The KS2 Herts for Learning Reading Fluency Project is now in its 6th year and we are currently working with our 14th cohort. We are incredibly proud of the fact that more than 2000 children have been involved with project and are still reading.

Prior to our work back in 2017, there was little being said about reading fluency as a specific strand of our reading pedagogy in the UK.  Members of the team had been exploring and discussing a wide range of research leading to a chapter on the topic in our KS2 Guided Reading Toolkit. Some of our early blogs shared this focus: Do you sound good to listen to? (or ‘fluency: reading’s best-kept secret weapon’) and As easy as A B fluenCy! The latter blog considers references to fluent reading in the DFE exemplification videos. The EEF recognised that whilst direct teaching of fluency was beneficial to reading achievement, there was little evidence to support that assertion.

We are proud to claim to have somewhat altered this landscape with our project. The project strategies have drawn hugely on the work of scholars in the states, Dr. Timothy Rasinski in particular, who have long recognised that specific fluency instruction has a huge impact on reading success, especially for our struggling readers.

The project is more popular than ever and the need to swiftly adapt the training to function remotely due to the challenges of the pandemic, has allowed its reach to extend even further geographically. Delegates from all over the UK have now taken part. We now also run the project for KS1 and KS3 cohorts .

We have recently had the opportunity to share the outcomes of this work with other national providers and have used the opportunity to take stock, to consider not only what we know now, but also where we plan on going next.

The Reading Fluency Project is just that, a project. As a result, it evolves. The data (as measured by the York Assessment of Reading Comprehension) has been consistently high since the project’s inception in 2017. The tweaks made have ensured that the strategies are more accessible and straightforward for teachers and pupils to follow, and the CPD itself is as effective and supportive as possible.

Data for KS2/3 reading assessments combined:

Participants on the project are asked to use the York Assessment for Reading Comprehension (YARC) to assess the pupils at the start and end of the 8 week intervention.

Approximately 2200 pupils across KS2-3 have now taken part in the project.

We have YARC data for approximately 1400* pupils

% making 6 months+ progress: 84% -  KS2/3

% making 12 months+ progress: 72% - KS2/3

It is worth noting that in general, pupils with the lowest starting points make the most progress on this intervention.  Children who begin the intervention with a comprehension reading age of 5 or 6 years make, on average, over the course of just 8 weeks, 3 years and 3 months progress. The overall average progress made by participating pupils is 2 years, 3 months. This data is broadly consistent with each cohort.

At KS1, we have YARC data for approximately 400 pupils* The average comprehension increase in just 8 weeks for our KS1 pupils is 1 year 5 months.  

Interestingly, we have started to gather accuracy scores too. The project was designed to swiftly support children with improving their comprehension skills, but we are delighted by the fact that there is a stable improvement in reading accuracy across the cohorts too, from KS1-3.  On average in just 8 weeks, pupils’ accuracy at KS1 increases by an average of 11 months, and by an average of 13 months for KS2/3. This is the number of words that the pupil is able to accurately read at the start of the intervention vs the end of the intervention.

*We do not have YARC data for every pupil for reasons including: maladministration of the test; pupil absence, YARC data demonstrating pupil’s reading attainment is already over the threshold for inclusion at the start.

Teachers are unsurprisingly thrilled with these outcomes. We also collect the less quantifiable data, the anecdotes and reflections that our teachers share with us at our final cluster – the last CPD event together. This is where the project impact is most keenly felt by us all. We ask what changes are observed in the children:

• the children's confidence and reading for pleasure grew hugely!
• children reminding whole class to turn the TV on in their mind when reading whole class texts
• children realising that they are reading for meaning and enjoyment and not just to get onto the next colour band
• children being excited about reading and the sessions
• children much happier to have a go at texts they were unsure of with more confidence. Able to complete more of a text as had better stamina
• confidence and pride!

