Last reviewed on 3 June 2021
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 41670

Find out what to include in your reading and guided reading policies, and see examples from both primary academies and maintained schools.

What to include

Your reading and/or guided reading policies should set out how you teach reading in your school. There's no set format, and this isn't an exhaustive list, but it's good practice for these policies to include:

  • Reading aims and intentions, including:
    • Why teaching reading is important
    • What you'd expect your pupils to achieve by the time they leave school
  • Strategies used to teach reading, guided reading and phonics across the school
  • How reading is planned 
  • How teachers assess reading ability 
  • How pupils with complex needs receive extra support

Examples of reading policies

Note: although maintained schools are required to follow the National Curriculum while academies aren't, the reading and guided reading policies for both types of school are often quite similar.

Maintained schools

Academies

Examples of guided