Episode
The Difficult Questions About Teaching Reading
- Published
- Jul 18, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2137
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Summary
Get your tickets for the TDaPE Conference Online For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the Hey! What You Reading For newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe AI For Teachers newsletter For maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected] Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview and https://www.acel.pro Episode 301: What should teachers do when a child is still struggling to decode in Year 5? How much should reading intervention take priority over the wider curriculum? What can a reading age genuinely tell us, and when should teachers adapt a phonics programme rather than follow it exactly? In this episode, Christopher Such returns to answer some of the most difficult questions about teaching reading. We discuss phonics in mixed Year 1 and Year 2 classes, the compromises involved in supporting older struggling readers, the limits of reading ages, the meaning of fidelity and whether audiobooks can develop the language and knowledge needed for comprehension. A practical and thoughtful conversation about diagnosis, intervention and making better decisions for pupils who find reading difficult.