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Fluency, Phonics & Future: The Power of Reading
4th November 2025
Reading has the power to open doors that might otherwise stay firmly shut. It’s one of the single biggest predictors of future success, which is why it remains one of our Trust’s key priorities this year. To support this, we’re delighted to have our Lead Practitioners, Kathryn Inglis and Katrina Marshall , working closely with our primary schools, and Verity King supporting our secondary settings. We’re also incredibly fortunate to be working with Martin Galloway, who brings a wealth of expertise from The Literacy Trust and their work on the HFL Fluency Programme. He will lead our Reading Networks, with a sharp focus on developing fluency.
New for this year, we’re launching a Phonics Network for KS1, KS2 and KS3, designed to support those students who aren’t yet secure in phonics and need targeted intervention to unlock their reading confidence.
This work matters. Research shows that children who leave primary school unable to read at age-related expectations are four times less likely to achieve good GCSE outcomes, and reading ability at 11 is one of the strongest predictors of future earnings and life opportunities.
As a Trust, we want to build a shared culture where reading is everyone’s business. As Dr. Seuss said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” By working together, sharing great practice, and championing reading at every stage, we can give every student the best possible start.
Reading has the power to open doors that might otherwise stay firmly shut. It’s one of the single biggest predictors of future success, which is why it remains one of our Trust’s key priorities this year. To support this, we’re delighted to have our Lead Practitioners, Kathryn Inglis and Katrina Marshall , working closely with our primary schools, and Verity King supporting our secondary settings. We’re also incredibly fortunate to be working with Martin Galloway, who brings a wealth of expertise from The Literacy Trust and their work on the HFL Fluency Programme. He will lead our Reading Networks, with a sharp focus on developing fluency.
New for this year, we’re launching a Phonics Network for KS1, KS2 and KS3, designed to support those students who aren’t yet secure in phonics and need targeted intervention to unlock their reading confidence.
This work matters. Research shows that children who leave primary school unable to read at age-related expectations are four times less likely to achieve good GCSE outcomes, and reading ability at 11 is one of the strongest predictors of future earnings and life opportunities.
As a Trust, we want to build a shared culture where reading is everyone’s business. As Dr. Seuss said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” By working together, sharing great practice, and championing reading at every stage, we can give every student the best possible start.
