differs significantly from national? If there is a question where your children did not on the whole perform well, what is it about that question? Were they just not familiar enough with the mathematical content of that question, or is it content that you know they understand, but that has been presented in a way that is unfamiliar to your children? Maybe the wording of the question caught out some of your learners. Perhaps it is an area that has not had so great a share of curriculum time in your school. Perhaps it relates to knowledge taught in earlier year groups, which pupils have not had opportunities to retrieve and practise for some time.

When looking at the data for individual questions, the proportion of children who attempted the question can also be illuminating.  Looking at the figures for question attempt rate, across the two reasoning papers, the question that fewest children attempted is the final question on Paper 2 – only 87% attempted to answer. (Of course, this may be in part due to the very fact that it is the final question, hence some children might not have reached it if they ran out of time.) Let’s look at the question.

The question is classified as a ratio/proportion question - although neither of those words are used in the question. Whilst it may appear daunting to some, it’s the kind of question that lends itself very well to a bar modelling approach for solving it – and is actually quite straightforward.  (To see how a bar modelling method could have been used to approach this particular question, along with a few other examples, see this recent blog from the HFL primary maths team).

It may surprise you to learn that only 36% of pupils nationally answered this question correctly.  It could be interesting for schools to explore how their own children’s proportion of correct responses compares to that figure. If the school figure is significantly higher, that could be excellent evidence that the school’s current approach to teaching children how to solve numerical reasoning problems is effective. You can also compare your pupils’ attempt rate with the national. If there has been a strong teaching focus on solving reasoning problems, it would certainly be heartening to see a greater proportion than the national figure of 87% at least having a go at answering this particular problem, even if some don’t ultimately arrive at the correct answer.

Exploring spelling

The QLA data for spelling might also be an interesting area to explore. The table below shows the 20 words from the 2025 spelling test and their national correct response rate. 

There are a few interesting things to note about the spelling test in general. It can be seen from the above list (and this has been true for every single previous KS2 spelling test – see this blog from last year) that:

1. Quite a few words on this list involve the adding of a suffix or a prefix (or sometimes both) to a root word, e.g. rewarded, explosion, affordable, angrily, disappointed etc
2. There are a few homophones in the list (knight, passed, scene)

We can confidently predict that these sorts of words will come up each year in the spelling test, based on previous tests and on the fact that both these elements are made explicitly clear in the national curriculum for spelling. It may seem surprising, therefore, that only 24% of children nationally correctly spelled ‘disappointed’, a spelling that can easily be derived using a good knowledge of prefixes and suffixes. What the data doesn’t tell us is the nature of the incorrect answers. Maybe they are caught out by the double ‘p’, or perhaps they have incorrectly written a double ‘s’. We can’t be sure. What we can say is that if the proportion of your children correctly spelling ‘disappointed’ is significantly higher than 24%, this would indicate a strong performance in the teaching and application of morphology in spelling.

Again, it may be of limited value to over-analyse the reasons why particular children didn’t score too well in the spelling test, given that those children have now all moved on from primary settings.  However, if this QLA data reveals any interesting trends or patterns, such as consistently below average success in spelling words comprised of a root plus a suffix, this could indicate something systemic (such as the amount of curriculum time devoted to teaching this) that would be worthy of further investigation and action.

Similarly, the data might illuminate for a school where they are being particularly successful – and this is also worth unpicking, to understand the underlying causes of this success and potentially apply these elsewhere.

Exploring reading

There is of course also QLA data for the reading test paper. Opinions may vary here, but I find this element slightly less useful than those explored above. The reason for this is that the vast majority of marks on the paper are awarded for these 2 domains:

• Retrieve and record information or identify key details from fiction and non-fiction (typically about 30% of the marks)
• Make inferences from the text or explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text (typically about 50% of the marks)

The chances are, the QLA data will reveal a need to improve children’s performance on inference. However this is not entirely helpful, because the skill of ‘inference’ actually depends upon lots of inter-related skills, including a strong vocabulary knowledge and the stamina and fluency to be able to access the reading texts in the first place. More on this in this blog from our HFL primary English team. 

To conclude, as I always say, data raises questions – it doesn’t necessarily give us the answers. But this QLA is powerful data and the questions it raises could lead to some pertinent lines of enquiry which could ultimately lead to curriculum development, more focused teaching and improved outcomes for children.

