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FOR TEACHERS · KS2

Engaging reluctant readers in KS2: a practical guide

Every KS2 class has pupils who will do anything but read. This guide brings together what the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Department for Education's reading framework say, and turns it into routines you can run next week, without a new scheme or extra marking.

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Start by diagnosing: can't, won't or both

The EEF's Key Stage 2 literacy guidance asks schools to target teaching by accurately assessing what each pupil needs (EEF, 2021). For a reluctant reader that means pulling apart four things that look the same from the front of the class:

Decoding

Errors on unfamiliar or longer words, guessing from the first letter, avoiding reading aloud.

Fluency

Accurate but slow, flat or word-by-word reading. They lose the meaning before the end of the sentence.

Comprehension

Reads fluently but can't say what happened or why. Often linked to vocabulary and background knowledge.

Motivation

Reads well when made to, never by choice. Says reading is boring, or not for people like them.

A quick way in: hear the pupil read 150 to 200 words of an unseen text at their age level, note errors and pace, then ask two questions about it and one about what they read at home. The reading framework notes that the Standards and Testing Agency treats about 90 words a minute as an indicator of sufficient fluency (DfE, 2023). Use it as a flag, not a target.

Pupils who can't yet decode

No amount of enthusiasm fixes a decoding gap. The reading framework says pupils with a reading age of 8 or below are likely to need a systematic synthetic phonics programme, with materials suitable for their age, starting at the highest point they need rather than at the beginning (DfE, 2023). The EEF recommends high-quality structured interventions for pupils who are struggling (EEF, 2021).

Keep the motivation work going alongside. A Year 5 pupil doing phonics catch-up still needs to hear great books read aloud and to be part of book talk, so reading doesn't become something that only happens to them in a side room.

Fluency: the hidden barrier

Many KS2 reluctant readers can decode but read so slowly that a chapter is exhausting. The reading framework says pupils with a reading age of 8 to 9 are likely to need fluency support, ideally daily practice in small groups, and it describes echo reading, choral reading and rereading a prepared text aloud. The EEF's guidance recommends guided oral reading and repeated reading (EEF, 2021).

A ten-minute fluency routine

  1. Choose a short passage (100 to 200 words) from the class novel or a text they want to read.
  2. Model it with expression while pupils follow.
  3. Echo read: you read a sentence, they read it back.
  4. Choral read the whole passage together.
  5. Pairs reread it to each other, aiming for smooth, expressive reading rather than speed.

Short, daily and on texts that matter to them works better than occasional long sessions on texts that don't.

Read aloud, every day

The reading framework recommends “story time for every key stage 2 class, at least four times a week for 20 minutes” (DfE, 2023). For reluctant readers this is where the pleasure lives: they get stories they couldn't yet read alone, the vocabulary that goes with them, and a reason to care what happens next.

  • Pick books above most pupils' independent level, and finish them.
  • Stop on cliffhangers. Let pupils predict, argue and vote on what will happen.
  • Leave the book where pupils can borrow it afterwards; rereading a book they have heard is easier.
  • Read the first book of a series aloud, and let pupils carry on with the rest themselves.

Build a reading for pleasure culture

The national curriculum aims for pupils to “develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information” (DfE, 2013). The DfE's own review of the evidence sets out why reading for pleasure matters (DfE, 2012), and the reading framework's section on it draws on Teresa Cremin's Teachers as Readers research with the Open University (Open University). Its core practices are:

A social reading environment

A class library pupils help to stock, displays of what the class is reading, and comfortable places to read.

Reading aloud

Daily, for pleasure, with no worksheet attached.

Informal book talk

Pupils and adults recommending books to each other, not just book reviews for the wall.

Independent reading time

Protected time to read a book of their choice, with the teacher reading too or chatting about books.

The research also highlights teachers who read: knowing children's books well enough to say “If you liked that, try this” is one of the most powerful moves for a reluctant reader.

Choice, identity and what counts

In the National Literacy Trust's 2025 survey, only 32.7% of 8 to 18-year-olds enjoyed reading in their free time, the lowest since 2005; enjoyment rose to 36.1% in 2026 (NLT, 2025; NLT, 2026). The most common draws children named in 2025 were links to a favourite film or TV series and books that matched their interests, and over a quarter valued the freedom to choose.

  • Comics and graphic novels. Comic readers were far more likely to enjoy reading than non-readers in the NLT's 2023 comics survey (NLT, 2024).
  • Audiobooks. 44.5% of listeners said audiobooks sparked their interest in reading books (NLT, 2021). Pair the audio with the print copy.
  • Digital texts. The NLT found reading digitally plays a particularly important role for less-engaged readers, boys and children from lower-income homes (NLT, 2026).
  • Non-fiction. Football, animals, space and how-things-work books let a pupil be the expert.

