Exploring the complexities of reading comprehension

In this episode, regular host Alex Quigley is joined by Caroline Bilton, assistant headteacher at Cragside Primary School and the EEF’s literacy specialist, to discuss teaching reading comprehension with our expert panel:

• Professor Kate Nation, experimental psychologist and expert on language and literacy development in school children, explains the process of learning to comprehend text; (Start – 19:43);
• Hydeh Fayez, Year 5 teacher and evidence lead in education, highlights the importance of exposing children to high-quality texts; (19:48 – 31:41); and
• Stella Jones, Director of Teaching and Learning at Tower End Associate Research School, describes her school’s approach to improving pupils’ reading fluency. (31:48 – End)

Further resources:

• EEF Improving Literacy in KS2 Guidance Report (Published November 2021) and additional tools