If your school curriculum for maths or spelling is in need of an overhaul, take a look at our Essential Maths and Essential Spelling resources. 

It’s autumn, and while the Year 6 Reading SATs paper may feel like a distant memory, many of us already have our eyes on 2026. Looking back at the paper gives us valuable insight into how children are being asked to demonstrate their knowledge, stamina and comprehension. So, let’s take a closer look at the 2025 paper and reflect on what this means for classroom practice. 

The extracts increased in complexity as the paper progressed; while extract 1 offered a relatively gentle start, extract 3 required stamina, inference, and close attention to language.

Content domain analysis

Unsurprisingly, inference once again dominated the paper.  Almost half of the marks tested children’s inference this year, with a significant proportion of the rest of the paper focused on retrieval and vocabulary. Together, these three domains accounted for around 90% of the potential marks. This follows the usual trends. The table below provides you with a comparison to previous years:

These three domains are hugely significant for becoming a skilled reader, and much of our reading teaching should focus on developing children’s retrieval, vocabulary and inference skills. The other reading domains of course support the goal of comprehension and inference, and pupils should learn how to use and apply these comprehension strategies to build a mental model of the text. However, the 2023 Reading Framework is clear that these content domains should not be treated as a checklist for teaching reading. Instead, the framework reminds us of the importance of drawing on and weaving together a variety of strategies. When we read, we might be visualising, making predictions, and questioning – all to support inference - and often all at once. These processes are interconnected, not isolated skills to be ticked off a list.

Building on my previous blog (Reading SATs knowledge: Reading SATs power), a helpful next step is to give more attention to comprehension strategies that support children to become aware of their own thinking as they read. This means encouraging them to:

• monitor their understanding,
• notice when things don’t make sense, and
• connect new ideas with what they already know.

Encourage children to briefly summarise a paragraph after they have read it, or to note any questions in the margin of the text. Christopher Such explains this clearly in The Art & Science of Teaching Primary Reading (p. 60): ‘Research suggests that encouraging children to ask themselves questions about the text’s meaning and to summarise parts of the text can lead to improvements in comprehension. In addition, children can be taught to recognise when greater attention is required.’ This will aid children to grow into confident, thoughtful readers who can flexibly use their reading for different purposes.

A gentle start to a tough challenge

The first extract, A Life-Changing Game, gave children a fair start: a clear structure and a familiar non-fiction genre. However, cultural references to Uganda and the art of chess may have been more demanding for some children without the relevant background knowledge. We can’t prepare children for every possible eventuality, however, exposure to a rich, broad reading diet will help to power up children’s background knowledge and expose them to previously unfamiliar worlds and vocabulary.

The second extract, In the Cave, was more challenging. Children were faced with potentially unfamiliar vocabulary such as ‘beckoning’ and ‘inaudible’. The way that dialogue was used, while seeming simple at first glance, required children to keep up with the conversation as it revealed discoveries, built tension and moved the plot forward. The text was also littered with many long, multi-clause sentences. Children require plenty of practice in grappling with these; strategies such as re-reading, breaking them down into meaningful chunks, and visualising, can all help with making meaning from long sentences.

The final extract, Longbow Girl, was the most demanding. A historical fiction extract blending technical archery vocabulary along with figurative language and more of those long, multi-clause sentences - a real challenge for less confident readers. Children had to track the physical events, get to grips with the atmosphere and infer the characters’ emotions, which were sprinkled throughout. That’s a lot to balance! Inference requires the use of multiple reading processes at once. Rich dialogue about texts - in which teachers model making meaning by making connections, empathising, predicting, summarising, questioning, and children are invited to do the same – will support children to feel prepared when approaching texts of this pitch.

Reading fluency comes into play here, too. Without accurate, automatic reading and expressive phrasing, children can struggle to access and make meaning from lengthy sentences or layered passages. Fluent reading reduces the cognitive burden of decoding, allowing the reader to focus on understanding. To develop fluency, pupils require regular opportunities to read widely (a range of different texts) as well as deeply (reading the same text more than once). By doing so, they build their automaticity. They also benefit from hearing an expert model of reading and reading alongside that model (assisted reading); this supports application of prosody and phrasing which can help to make the meaning clear, paving the way for understanding. This is why reading fluency is often referred to as the bridge to comprehension. We have a number of blogs on the topic. Have a read of this one, which gives more insight into the research behind fluency and this one which explores how to teach fluency.

