Reading Progression: Whole-School Curriculum Progression Map

Reading – Word Reading	EYFS (30 - 50mths to ELGs)	KS1	KS2	
	30 – 50 months
40 – 60 months Early Learning Goals	
Year 1	
Year 2	
Year 3	
Year 4	
Year 5	
Year 6	

Phonics and Decoding	To enjoy rhyming and rhythmic activities.
To show an awareness of rhyme and alliteration.
To recognise rhythm in spoken words.
To continue a rhyming string.
To hear and say the initial sound in words.
To segment the sounds in simple words and blend them together and know which letter represents some of them.
To link sounds to letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet.
To use phonic knowledge to decode regular words and read them aloud accurately.	To apply phonic knowledge and skills as the route to decode words.
To blend sounds in unfamiliar words using the GPCs that they have been taught.
To respond speedily, giving the correct sound to graphemes for all of the 40+ phonemes.
To read words containing taught GPCs.
To read words containing -s, -es, -ing,
-ed and -est endings.
To read words with contractions, e.g. I’m, I’ll and we’ll.	To continue to apply phonic knowledge and skills as the route to decode words until automatic
decoding has become embedded and reading is fluent.
To read accurately by blending the sounds in words that contain the graphemes taught so far,
especially recognising alternative sounds for graphemes.
To accurately read most words of two or more syllables.
To read most words containing common suffixes.*	To use their phonic knowledge to decode quickly and accurately (may still need support to read longer unknown words).
To apply their growing knowledge of root words and prefixes, including
in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-, mis-,
un-, re-, sub-, inter-, super-, anti- and auto- to begin to read aloud.*
To apply their growing knowledge of root words and suffixes/word endings, including -ation,
-ly, -ous, -ture, -sure, -sion,
-tion, -ssion and -cian, to begin to read aloud.*	To read most words fluently and attempt to decode any unfamiliar words with increasing speed and skill.
To apply their knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes/word endings to read aloud fluently.*	To read most words fluently and attempt to decode any unfamiliar words with increasing speed and skill, recognising their meaning through contextual cues.
To apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes/ word endings, including
-sion, -tion, -cial, -tial,
-ant/-ance/-ancy, -ent/- ence/-ency, -able/-ably and -ible/ibly, to read aloud fluently.*	To read fluently with full knowledge of all Y5/ Y6 exception words, root words, prefixes,
suffixes/word endings* and to decode any unfamiliar words with increasing speed and skill, recognising their meaning through contextual cues.	

Common Exception Words	To read some common irregular words.	To read Y1 common exception words, noting unusual correspondences between spelling and sound and where these occur in words.	To read most Y1 and Y2 common exception words*, noting unusual correspondences
between spelling and sound and where these occur in the word.	To begin to read Y3/Y4 exception words.*	To read all Y3/Y4 exception words*, discussing the unusual correspondences between spelling and these occur in the word.	To read most Y5/ Y6 exception words,
discussing the unusual correspondences between spelling and sound and where these occur in the word.		

Fluency	To show interest in illustrations and print in books and print in the environment.
To recognise familiar words and signs such as own name and advertising logos.
To look and handle books independently (holds books the correct way up and turns pages).

To ascribe meanings to marks that they see in different places.
To begin to break the flow of speech into words.
To begin to read words and simple sentences.

To read and understand simple sentences.
	To accurately read texts that are consistent with their developing phonic knowledge, that do not require them to use other strategies to work out words.
To reread texts to build up fluency and confidence in word reading.	To read aloud books (closely matched to their improving phonic
knowledge), sounding out unfamiliar
words accurately, automatically and without undue hesitation.
To reread these books to build up fluency and
confidence in word reading.
To read words accurately and fluently without overt sounding and blending, e.g. at over 90 words per minute, in age-appropriate texts.	At this stage, teaching comprehension skills should be taking precedence over teaching word reading and fluency specifically. Any focus on word reading should support the development of vocabulary.	

Reading – Comprehension	EYFS (30 - 50mths to ELGs)	KS1	KS2	
	30 – 50 months
40 – 60 months Early Learning Goals	
Year 1	
Year 2	
Year 3	
Year 4	
Year 5	
Year 6	
Understanding and Correcting Inaccuracies	To know that print carries meaning and, in English, is read from left to right and top to bottom.
To understand humour,
e.g. nonsense rhymes, jokes.	To check that a text makes sense to them as they read and to self- correct.	To show understanding by drawing on what they already know or on background information
and vocabulary provided by the teacher.
To check that the text makes sense to them as they read and to correct inaccurate reading.					

