Reciprocal Reading is a structured, discussion-based approach to the teaching of reading comprehension designed and delivered by FFT. This intervention is designed for pupils who read words accurately but often struggle to understand the meaning of what they read. It aims to develop pupils’ understanding of a text through the application of four strategies – predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarising – used repeatedly on small sections of the text, to deal with comprehension difficulties as they emerge. The intervention is delivered by trained teachers and TAs for two 20 – 30-minute sessions per week, for a minimum of 12 weeks, to pupils in Years 5 and 6. Through repeated use of these strategies, readers become more confident in dealing with misunderstandings and start to apply the strategies to their own independent reading.
Education Endowment Foundation:FFT Reciprocal Reading – second trial
FFT Reciprocal Reading – second trial
Independent Evaluator
Trial to test the impact of Reciprocal Reading, a 12-week, targeted, structured approach to teaching reading comprehension.
The Reciprocal Reading effectiveness trial was funded through the Department of Education’s Accelerator Fund, which supports programmes that aim to improve pupil attainment. An earlier efficacy trial, funded by the EEF, tested FFT’s Reciprocal Reading programme in 98 schools with 5,222 pupils, using a targeted approach in Year 4 and a targeted approach for struggling readers in Years 5 and 6. The evaluation found that pupils in the targeted intervention made an average of two months’ additional progress in reading comprehension and overall reading compared to the control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution., with even greater benefits for children eligible for free school meals.
In the subsequent effectiveness trial, pupils made an average of one month’s additional progress in reading than the control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution., with the potential gains of up to two months. Analysis also indicated improvements in reading accuracy and sentence-level comprehension, though not in passage comprehension, the programme’s main target. It is important to note that pupils who received at least 20 sessions over 12 weeks made roughly two months more progress than the average intervention pupil, suggesting that the intensity of the programme influences outcomes.
Teachers reported substantial increases in confidence, understanding of key concepts, and practical knowledge following training, which was delivered with high levels of quality and attendance. Pupil engagement was consistently high, with the discussion-based format making reading feel more enjoyable and less like a task. The programme appeared to be more effective where pupils had strong prior reading skills and high engagement, and weaker where language or home factors posed barriers.
While many pupils eligible for free school meals benefited, analysis indicated that these pupils made no additional month’s progress compared to the control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution.. Many control schools offered alternative reading interventions, which may have reduced the difference in outcomes and contributed to smaller overall impact in the trial.
- There were 295 primary schools involved in the trial from across England.
- Around 90% of schools in the sample were urban, compared to 71% of schools at the national level. This limits the applicability of the trial’s results to rural settings.
- 50% of recruited schools were in Education Investment Areas, as defined by the terms of the Accelerator Fund from the DfE.
- Approximately 30% of pupils involved in the trial were FSM-eligible.
- 66% of the primary schools involved in the trial were rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted.
- To support scale-up, Reciprocal Reading uses a train-the-trainer model.
- FFT trainers deliver two days of training for teachers and TAs responsible for delivering the programme with pupils, with a Senior Trainer overseeing the FFT
- Trainers and monitoring delivery quality.
- FFT trainers provide the teachers, TAs and School Coordinators with a resource pack to deliver the intervention.
- Some schools faced practical barriers such as timetabling pressures, limited staff capacity, and insufficient space. Despite this, most schools found workable solutions.
- The intervention is commercially available on FFT’s website here.
The average cost for one school to implement Reciprocal Reading for three consecutive years is £2,759 or £77 per pupil per year, assuming the intervention is delivered to 12 pupils each year (total of 36 pupils).