Precision over plausibility

This year’s mark scheme highlighted the need for accuracy, not just general understanding. Let’s dive into Question 3, which is based on A Life-Changing Game:

‘How can you tell that people in Uganda were not familiar with chess?’

At first glance, some answers may have seemed plausible but only the very specific ones were accepted:

‘There was no word for it in Phiona’s language.’

‘Chess was unusual in Uganda.’

‘She had to walk six kilometres every day to learn how to play.’

Responses such as ‘they didn’t know what it was’ or ‘they hadn’t heard of it’ were rejected. Why? Because they went beyond the text and were a little vague. The extract does not say nobody knew chess, only that it was ‘unusual’ and ‘there was no word for it.’  Children needed to tie their answers to the evidence given in the text.

Encouraging children to ‘prove it’ - ‘put your finger on it’, or ‘highlight the part of the text that tells you’ - is a simple but powerful way to build this habit. Train children to go back to the text.

Inference

As usual, inference sat firmly at the heart of the paper, with 24 marks testing this domain – even higher than in recent years. Children were asked to interpret motives, explain actions and describe character traits. Take question 37, based on Longbow Girl. Children had to explain why Merry smiled at the end of the extract. The reasons were scattered across the extract, and the mark scheme allowed several valid answers. This included her accuracy, her victory, the crowd’s respect, or proving others wrong. But to gain full marks, children had to give two distinct reasons with precision. This tempted inaccurate answers, such as the ‘she had just won ten gold coins’, which was explicitly rejected. This was a real test for some children, who may have struggled to navigate the text, comprehend it, and ignore what wasn’t relevant to answer the question. When planning reading lessons, create authentic, open-ended questions which elicit many different responses so that children get used to exploring texts in this way, drawing together ideas from across paragraphs to answer bigger questions. Ensure that follow-up questions dig a little deeper and probe children’s understanding, to help them identify nuances in what does or does not answer the question at hand.

We know that skilled readers monitor their own understanding. In a dense passage like this, that might mean noticing shifts between Merry’s actions, her emotions and the crowd’s reactions. The reader will likely need to ask themselves questions: ‘What’s happening here? What does this tell me? How do things look for Merry at this point?’ They’ll need to be identifying and summarising the key events within the extract - Merry’s fear of the bow breaking, her relief as the arrows found their mark, and her victory. When summarising, you might support children to summarise the main ideas in a paragraph to a single sentence, or the plot in just a few lines. You might use metacognitive talk to model how you ask yourself questions about the text’s meaning, e.g. ‘I’m wondering why…’ or ‘Is the author trying to tell me that…’ These different comprehension strategies can help children connect ideas and track meaning across the text. In reading lessons, incorporate teaching these strategies within rich text discussion. Demonstrate how these can be combined to make a mental model of the text and get to that ultimate goal of reading: comprehension and inference.

Words in context

Vocabulary is of course integral to understanding what we read, and there were certainly words which posed a level of challenge across the paper.

• A Life-Changing Game: children had to interpret words such as ‘anticipation’ and ‘intriguing’. This may have been a stumbling block for some.
• In the Cave: technical words such as ‘horizontal’ and ‘panel’ drew on subject and world knowledge.
• Longbow Girl: specialist archery terms sat alongside figurative expressions such as the ‘first flush of euphoria.’

Without wide reading experience and vocabulary instruction, this can quickly become a barrier. That’s why it’s so important to introduce children to a range of high-quality texts and explicitly teach new vocabulary. Pre-teaching vocabulary can be powerful, but children should also practise reading and unpicking the meaning of words in context. We can model strategies such as drawing on the clues around the unfamiliar word as, often, it’s the surrounding words that provide the extra hints needed to unlock meaning. Morphology is also key to unlocking word meanings, so model identifying root words and applying meaning of affixes to help with understanding and engage pupils in doing the same. If vocabulary teaching is on your radar, you may find this blog useful: Improving vocabulary for primary pupils.

Final thoughts

Overall, the 2025 Reading SATs paper was well-structured and fair. It rewarded reflective readers who could combine retrieval, inference, vocabulary knowledge, and give precise answers. To prepare children for reading with this pitch of challenge, both in SATs and – more importantly - wider reading experiences, we need to embed a broad, rich reading curriculum. Children should experience a wide range of genres, have the opportunity to read these with fluency and have meaningful discussions about them where they encouraged to dig a little deeper. Also, we must equip children with strategies to monitor their understanding, select evidence carefully, and tackle new vocabulary.