Correlation isn't causation in any of these studies, but together they give you permission to widen the shelf.

Let them author the story

Reluctant readers often become interested in reading when they have a stake in the story. The EEF recommends teaching writing composition strategies alongside reading (EEF, 2021), and the two feed each other: pupils who have planned a story read other people's more like writers.

  • Stop a read-aloud at a turning point and have pupils write the next paragraph, then compare it with the author's.
  • Write a class “choose your path” story, with pupils drafting the options and voting on which to follow.
  • Let reluctant readers write for a real audience, such as a younger class.

Litsee's free KS2 story starters include choose-your-path starters with three “What happens next?” options, and the story plan templates print a planner for each text type.

A six-week plan for a target group

  1. Week 1: find out. Hear each pupil read, note decoding, fluency and comprehension, and ask what they read at home. Sort the group by need.
  2. Week 2: start the routines. Daily story time for the class; ten-minute fluency sessions for slow readers; structured phonics for anyone who can't yet decode.
  3. Week 3: hand over choice. Let the group restock part of the class library, including comics, audiobooks and non-fiction.
  4. Week 4: make it social. Book swaps, recommendation cards, and pupils reading to a younger class.
  5. Week 5: write. A class choose-your-path story, with the group writing the options.
  6. Week 6: review. Hear them read the same passage as in week 1, and ask again what they read at home. Share what worked with parents.

The EEF's guidance on working with parents recommends giving families practical strategies to support learning at home (EEF, 2018). Our guide for parents of reluctant readers is written to be sent home.

Questions teachers ask

What is a reluctant reader?

A pupil who avoids reading when they have a choice. Some find reading hard, so they avoid it; some read accurately but see no point; many are both. In KS2 the two feed each other, so it pays to check skills and motivation separately before choosing what to do.

How do you engage reluctant readers in KS2?

Check decoding and fluency first, then build a reading for pleasure routine around them: daily reading aloud by the teacher, real choice of texts, informal book talk and protected time to read. Give fluency practice to pupils who read slowly, and let comics, audiobooks, non-fiction and digital texts count.

How long should story time be in KS2?

The DfE reading framework recommends story time for every key stage 2 class at least four times a week, for 20 minutes. Choose books pupils could not yet read on their own, and finish them.

Should struggling readers in Year 5 or 6 still do phonics?

If they cannot decode accurately, yes. The reading framework says pupils with a reading age of 8 or below are likely to need a systematic synthetic phonics programme, using age-appropriate materials and starting at the highest point they need, not the beginning. Pupils with a reading age of 8 to 9 are more likely to need fluency practice.

Do audiobooks and comics help reluctant readers?

They can be a way in. In a 2021 National Literacy Trust study, 44.5% of audiobook listeners said listening sparked their interest in reading books, and its 2023 comics survey found comic readers were far more likely to enjoy reading. These are associations, so pair them with print and talk.

How can I tell 'can't' from 'won't'?

Listen to the pupil read a short unseen passage at their age level. Accurate but slow and flat reading points to fluency; frequent errors on unfamiliar words point to decoding; fluent reading with no interest points to motivation. A two-minute chat about what they read outside school often tells you the rest.

Sources

  1. Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2 (guidance report, second edition) Education Endowment Foundation, 2021
  2. The reading framework Department for Education, July 2023
  3. Research evidence on reading for pleasure Department for Education, May 2012
  4. National curriculum in England: English programmes of study Department for Education, September 2013
  5. Reading for Pleasure research The Open University, ongoing
  6. Children and young people's reading in 2025 National Literacy Trust, June 2025
  7. Children and young people's reading in 2026 National Literacy Trust, June 2026
  8. The role of audiobooks to engage reluctant readers and underrepresented children and young people National Literacy Trust, July 2021
  9. Children and young people's engagement with comics in 2023 National Literacy Trust, March 2024
  10. Trends in children and young people's reading in print and digital formats National Literacy Trust, March 2026
  11. Working with Parents to Support Children's Learning (guidance report) Education Endowment Foundation, December 2018

How this page was made

Written by the Litsee team, with AI help for drafting, and checked line by line against the sources listed on this page. It has not yet been reviewed by an independent teacher or literacy specialist; when it has, their name will appear here.

Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email info@litsee.com and we will fix it. Last reviewed: .

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