Reading Fluency at St Michael's

At St Michael's, we are committed to developing confident, expressive and successful readers. Our approach to reading fluency has been shaped through specialist training with the English Hub and is embedded across the whole school. 

Reading fluency focuses on three key elements: automaticity (reading words accurately and effortlessly), accuracy (reading words correctly) and prosody (using expression, intonation and appropriate emphasis when reading aloud). 

During reading lessons, teachers model fluent reading before pupils practise through a range of strategies, including echo reading (repeating sections after the teacher), choral reading (reading together as a class), paired reading and whisper reading. These approaches ensure that all children have regular opportunities to read aloud in a supportive environment, helping them build confidence, comprehension and enjoyment of reading.

We also provide additional support for pupils who need help developing fluency through small-group pre-reading sessions, allowing them to rehearse and become more familiar with texts before whole-class learning. By prioritising fluent reading, we help our pupils become confident readers who can focus on understanding and enjoying what they read.