Come along to our Growing greater depth reading in year 5 and 6 or  HFL Education Reading Fluency Showcase 2025 to further explore effective teaching of reading at UKS2.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the essential building blocks for lifelong learning, wellbeing and future success. For school governors, understanding the unique nature and significance of the EYFS is crucial to fulfilling your strategic role and securing the best outcomes for children. Decisions made during this formative period can profoundly influence children's future attainment, behaviour and engagement with education.

Why Early Years matters

The EYFS covers the period from birth to age five, with Reception being the final year before Key Stage 1. This phase is characterised by rapid cognitive, emotional and physical development. Children learn best through play, exploration and meaningful interactions with adults and peers. The EYFS is not just preparation for formal schooling; it is a distinct phase with its own pedagogy and priorities.

Research consistently shows that high-quality early education improves outcomes, especially for children experiencing disadvantage. According to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), early intervention can narrow the attainment gap before it becomes entrenched. Children who start school with strong foundations in language, social skills and emotional regulation are more likely to thrive academically and socially.

Key responsibilities for governors

Governors are not expected to be Early Years experts, but they do play a vital role in ensuring that provision is high-quality, inclusive and aligned with the school’s strategic vision.

1. Understand the EYFS framework

The EYFS statutory framework sets out the standards for learning, development and care. It includes:

• Seven areas of learning: These are divided into three prime areas (Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development) and four specific areas (Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design).
• Characteristics of Effective Learning: These describe how children learn through playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically.
• Assessment requirements: These include the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA), completed within the first six weeks of school, and the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP), which summarises each child’s development at the end of Reception.
  Governors are likely to find it helpful to be familiar with these elements to understand how the school supports early development and prepares children for Year 1.

2. Support and challenge leadership

Governors could engage with school leaders to ensure that the EYFS is well-led and resourced. Key questions might include:

• Is the curriculum ambitious and tailored to the needs of the cohort?
• How are staff supported to deliver high-quality teaching?
• What strategies are in place to identify and support children with SEND or those at risk of underachievement?
• How is professional development prioritised for EYFS staff?
  Effective governance involves both support and challenge, ensuring leaders are held accountable while recognising the unique demands of early years teaching.

3. Monitor outcomes and progress

Early Years data provides valuable insights into children’s future outcomes and the quality of Early Years provision. Governors should be aware of:

• EYFSP outcomes: In 2024/25, 68.4% of children nationally achieved a Good Level of Development (GLD), a slight increase from the previous year.
• Trends over time: Are outcomes improving? Are there significant gaps between groups (e.g., boys vs. girls, children eligible for FSM vs. children who are not eligible for FSM?)
• Use of data: How does the school use assessment information to inform teaching, curriculum, interventions and resource allocation?
  Governors should ensure that data is used thoughtfully to support children’s development and improve their future outcomes.

4. Ensure safeguarding and welfare

The EYFS includes specific safeguarding and welfare requirements. Governors and leaders must ensure that:

• policies are up to date and reflect statutory guidance
• staff are trained in safeguarding, paediatric first aid and behaviour management in line with the requirements detailed in the statutory framework
• the learning environment is safe, inclusive and promotes wellbeing.
  Children in the EYFS are particularly vulnerable and safeguarding must be a top priority. Governors should also consider how the school supports children’s mental health and emotional development.

5. Champion Early Years in strategic planning

Early Years should be central to the school’s vision and development plan; it should not be an add-on. Governors can model this through:

• advocating for investment in EYFS resources, staffing and CPD
• ensuring preschool, nursery and Reception are included in whole-school priorities, such as curriculum development or behaviour policy
• promote parental engagement, recognising that families are key partners in early education.
  Strategic decisions such as staffing structures, budget allocations, and school improvement plans should reflect the importance of the EYFS.

Questions governors might ask

To support effective oversight, governors might consider asking:

• How does the EYFS curriculum reflect the needs of our children?
• What does high-quality teaching look like in Reception? Nursery? Two-year old provision?
• How are children’s starting points assessed and built upon?
• What support is in place for children not meeting expectations?
• How do we ensure smooth transitions into Year 1?
  These questions help governors engage meaningfully with EYFS provision and ensure it aligns with the school’s broader goals.
   

