What Are Ofsted Saying About Reading Fluency?

📖 We've analysed hundreds of Ofsted reports from the last few months.

🕵️‍♂️ Ofsted are finally picking up on the importance of reading fluency.

👨‍🏫 As phonics provision improves, the emphasis is shifting to fluency.

👇 Find out everything you need to know below.

📈 1. Phonics is strong—but fluency progression is uneven

A March 2024 Ofsted subject report showed that since the introduction of the phonics screening check, decoding skills have significantly improved in primary schools. However, Ofsted warns that pupils entering KS2 without fluency are not always supported effectively to catch up.

“Teachers are strong on the basics of phonics, but less clear about how to build fluency and comprehension.” https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofsted-report-shows-reading-has-improved-but-writing-and-spoken-language-need-more-focus

🎯 2. Growing emphasis on fluency strategies and interventions

The RAP (Reading Age Predictor) tool from FFT Education Datalab provides valuable insight into reading fluency development. It shows average Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM) scores growing from about 16 WCPM in Year 1 to over 110 WCPM by Year 6. However, many pupils in the lowest quartile remain significantly behind. There is also strong evidence of a link between fluency and comprehension: oral reading fluency scores correlate at around 0.68 with end-of-KS2 comprehension results.

“Oral reading fluency is a key factor in explaining attainment gaps between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils.” https://ffteducationdatalab.org.uk/2024/11/measuring-reading-fluency-during-primary-education

To address this, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has launched a national KS2 Reading Fluency Project, based on modelled reading, echo-reading, repeated reading, prosody and performance.

“We want to test whether fluency strategies can significantly accelerate progress in KS2 readers. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/ks2-reading-fluency-project-2024-25-trial

🧑‍🏫 3. Nationwide rollout of fluency CPD from English Hubs

In June 2025, the Department for Education announced the expansion of a national reading fluency CPD programme, delivered through English Hubs and informed by HFL Education. The training includes techniques such as echo-reading, performance reading, and strategies to build prosody.

“The CPD will give teachers practical tools to develop fluent, confident readers in KS2 and beyond.” https://educationbusinessuk.net/news/03062025/reading-fluency-strategies-support-primary-school-teachers

📚 4. The need for reading joy—not just decoding

An important caution came from a Guardian article in May 2025, which noted that over-focus on phonics drills and phonics check results may be damaging children’s love of reading.

“The risk is that children learn to decode without ever experiencing the joy, purpose and wonder of reading.” https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/may/06/fostering-a-lifelong-love-of-reading-in-children

Many experts are calling for story-rich reading environments, more use of shared reading, and greater investment in school libraries and read-aloud sessions.

🧩 5. Curriculum coherence and professional development

Ofsted’s English subject report repeatedly stressed the need for fluency to be a deliberate curriculum goal. Inspectors criticised some schools for over-reliance on comprehension-style questions during guided reading, rather than developing fluent, expressive readers.

“Schools need to prioritise oral reading and build a strong reading culture across the curriculum.” https://readingwise.com/blog/telling-the-story-ofsted-english-education-subject-report

✍️ Summary: Where We Are and Where We’re Heading

Strengths	Gaps	Next Steps
Systematic phonics is embedded in KS1	Fluency support in KS2 is patchy	Use RAP/WCPM tracking + targeted fluency interventions
Growing body of fluency research (FFT, EEF)	Reading enjoyment not prioritised in some settings	Rebalance decoding with story-rich reading
National CPD for fluency rolling out in 2025	Curriculum often narrowly focused on comprehension tests	Train staff in prosody, oral reading and performance

🧭 What Primary Schools Should Do Next

1. Track oral fluency (e.g. WCPM) termly across year groups

2. Identify low-fluency pupils early, especially in Years 3–6

3. Use repeated reading, echo-reading, choral and performance reading regularly

4. Combine phonics with rich texts and joyful reading experiences

5. Invest in CPD for teachers to strengthen fluency teaching strategies

Ofsted and sector insights from 2024–2025 are clear: teaching decoding isn’t enough. Schools must make reading fluency a planned, measured and celebrated part of their curriculum. With national trials, CPD opportunities, and tools like the RAP tracker now in place, the sector is poised to help more pupils make the vital leap from “can decode” to “reads with confidence, prosody and pleasure.”

Now is the time for every primary school to make reading fluency a top priority.

If you'd like a coherent reading fluency scheme, take a look at what we offer at www.thefluencyfactory.co.uk - Download the FREE SAMPLE at the top of the page!

Want to know even more? Watch our FREE Reading Fluency & The Fluency Factory CPD Video now available on our CPD page.