Research School Network: Closing the Gap: Teaching Assistant-Led Reading Fluency That Works A teaching assistant-led reading fluency intervention that is already making a measurable difference across the North East.

At Shotton Hall Research School
Our mission – supported by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) – is to close the disadvantage gap through evidence-informed practice. Over the past year, we’ve proudly partnered with the North East Combined Authority on their Excellence in Education programme to address one of the most pressing challenges in our region: supporting struggling readers.

The Challenge
Reading fluency is a critical bridge between decoding and comprehension. Yet, for many disadvantaged and SEND learners, this bridge is fragile or incomplete. We knew that to make a real difference, we needed an intervention that was not only grounded in research but also scalable and sustainable.

Our Approach
This trial involved 21 schools across the North East and included 410 pupils. Of these, 205 received the intervention, while the remaining 205 formed a control group with no additional support. The control group received no reading-related intervention during the 12-week period to help us understand how the Fast Forward to Fluency intervention impacted upon pupils’ reading outcomes. Now that our evaluation is complete, the control group will also take part in the intervention to ensure fair access for all pupils in need of additional support.

The 12-week intervention was delivered by teaching assistants (TAs), who participated in targeted professional development and were equipped with evidence-based tools and resources to support pupils to improve their reading fluency.

To evaluate the impact, all pupils completed baseline assessments measuring Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM) and overall fluency using a rubric to measure expression, accuracy, rhythm & phrasing, and smoothness (EARS). These assessments were repeated at the end of the intervention period to assess progress and effectiveness.

In our approach, we applied what we know about leading targeted interventions and aligned with the EEF’s Guidance Report on the Deployment of Teaching Assistants,
which emphasises the importance of structured interventions, high-quality training, and effective use of TAs to support learning:

1. Empower TAs with Purposeful Professional Development
Rather than focusing solely on the what, we invested in the why. TAs received high-quality professional development that deepened their understanding of reading fluency and equipped them with the tools to deliver impactful sessions. This reflects the EEF’s recommendation that TAs should not be used as substitute teachers, but as skilled deliverers of structured interventions with fidelity.

2. Effective Implementation Support
TAs and leaders were supported at every step of the process through structured implementation guidance. We introduced light-touch monitoring and evaluation tools, enabling us to track progress every three weeks and intervene where necessary. This ensured the intervention remained responsive and adaptive to pupil needs. You can see our implementation plan here.

This mirrors the EEF’s emphasis on robust implementation and the need for ongoing support and feedback loops to ensure interventions are delivered as intended.

3. Leadership Training and Oversight
We trained senior leaders and reading leads to oversee the intervention and support TAs in their delivery. This created a strong infrastructure around the intervention, embedding it within whole-school practice and ensuring sustainability. Again, this aligns with the EEF’s guidance that school leaders play a pivotal role in ensuring TAs are deployed effectively and strategically.

The Impact
The programme was trialled across 21 schools, involving 410 pupils — half receiving the intervention, half forming a control group. The results speak volumes:

Pupils eligible for Pupil Premium funding in the intervention group made nearly three times the progress in WCPM and almost six times the progress in EARS compared to their peers in the control group. SEND pupils made more than double the progress in WCPM (Words Correct per Minute) and over eight times the progress in EARS (expression, accuracy, rhythm & phrasing, and smoothness)

These outcomes highlight the transformational potential of well-trained TAs delivering structured, evidence-informed interventions.

What’s Next?
The success of this project reinforces our belief in the power of research-informed practice. The intervention has had a demonstrably positive impact across all pupil groups, with particularly strong outcomes for Pupil Premium and SEND pupils. The contrast with the control group highlights the effectiveness of the programme in accelerating reading fluency.

These findings support the continued implementation and potential expansion of the intervention to further close attainment gaps and support vulnerable learners. We’re now exploring opportunities to scale this intervention further across the region, ensuring more pupils – especially those facing disadvantage – can fast-forward to fluency.

We’ll be looking for more schools to participate from September 2025. If you’re interested, email me – Alicia.​mcconway@​nelt.​co.​uk.

Schools must be based in County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland.

Reflection Questions

If you’re considering implementing a TA-led intervention, these reflective questions are designed to support thoughtful planning, effective execution, and long-term impact.