Updates to the EYFS Framework – September 2025

From 1 September 2025, new versions of the EYFS statutory framework will come into force for group/school-based providers. These updates build on previous reforms and aim to strengthen safeguarding, clarify qualification requirements and support the expansion of childcare entitlements.

Key Changes for school governors to be aware of:

1. Strengthened safeguarding requirements

• Safer recruitment: Providers must now obtain references and include procedures in safeguarding policies to ensure only suitable individuals are recruited.
• Child absence follow-up: New expectations require providers to follow up on prolonged absences and hold additional emergency contact details.
• Safer eating practices: New requirements aim to reduce risks during mealtimes.
• Privacy and safeguarding balance: Amendments ensure children’s privacy during nappy changing and toileting is considered alongside safeguarding needs.
• Whistleblowing support: Providers must have clear procedures to support staff in raising concerns.

2. Safeguarding training criteria

• A new annex outlines expectations for safeguarding training, including how it is delivered and how practitioners are supported to apply it in practice.

3. Paediatric First Aid (PFA) for students and trainees

• Early Years students and trainees must now have PFA training to be counted in staff:child ratios at the level below their qualification level.

4. Clarification of qualification requirements

• The framework now clearly defines which qualifications count towards Level 6 staff:child ratios, helping schools ensure compliance and appropriate staffing.

These changes are designed to improve safety, support workforce development and ensure consistency across settings. Governors should ensure that school leaders are aware of the new requirements and have plans in place to implement them effectively.

Using a repertoire of simple drama techniques in the classroom can be a highly effective way of developing children’s literacy. Drama enables oral rehearsal of sentence structures and new vocabulary. It can develop reading fluency and comprehension, as well as idea generation for writing and key oracy skills for public speaking and performance.

A powerful cross-curricular tool, drama can also enrich subjects such as history and PSHE by inviting children to ‘step into the shoes’ of characters to explore key issues or events. When implemented well, drama injects energy and active learning into lessons, boosting pupil engagement and motivation. Whilst drama techniques can be used to develop spoken language, reading and writing, they can also be considered outcomes in their own right: as an effective performance for an audience.

It is worth noting that drama is a statutory golden thread running through the English curriculum, from role play and storytelling in the Early Years framework to the provision for drama emphasised in the English programmes of study: key stages 1 and 2.

The EYFS statutory framework - ELG Comprehension, states that children should: 

    ‘Demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories 
     and narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary.’

and ‘Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary… during role-play.’

The English programme of study tells us:

‘All pupils should be enabled to participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. Pupils should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role. They should have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre performances.’

Using drama can sometimes seem daunting, with concerns around behaviour management or ensuring high-quality outcomes. To make drama effective in lessons, scaffolding, modelling, and feedback are essential, along with high expectations.

In this blog, we will explore five drama techniques with a strong evidence base1 for impact on literacy development and provide practical tips on how to implement them effectively.

Readers’ Theatre

Readers’ Theatre has a significant impact on children’s reading fluency and comprehension. It is particularly effective in engaging reluctant readers and building their confidence. The approach involves a teacher modelling expressive reading, followed by repeated reading rehearsals, culminating in a performance of the text. This final step is crucial because of its motivational impact: it provides an authentic reason to re-read texts, a cornerstone of fluency development, and encourages expressive interpretation.

The performance should use minimal props or gestures. Instead, the focus should be on creating drama through the power of the spoken word.  In a supportive classroom environment, with ample rehearsal, modelling, and feedback, Readers’ Theatre also strengthens oracy skills, such as making eye contact with the audience, and speaking with an expressive voice at an appropriate volume and pace.

The process of Readers’ Theatre also develops reading comprehension. As children explore how to read the text with expression, they begin to interpret the text, deciding which words or phrases to emphasise and why. In our experience, through repeated, active exposure, children also expand their vocabulary and familiarity with a variety of sentence structures and genres, all of which can in turn support writing.

To implement this drama technique successfully, embed a clear teaching sequence into regular practice. First, choose a short, engaging text that is at, or slightly above, age related expectations. Speeches, playscripts and poetry all lend themselves well to Readers’ Theatre. However, engaging sections of non-fiction and narrative are equally effective. As a rough guide, choose a section that would last about a minute. For longer pieces, give a section to different groups, so that when it comes to performance, the whole text is read.

