Recently, Reading Leads from across all 13 of our primary schools came together at the Humber Education Trust Training and Development Centre for our Reading Leaders’ Community of Practice event. The day was a perfect opportunity to collaborate and reflect during the National Year of Reading.

The day began with a focus on securing early reading through high-quality phonics, reinforcing the importance of a ‘keep up, not catch up’ approach and building on the strong practice already in place across our schools.

Leaders then explored the role of reading fluency in developing confident, independent readers. Discussions highlighted how fluency supports comprehension by improving accuracy, automaticity and pace, alongside practical strategies for teaching and assessing fluency beyond reading speed.

The new HET Reading Progression document was introduced, prompting valuable discussions about how reading develops across the years and the importance of selecting high-quality texts, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Over lunch, colleagues shared book recommendations, sparking fresh ideas and enthusiasm for reviewing current text choices.

The afternoon focused on explicitly teaching reading for meaning, with strategies to support pupils in retrieving information, making inferences and understanding vocabulary in context.

Key messages from the day will now be taken back into schools and implemented over the coming year, with opportunities to reflect on the impact in future meetings.

A big thank you to Deb James for leading such an engaging day and to all Reading Leads for their enthusiasm and ongoing commitment to inspire a love of reading in our pupils.