We also ask what teachers feel they’ve learned about reading pedagogy more generally:

• we must model and show that reading is for all areas of learning and life, different subjects and for enjoyment
• prosody and fluency need to be secure and just as important as comprehension
• the importance of modelling HOW a text is read
• my personal subject knowledge has improved on how best to develop fluency, which in turn has enabled me to support my team much better and the children we work with
• I’ve learnt how important it is for chn to visualise the text - busy brains

…and we ask for the ‘best bits’ – the special moments:

• I have had other students wanting me to take them out to read as the students involved in the project cannot stop taking about the group reading
• one SEN child who showed in week 2 how he was able to fluently read the text after practise
• I have loved watching the children grow in confidence and start to see themselves as expert readers
• children enjoying the texts studied so much that they wanted to take them out the school library
• each week children wanting to know when they were working on their reading fluency
• we have loved seeing the children thrive. They have developed skills and made so much progress. This has been noticed by other members of staff and celebrated across school. The skills we have picked up as practitioners have made an impact across the whole school
• I had one child that didn't say a word during the first session. Before Christmas he stood up in front of the whole class and preformed to the rest of the class on his own!
• the overall results were astonishing

More than just echo reading

This is a phrase which we hear again and again from our project graduates. There is certainly a temptation to read our blogs and dive in with the employment of echo reading as a go-to strategy for raising reading attainment. We would urge caution here (as we did in this earlier blog: A field guide to reading fluency: a reader's digest of our work to date). In our experience, some children will not require this strategy to further their reading and it could even hold them back. Echo reading is a strategy which we employ on the project for specific children, but it sits alongside a great many other strategies including: repeated re-reading; expert inferential questioning and discussion; text-marking; appropriately pitched text-selection and more. We want to arm our participants with the knowledge and ability to stir these ingredients in just the right way, with just the right pupils for maximum impact and we do this through high-quality CPD.

Collaboration with the EEF

We have been thrilled to collaborate with the EEF in developing new tools to support teachers with improving reading fluency practice in school. The first resource aims to clear up some common misconceptions around the definition of and best approaches to reading fluency. The second tool is useful in defining reading fluency and offers some suggested approaches. These are available to download:

Education Endowment Foundation: Reading fluency, misconceptions

Education Endowment Foundation: Reading fluency glossary, supporting pupils to develop fluent reading capabilities

Our training routes

If you would like to find out more about our highly impactful Reading Fluency Project, you can join us at our next 1-day event for KS2/3, where we share the strategies which we use on the project in detail with delegates:  Key Stage 2/3 Reading Fluency Project: implications for classroom practice

It’s common for the prospect of a disciplinary hearing to appear daunting.  Whether you are presenting a case or a decision maker, it’s important to understand your role in the process and to be comfortable with what you are required to do. 

Firstly, it’s important to ensure all steps prior to the hearing have been completed –

• has the employee been notified of the alleged misconduct?
• has any evidence from the investigation been shared with the employee?
• has the employee been formally invited to the disciplinary hearing with reasonable notice?
• has the employee been given information on their right to be accompanied to the hearing?
• has the employee been made aware of the possible outcomes?

Not only do these steps keep you compliant with legislation and the ACAS Code of Practice, being clear up front and sharing the disciplinary policy can answer common questions from employees such as ‘What is a disciplinary hearing?’, ‘Can I bring someone with me to the hearing?’ and ‘Can I be sacked at a disciplinary meeting?’

When presenting a case you need to consider all of the relevant information, has the matter been investigated fully, have you gathered all the evidence and put it into a succinct format for others to understand?

When you are the decision maker or part of a panel, do you know the questions to ask, can you identify possible risks and deal with challenges?

How do you fulfil these roles with confidence and ensure you are reaching the right outcome for employees and your setting?

It is important to be aware that although a disciplinary hearing is an internal process, an employee who has been dismissed can take their case to an employment tribunal if they feel the decision has been unfair.  This can mean the decisions being made at any point in the process can be scrutinised by an external body.  In particular, a tribunal will look to see if the process has been fair and has followed the organisation’s own policy. They review whether the dismissal would be deemed reasonable based on the facts, and consider if the situation had been heard by a different panel, the likelihood that the same outcome would be reached. The penalties for getting it wrong can be costly, both financially and reputationally.

It is a statutory requirement for Schools and Trusts to have a policy covering their disciplinary process.  You will need to be aware of and follow your own setting’s policy.  At HFL Education we provide a model policy for our customers that covers all you need in order to be legally compliant and to follow the ACAS Code of Practice.  We also have a wealth of resources and our experienced team to support this process.