Highlight phrases or sentences in different colours to assign parts to groups (three is a good number). This supports prosody by prompting phrasing and moments of choral reading. It enables adaptations to be made, ensuring readers are given an appropriate level of challenge. Here is an example of what this could look like, from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis:

The teaching sequence follows the gradual release model of ‘I do – we do – you do’. Teaching begins with the teacher modelling an expressive read of the text. Then, the teacher ‘echo reads’ a short section. This involves reading the text in short phrases. The children echo back each phrase of the teacher’s expressive read as a chorus, mimicking their expression and volume: 

This is where a bit of overacting from the teacher can be helpful, alongside high expectations for the children’s echo. The activity should be pacey, engaging, and responsive, involving repeated re-reading of phrases that children may find challenging or where their echo doesn’t effectively mimic the teacher’s expressiveness. The section is then re-read in longer sections, such as sentences, to build fluency. Lastly, children are invited to read the text in pairs or groups, using the prosody (expression, phrasing and intonation) that was modelled. During rehearsals, the teacher roams and supports, providing feedback and further modelling.

Only when fluency is secure should performance begin. Ensure children understand how to engage the audience by facing forward, looking up from scripts at points, and reading at the right pace and volume. Set expectations for audience behaviour and involve children in giving constructive feedback on fluency and expression. Maintain high expectations and if needed, ask groups to perform again after feedback.

Readers’ Theatre transforms reading lessons into engaging, purposeful experiences and can have a significant impact on reading attainment.

Freeze frames

Freeze Framing is a drama technique which allows children to explore a particular scene from a text in greater depth by physically recreating it and then ‘freezing’ in role - like pressing the ‘pause’ button on a moment in the story. Begin by reading a short, significant extract from the text, such as Edmund’s first encounter with the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Model how to identify clues in the text to visualise the characters and setting. Then, demonstrate how to use these clues to sculpt a scene using volunteers, explaining how body language, facial expressions, and positioning can convey character and emotion.

Warm up activities can help if your class is new to this technique or feeling self-conscious. Emotion Statues involves the teacher calling out emotions (e.g. joy, fear, anger) and children freezing in a pose that expresses that emotion. Encourage facial expressions and body posture and ask children to exaggerate these, to comic effect. Character Sculpting is another useful warm up where one pupil acts as a ‘sculptor’ and gently positions a partner into the form of a character. The sculptor explains their choices as they work. This helps to build understanding of how physical choices convey meaning.

Next, give groups time to discuss how they will represent the chosen moment, encouraging them to use textual evidence to inform their choices, such as ‘The Lady frowned…looking sterner than ever’, to create a living statue of the witch. As they create their freeze frames, prompt them to consider levels (e.g. standing, sitting, kneeling), spatial relationships and expressive detail. Invite each group to perform their freeze frame, using a countdown to signal when to freeze. Facilitate discussion by asking questions about the characters’ thoughts, feelings and motivations, and exploring the reasons behind their physical choices. This can help develop children’s understanding of the ‘show don’t tell’ technique in writing. Descriptive phrases linked to the freeze frames, such as slumped shoulders for sadness, or clenched fists for anger could be recorded for use when writing.

With effective modelling and high expectations, children will use retrieval skills to gather information about the witch’s appearance and make inferences about Edmund’s internal conflict and the witch’s hidden intentions. Photographs of the freeze frames can be used as a stimulus for writing activities, such as diary entries from a character’s point of view.

Freeze frames can also be used to summarise a section of narrative by asking children to create a sequence of frames. This is sometimes called a Living Timeline. The audience can be asked to close their eyes while the group quickly rearranges into the next frame, then open them to view the new moment. Alternatively, half the class could present a series of freeze frames to the other half. This can be accompanied by narration or discussion about what has been included or omitted. You might also extend this by asking children to create a freeze frame that predicts what could happen next.

To develop this approach further, introduce Thought Tracking. This technique involves tapping each performer on the shoulder while in freeze frame, prompting them to voice their character’s inner thoughts. For instance, Edmund might whisper, “If I help her, maybe I’ll be more important than Lucy,” while the witch might say gleefully, “He wants to feel important - I’ll give him just enough to keep him loyal.” Support idea generation by modelling high-quality examples and giving children time to rehearse in groups. You can even extend thought tracking to the setting itself: what might the trees of Narnia be thinking as they witness this scene? This can lead to a deeper understanding of how writers use personification to create mood and atmosphere.

