Reading

OAT’s 14 Reading Principles

These principles have been established to provide a shared, evidence-informed foundation for reading across our schools. They draw on the work of leading researchers and teachers, whose insights have shaped our understanding of how children learn to read and develop as readers. 

Developed collaboratively by colleagues across the Ormiston Academies Trust, these principles are designed to be both practical and specific to the primary phase. 

Their aim is to serve as a guiding anchor for teachers and leaders: offering a common language, supporting coherent curriculum design, and ensuring consistency in high-quality reading provision from early decoding to deep comprehension and reading for pleasure. 

By aligning around these principles, we can share best practice more effectively, strengthen outcomes for pupils, and foster a collective commitment to ensuring every child becomes a confident, capable, and enthusiastic reader.

Systematic synthetic phonics is essential but not sufficient
Teach phonics explicitly and sequentially, ensuring pupils can decode with increasing automaticity—but always within a broader context of language and meaning.

Oral language underpins reading success
Prioritise vocabulary, syntax, and background knowledge from the earliest years to support both decoding and later comprehension.

Precision in early assessment and responsive teaching
Use low-stakes, high-frequency assessments to identify gaps and provide immediate, targeted support for early readers.

All staff must be confident in the early reading journey
Invest in high-quality professional development for all adults supporting early readers, ensuring consistency and fidelity to the phonics programme.

Fluency is the bridge to comprehension
Regular, repeated reading of carefully chosen texts helps build automaticity, prosody, and stamina.

Comprehension strategies must be taught explicitly—but sparingly
Teach strategies like summarising and questioning briefly and purposefully, embedded within rich text exploration.

Knowledge matters
Develop pupils’ background knowledge across the curriculum to improve inference and overall comprehension, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

Discussion is central to meaning-making
Plan for structured, dialogic talk around texts to develop interpretation, critical thinking, and oral language.

Choose texts with purpose, diversity, and depth
Build a reading spine that includes classics, contemporary works, diverse voices, and texts that connect to curriculum themes and cultural capital.

Sequencing matters
Organise literature so that themes, genres, and concepts build progressively—supporting both language development and long-term retention.

Avoid over-fragmenting texts
Prioritise whole texts and extended narratives over extract-heavy approaches to support deeper engagement and comprehension.

Teacher reading identity shapes pupil reading identity
Teachers who read, and talk about reading, help children form positive reader identities.

Independent reading is essential, but must be supported
Ensure pupils have time to read independently but provide scaffolding through book talk, peer recommendations, and shared reading experiences .

The physical environment communicates value
Create classroom and school environments where high-quality books are visible, accessible, and celebrated.

Reading Domains

Key Stage 1 DomainsDownload
LKS2 DomainsDownload
UKS2 DomainsDownload