However, a policy can only go so far, how else might you get experience and become more familiar with the role you have to play?  Are you able to attend HR courses?  Can you shadow colleagues? 

We think that seeing a disciplinary hearing in action is an excellent way to see how the meeting could play out and to build confidence in your own role.  With our legal partners, Forbes Solicitors, we have created a Mock Disciplinary event where you can witness a hearing without the pressure of being involved. 

You might be a leader in a school or trust who could be carrying out a disciplinary investigation, you might be a Headteacher who is the Commissioning Manager and is presenting the case at hearing, you might be a governor who is asked to be a decision maker or part of a panel.  All will benefit from this experience which will enhance your ability to be effective in your role.

Contact our HR team on  to find out when our next Mock Disciplinary Hearing will be on 01438 544463.

We are running a Mock Tribunal on 27th September 2023 based on the same facts to allow delegates to participate in a process from the outset to conclusion.  

Originally published 3rd March 2023 and updated 29th January 2026.

Benchmarking can be beneficial as a strategic tool to improve performance, ensure accountability, and make informed decisions.

Benchmarking is a one of many tools available for Trustees and Senior Leaders to understand the financial performance of their academy trusts and individual schools compared to statistical neighbours.

It can be used to:

• establish a system of measures for school leaders, which can be used to identify best practice.
• support decision making.
• provide comparative information to help in future planning.
• share knowledge and best practices in a confidential environment.

Benchmarking may not always have the answers, but it will provide a useful insight into how the trusts and its schools compare to statistical neighbours, helping trusts to identify areas that may be of a higher than average spend.

It is important to remember that many benchmarking tools use historic data and may not always represent the current situation. Nevertheless, it is an important exercise for trusts to undertake.

Benchmarking is an area of work that many of you will have completed in the past and are familiar with.  The DfE has changed the way you access this information in the form of the new ‘The Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool.’

Following feedback from school finance and business professionals as well as school resource management advisors, the DfE has developed a brand-new benchmarking service – the Financial Benchmarking and Insights tool (FBIT). This comprehensive solution combines the best features of Schools Financial Benchmarking (SFB) and View My Financial Insights (VMFI), allowing you to conduct all of your benchmarking activities in one place.  The tool provides tailored insights based on school-specific data and highlights areas for investigation and improvement. It allows comparison of performance against 30 of the most statistically similar schools and will indicate areas where spend in higher than neighbours, where there may be opportunities for savings and efficiencies. It provides users with an automated assessment of their data compared with similar schools. It will identify areas with the biggest variance compared to other schools and hence will give a starting point of areas to investigate – which might lead to improved resource management – leading to better results for their pupils.

The tool is is very flexible as it will also allow users to choose which schools the data is provided for and which criteria for comparison to use, allowing different modelling scenarios.

School resource management self-assessment checklist

This self-assessment checklist helps academy trusts check they are managing resources effectively and identify any adjustments they need to make.  All academy trusts that have an open academy must complete the self-assessment checklist each year. The checklist helps governing bodies and trust boards to

check they have appropriate financial management and governance arrangements in place; that they are meeting the right standards to achieve a good level of financial health and resource management; it helps to identify areas for change to make sure resources are used to support high-quality teaching and the best education outcomes for pupils. The checklist helps trusts identify areas for potential improvement in their resource management. It also provides assurance to DfE that trusts have the right processes, systems, and structures in place to help them achieve a good level of financial health and resource management.

The checklist was previously part of the school resource management self-assessment tool (SRMSAT).

Internal benchmarking

Many academy trusts are starting to benchmark internally, comparing real-time information in schools across the trust. This is particularly helpful where schools have local budgets and local decisions on use of suppliers etc. This can provide good examples of best practice across trusts and enable sharing of resources and strong policy across an academy trust.

The role of benchmarking in budget setting

As trusts start to think more about budget setting, benchmarking can be a really helpful tool.

• using benchmarking you can compare staff costs and structure to other comparable schools – allowing school leaders to manage resources to support high quality teaching to get the best education for pupils.
• connecting with other schools to learn from their successes or even their challenges will be beneficial.
• comparing premises costs to other similar schools – and maybe pooling resources.
• comparing occupancy costs such as energy and water. Again – connecting with other schools could help in this area.
• comparing supplies and services with other schools.