Freeze frames can also be developed into a soundscape, where the teacher acts as a conductor and groups contribute sounds from the scene, such as the cold wind blowing or the sound of the sleigh. This helps children understand how writers use the senses to enrich their writing.

Combined with Thought Tracking and a soundscape, a freeze frame can become an atmospheric performance.

This technique is very versatile and can be used in a range of contexts. It is also controlled and structured, which helps to avoid behavioural issues.  When used consistently, freeze frames become a quick and powerful tool that fits easily into lessons.

Hot Seating

Hot Seating is a drama technique where someone takes on the role of a character from a story, play or historical event and is questioned by their peers while remaining in character. This encourages children to think deeply about motivation, feelings and perspective, requiring them to draw on inference and empathy. Effective modelling is key, along with scaffolding such as speaking frames, to support children in formulating questions and answers.

Continuing with our example from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a teacher might model Hot Seating by taking on the role of Edmund and responding to questions from the class. A speaking frame can be provided for pairs or small groups, to scaffold both questioning and responses in role. For example:

As an adaptation, you could offer a faded scaffold, where only the sentence stems are provided (in bold above), allowing children to devise their own questions. This supports the development of a key comprehension strategy: questioning the text. Hot Seating is an opportunity for children to orally rehearse vocabulary and features that would be useful in their writing. Before Hot Seating, a bank of ideas could be created with the class to suggest ways to physically describe inner thoughts and feelings. Ambitious vocabulary from the text could be highlighted for use, such as ‘proud and cold and stern’ from our example text to describe the witch.

Hot Seating works well alongside Role on the Wall, a strategy that involves drawing an outline of a character (often on a large sheet of paper) and annotating it with information. Inside the outline, children write the character’s inner thoughts and feelings. Outside the outline, they record what others say or think about the character or observable facts such as appearance and actions. This supports Hot Seating by helping children gather ideas about the character beforehand and can help capture the learning for future writing about the text. Insights that are discovered through the drama activity can be added to the outline afterwards, prompting discussion about what has been learned - for example, Edmund’s jealousy, desire for recognition and confusion about the  witch’sintentions.

Role on the Wall also provides a foundation for writing in role, such as journalling from the character’s point of view or composing a letter. These activities deepen comprehension and offer valuable opportunities for assessment for learning.

Conscience alley

Conscience Alley is a drama strategy used to explore a character’s decision-making process, usually exploring a moment of dilemma. The class forms two lines facing each other, creating a ‘path’ or ‘alley’ down the middle. One pupil (or the teacher) walks slowly down the alley in role as a character who is facing a dilemma. As they walk, children on either side speak aloud persuasive thoughts, advice, or arguments - some encouraging one choice, others suggesting the opposite. Sometimes, two conscience alleys can work well, so one half of the class can watch the other.

This technique encourages children to actively engage with key moments in a narrative by exploring different viewpoints and internal conflicts. It helps develop empathy and strengthens inference skills, allowing children to connect more deeply with characters and engage actively with key moments in a narrative.

To return to our example text as an example: Edmund’s Dilemma. In this scene, Edmund has just encountered the White Witch, who tempts him with Turkish Delight and the promise of becoming a prince, on the condition that he brings his siblings to her. This moment marks a turning point in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, filled with internal conflict and moral tension.

To explore this, begin by establishing two sides to the dilemma: should he bring his siblings to the witch or tell them what happened? Collect ideas for each side, including any vocabulary or features you would like them to orally rehearse, to establish high expectations. Model how to whisper expressively ideas from each side. Give children time to rehearse ideas. Using mini whiteboards to draft their sentences can help children retain ideas and use more ambitious language. Choose one volunteer to take on the role of Edmund and ask them to walk slowly down an ‘alley’ formed by the rest of the class. As he passes, children on either side speak aloud lines that represent his inner thoughts or external influences. These voices reflect the conflicting emotions and pressures Edmund faces. Possible lines include:

Once Edmund reaches the end of the alley, pause the action and invite reflection. Ask children:

This activity is a powerful and engaging way to invite children to connect their own opinions and values to the text. Along with developing children’s understanding of the text, Conscience Alley also supports children’s understanding as writers of how character dilemma is part of narrative structure and provides opportunities for children to practise persuasive language.

Improvising a scene

Improvisation works best in the classroom when it is brief and clearly structured. Children need to understand what their character wants in the scene, as this drives their dialogue and gives the improvisation direction. Techniques such as Freeze Frames and Hot Seating help children explore how different characters might act, move and speak - skills that can be applied to the more complex task of improvising a scene.