Comparing, Contrasting and Commenting	To listen to stories with increasing attention and recall.
To anticipate key events and phrases in rhymes and stories.
To begin to be aware of the way stories are structured.
To describe main story settings, events and principal characters.
To enjoy an increasing range of books.
To follow a story without pictures or props.
To listen to stories,	To listen to and discuss a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry at a level beyond that at which they can read independently.
To link what they have read or have read to them to their own experiences.
To retell familiar stories in increasing detail.
To join in with discussions about a text, taking turns and listening to what others say.
To discuss the significance of titles and events.	To participate in discussion about books, poems and other works that are read to them
(at a level beyond at which they can read independently) and those that they can read for themselves, explaining their understanding and expressing their views.
To become increasingly familiar with and to retell a wide range of stories, fairy stories and traditional tales.
To discuss the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related.	To recognise, listen to and discuss a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and
reference books or textbooks.
To use appropriate terminology when discussing texts (plot, character, setting).	To discuss and compare texts from a wide variety of genres and writers.
To read for a range of purposes.
To identify themes and conventions in a wide range of books.
To refer to authorial style, overall themes (e.g. triumph of good over evil) and
features (e.g. greeting in letters, a diary written in the first person or the use of presentational devices such as numbering and headings).	To read a wide range of genres, identifying the characteristics of text types (such as the use of the first person in writing diaries and autobiographies) and differences between text types.
To participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for
themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously.
To identify main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and to	To read for pleasure, discussing, comparing and evaluating in depth across a wide range of genres, including myths, legends, traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage and books from other cultures and traditions.
To recognise more complex themes in what they read (such as loss or heroism).
To explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates,	

	accurately anticipating key events and respond to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions.

To demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what they have read.		To recognise simple recurring literary language in stories and poetry.
To ask and answer questions about a text.
To make links between the text they are reading and other texts they have read (in texts that they can read independently).		To identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning.
To identify main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarise these.	summarise these.
To recommend texts to peers based on personal choice.	maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary.
To listen to guidance and feedback on the quality of their explanations and contributions to discussions and to
make improvements when participating in discussions.

To draw out key information and to summarise the main ideas in a text.

To distinguish independently between statements of fact
and opinion, providing reasoned justifications for their views.

To compare characters, settings and themes within a text and across more than one text.	
Words in Context and Authorial Choice	To build up vocabulary that reflects the breadth of their experiences.
To extend vocabulary, especially by grouping and naming, exploring the meaning and sounds of new words.
To use vocabulary and forms of speech that are increasingly influenced by their experiences of books.	To discuss word meaning and link new meanings to those already known.	To discuss and clarify the meanings of words, linking new meanings to known vocabulary.
To discuss their favourite words and phrases.	To check that the text makes sense to them, discussing their
understanding and explaining the meaning of words in context.
To discuss authors’ choice of words and phrases for effect.	Discuss vocabulary used to capture readers’ interest and imagination.	To discuss vocabulary used by the author to create effect including figurative language.
To evaluate the use of authors’ language and explain how it has created an impact on
the reader.	To analyse and evaluate the use of language, including figurative language and how it is used for effect, using technical terminology such as metaphor, simile, analogy, imagery, style and effect.	

Inference and Prediction	To suggest how a story might end.
To begin to understand ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions.
To answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to stories or events.	To begin to make simple inferences.
To predict what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far.	To make inferences on the basis of what is being said and done.
To predict what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far in a text.	To ask and answer questions appropriately, including some simple inference questions based on characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives.
To justify predictions using evidence from the text.	To draw inferences from characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives that justifies their actions, supporting their views with evidence from the text.
To justify predictions from details stated and implied.	To draw inferences from characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives.
To make predictions based on details stated and implied, justifying them in detail with evidence from the text.	To consider different accounts of the same event and to discuss viewpoints (both of authors and of fictional characters).
To discuss how characters change and develop through texts by drawing inferences based on indirect clues.	

Poetry and Performance	To listen to and join in with stories and poems, one-to-one and also in small groups.
To join in with repeated refrains in rhymes and stories.
To use intonation, rhythm and phrasing to make the meaning clear to others.
To develop preference for forms of expression.
To play cooperatively as part of a group to develop and act out a narrative.
To express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listeners’ needs.	To recite simple poems by heart.	To continue to build  up a repertoire of poems learnt by heart, appreciating these and reciting some with appropriate intonation to make the meaning clear.	To prepare and perform poems and play scripts that show some awareness of the audience when reading aloud.
To begin to use appropriate intonation and volume when reading aloud.	To recognise and discuss some different forms of poetry (e.g. free verse or narrative poetry).
To prepare and perform poems and play scripts with appropriate techniques (intonation, tone, volume and action) to show awareness of the audience when reading aloud.	To continually show an awareness of audience when reading out loud using intonation, tone, volume and action.	To confidently perform texts (including poems learnt by heart) using a wide range of devices to engage the audience and for effect.	

Non-Fiction	To know that information can be relayed in the form of print.
To know that information can be retrieved from books and computers.		To recognise that non- fiction books are often structured in different ways.	To retrieve and record information from non- fiction texts.	To use all of the organisational devices available within a non- fiction text to retrieve, record and discuss information.
To use dictionaries to check the meaning of words that they have read.	To use knowledge of texts and organisation devices to retrieve, record and discuss information from fiction and non-fiction texts.	To retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction texts.
To use non-fiction materials for purposeful information retrieval (e.g. in reading history, geography and science textbooks) and in contexts where pupils are genuinely motivated to find out information (e.g. reading information leaflets before a gallery or museum visit or reading a theatre programme or review).	
* These are detailed in the word lists within the spelling appendix to the national curriculum (English Appendix 1). Teachers should refer to these to exemplify the words that pupils should be able to read as well as spell.