Benchmarking – wider contexts

It is important to remember that there is not always a right or wrong way for trusts and schools to be spending money, as schools will all have different priorities. It is however a useful exercise to understand how the school compares to statistical neighbours, and whether areas of larger spend are understood within both the school’s content and the wider financial climate.

Blog authored by Fiona Clain and Louise Shaw.

The topic of the key stage 2 reading SATs has often created division amongst primary teaching professionals. I am sure, like me, many of you reading this will have been involved in some animated discussions with parents, teachers and most definitely the children themselves! It’s no surprise that in 2019, this poem (written by an unknown teacher-poet) went viral, with schools across the country still adding it to their newsletters today:

“SATs don't hear your laughter, or see you've come this far,
SATs are just a tiny glimpse of who you really are.
So, sitting at your table, with a pencil and your test,
Remember SATs aren't who you are, remember you're the best.”

As advocates of reading for pleasure, we understand that the key stage 2 SATs are not the be-all and end-all of our pupils’ year 6 experience. We know that the attitudes our children have towards reading are of far greater importance for their future successes. We do however want our year 6s to feel confident, prepared and (in an ideal world) eager to put their skills to the test! (In one of our schools, our Lockdown 2019 Year 6s were disappointed that the SATs were cancelled - they even voted to have a mock-up week!)

The final stretch

With very few teaching days left, and some bank holidays thrown in for good measure, this blog is intended to give you some last-minute, practical pointers for the big week, all before the children embark on a vastly different journey of secondary school transitions and leavers events!

Let’s find the balance between ensuring our pupils are test-ready, whilst maintaining that all important, lifelong love of reading.

Plenty of practice

Whatever the model, practice remains key. Continue to immerse your pupils in a wide range of inspiring, challenging texts that will shape their life, and not just their ability to pass the test. It is not too late to have them flourishing with fluency! Stay with the impactful reading fluency strategies that we know build confidence, increase stamina and perfect accuracy.

Keeping this level of “normality” is not just going to benefit their reading, but it will also help to maintain structure and routine during what many will find a challenging period.

Perfect pitch (…or not?)

We know how important it is to provide the correct level of challenge for our Year 6 readers. They will hopefully have spent their primary years filling up on a rich reading diet. Now, with not long left to go, why not give them a more accessible text, pitched slightly lower than they have been used to as of late? This will help them to develop their answers, whilst giving them a well needed confidence boost, going into the tests with an “I can” attitude. On the morning of the test itself, warm them up by sharing a quick, simple, and inspiring picture book or poem that may be familiar to them.

Collaborate!

The tests themselves may be intended to be completed alone but what benefit does onerous, repeated testing in silence really have on our children? The answer is very little. What is more important on the lead up to the tests, is providing a chance for your children to learn from one another. Have them tackling texts together, answering authentic questions in small groups and pairs instead.

What is your ‘impression of’ 3-mark questions?

The key stage 2 reading SATs 3-mark questions can be daunting and, often, pupils will avoid even attempting them. Ask pupils in pairs to sort SATs questions according to how many marks they think each question is worth. Then, they can work together to construct the perfect answer. Provide them with a speaking frame so that they can practice orally at first, before attempting to write it out.

In the text it says …
This suggests that the character is…
It also says… which tells me that…

SATs speak

Sneak ‘test talk’ into your daily class chat and embed it across the curriculum. This way, you are getting your pupils used to the style of questioning and language that they will come across in the tests. Use it often enough and it will become second nature! You may find it beneficial to use the reading domain question stems, which can be downloaded here.

Gamification!

Make use of online resources and quizzes like Mentimeter, Kahoot, Quizlet, Miro and Rolloma to reduce test anxiety and instead create a positive sense of competition, interaction and motivation. Work in teams to collect vocabulary, share synonyms or answer timed questions. These tools are also useful for relaxed, discrete revision of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Develop the quality of inferential response

Inference is the most tested reading domain and the skill our pupils find the trickiest (and often the one we find most challenging to teach). When teaching inference, the modelling of your thought process is vital. Tools such as skills ladders and concept maps can support children’s thinking when making inferences - and can be used collaboratively, too!