To begin, children could re-enact a short section of dialogue from the text. Work with them to identify clues the author uses to convey character, as can be seen below in bold in our example text:

“And what, pray, are you?” said the Lady, looking hard at Edmund.

“I’m-I’m-my name’s Edmund,” said Edmund rather awkwardly. He did not like the way she looked at him.

The Lady frowned, “Is that how you address a Queen?” she asked, looking sterner than ever.

Linking close reading like this to a performance makes it purposeful and invites children to interpret what they have read. This builds on Readers’ Theatre by encouraging children to embody characters and physically act out scenes.

You can extend the activity by inviting children to create alternative scenes. For example: What if Edmund refused the Turkish Delight? Or, in small groups, children could create a scene where Lucy suspects Edmund is hiding something and tries to persuade him to tell the truth. From improvisation, they could collaboratively write a script or a narrative scene with dialogue (writing threes work well for this, with children taking turns to write each sentence).

This activity supports a range of literacy skills. Children practise persuasive language and emotional expression through speaking and listening, while also developing their use of dialogue by turning their role-play into a play script or narrative passage. It encourages inference and empathy as children explore character relationships and moral dilemmas.

Modelling is key. Provide scaffolds, such as adapted dialogue from the text, and establish high expectations with clear success criteria for speaking, listening and performance. After modelling, roam and support groups. Set time limits and use mini plenaries to reinforce success criteria. Maintain clear routines, like cueing groups with ‘Lights, camera, action!’, and offer feedback through audience responses such as ‘two stars and a wish.’ Invite groups to refine and redo performances where needed.

Why use drama in the classroom?

These drama techniques, in combination with Readers’ Theatre, can transform lessons into active and engaging learning experiences. They can deepen comprehension and facilitate thoughtful discussions. Through drama, children practise the key comprehension strategies of predicting, visualising, questioning, summarising and making inferences.  Less skilled readers may not yet have experienced the enjoyment that comes from inferring meaning or visualising scenes while reading. Drama techniques can help bring texts to life. This not only supports comprehension but also nurtures a love of reading, helping children connect emotionally with stories and develop reading for pleasure as a lifelong habit. Drama can also develop children as writers, enabling them to rehearse ideas and language that underpin writing.

Despite its many benefits, and its deep roots in our literary heritage and creative industries, drama in schools is in decline. The Fabian Society (2019) reported that 68% of primary teachers in England believe there is less arts education now than in 2010, and 49% say the quality has declined. The Drama and Theatre Education Alliance (DTEA) similarly found that ‘Drama in schools is in steep decline,’ with long-term reductions in provision, particularly across key stages 1–3. Access to the arts is increasingly limited, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

By embedding drama techniques into everyday classroom practice, teachers not only enhance children’s literacy skills but also open the door to a rich art form that promotes self-expression and confidence. To further develop drama in schools, the DTEA advocates that, ‘Every young person should have at least one theatre experience a year - seeing a show, participating in workshops, performing, and engaging in the creative process.’ As teachers and children grow in confidence with using drama across the curriculum, the quality and ambition of school performances will naturally rise, from Nativity plays to class assemblies and Year 6 leavers’ shows. By championing drama in the classroom, we not only enrich literacy and school’s cultural life, but also empower children to find their confidence, and their voice.

We would love to hear from you about your successes or challenges with implementing drama in your school – do get in touch via the email below.

If you are interested in finding out more about drama in the classroom, please see the references and links below.

References:

1. Research-Art-Works-OSU.pdf; The Impact of Drama Classes on Literacy and Writing Skills - Theatretrain ; Using Drama and Theater in the Classroom to Promote Literacy - Novak Djokovic Foundation
2. Primary colours | Fabian Society
3. Drama in Schools | Primary Drama | Key Stage 3 Drama | Drama and Theatre Education Alliance (DTEA)

Readers’ Theatre:

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the Readers’ Theatre impact on the development of reading skills

The role of the teacher in reader’s theatre instruction Timothy Rasinski

Drama resources and CPD:

Teacher resources | National Theatre

RSC Learning | Primary Play Days | Royal Shakespeare Company

https://dramaresource.com/teaching-literacy-through-drama/

Resources | Drama & Theatre Education Alliance | DTEA