Consider reading some of our back catalogue for a forensic analysis of past papers: Preparing for the 2022 KS2 Reading SATs: unpicking challenge in non-fiction texts 

Visual literacy

Get children answering SATs style questions (with an inference focus!) using varied visuals and media. Remind the children how powerful visualising is for aiding understanding and how we can apply this to reading. Generating powerful imagery will help keep them focused and make some of the images within the text more memorable. The more they practise this skill, the more likely it is to stick.

Useful visual literacy resources for inference:

Once Upon a Picture- The Inference Collection
How to Read a Painting – National Gallery

Short films like Oktapodi or Alma

Visual literacy is also a great tool for writing development! See our Visual Literacy Narrative Unit for Y5/6.

 A simple summarising skill!

Show pupils how simply recording one key word or phrase, next to each paragraph, can help them to keep track of where information is in longer texts. This active reading skill will support them when they need to refer to the text.

For example, in this extract, taken from the 2022 Key Stage 2 SATs Reading Paper, pupils might quickly record ‘lady appeared’ to help then pinpoint this important development in the story.

Pronouns – who did what to who and when?

In his book ‘Reading Reconsidered,’ Doug Lemov refers to referent questions. These questions ask what a word (often a pronoun) refers to. It is these questions that pupils often trip up on. Look at this extract from ‘Music Box’ taken from the 2019 Key Stage 2 SATs Reading Paper for example:

In just the first paragraphs alone, pupils must tackle with the reference to three characters (not to mention the personification of seconds and wind), and the pronouns she, her, they, his and finally, ‘the boy.’  You can imagine the confusion! Help pupils by making them aware of pronouns and the purpose of them. Get them tackling one sentence at a time, distinguishing between characters and events using the summarising skills mentioned above, to pinpoint key words and events.

“What does that word mean?”

• Does it have a capital letter? Do not panic; it is only a name!
• The definition of a challenging word or phrase could be right in front of you. Teach children to read it in context, paying attention to the words around it. Sometimes, these words will help them bring the sentence to life or give them some extra clues.
• Look for prefixes, suffixes and other small units of meaning in the word to aid understanding.
• Use knowledge of grammar and syntax (e.g., that must be a verb, or that word is describing the noun).

SATs simulation

Although it is vital not to aimlessly over-test in the lead up to the real thing, it is certainly helpful to give pupils a good idea of what test day will look like - a dress rehearsal if you will. Overdoing it with the practice papers can cause undue stress, but giving pupils an idea of the seating arrangements, what equipment they will need, brief discussions around the administration guidance, and presentation/handwriting legibility will certainly help to put some minds at ease.

“Write your answer in full sentences!”

With the SATs tests being time sensitive, this is not always the best advice. It is useful for the pupils to know exactly what the expectations are for different questions. Review the instructions from previous test papers to be reminded of question-and-answer expectations and help pupils get straight to the point.

Know your readers

Find time over the testing period to check in with your pupils on a 1:1 or small group basis. What kind of readers are they? Perhaps they’re super speedy readers that will have no problems finishing the test in time but will miss key information (or sometimes entire pages). They may need reminding to re-read and re-check for accuracy. Your slower readers may require a few tips to help them push through at a faster speed. A simple ‘check-in’ may put some anxious minds at ease.

All aboard!

This would also be a fantastic opportunity to remind parents about maintaining positive mental wellbeing during what many can find a stressful time.

Third Space Learning have some great activity suggestions for supporting our young minds.

“Fit your own oxygen mask before assisting others.”

Something that the inspirational Dr Dan Nicholls reminded us of recently. It is easy to say, but not-so-easy to execute, particularly during the testing period. Remember, there is nothing to be gained from last minute cramming or panic teaching. What’s done is done, and no doubt, what you have done is prepare a class of confident children who love to read.

It is this lifelong skill that will stay with them into their next journey of education and beyond.

Further reading

Reflections from analysis of the 2019 KS2 reading SATs: part 1

Reflections from analysis of the 2019 KS2 reading SATs: part 2

Reflections from analysis of the 2019 KS2 reading SATs: part 3

Reflections from analysis of the 2019 KS2 reading SATs: part 4