Some pupils understand individual sentences but lose the main idea as information builds across a passage.

The checks below use the text the class is already reading.

Choose useful stopping points

Before the lesson, identify two or three points where an important event, explanation or idea is complete. Avoid stopping so frequently that the flow of reading disappears.

In whole-class reading, you could use the stopping points you already plan and ask the pupils you are supporting first. During paired or independent reading, one option is to sit with them for the first stopping point and check the rest as you circulate.

Check any vocabulary that is essential to understanding the section. Do not pre-teach every unfamiliar word.

Ask for a concise account

At each stopping point, ask the pupils you are supporting to say what happened or what the section was mainly about in one sentence. Listen for the essential idea rather than exact wording. For example, “The boy finds out his friend lied, so he stops trusting her” holds the main idea; “There was a boy and a girl” does not.

If something important is missing:

1. direct pupils back to the sentence carrying the idea;

2. read or examine it together;

3. model a concise paraphrase;

4. ask pupils to restate it themselves;

5. connect it to the previous section before continuing.

This checks whether meaning is holding together without creating a separate comprehension worksheet.

Reduce the support

Use the extra check only at points where it is helpful. As pupils begin identifying and connecting main ideas independently, reduce the number of prompts.

Distinguish the difficulty

A pupil who cannot read the words accurately needs decoding or fluency support. A pupil who reads accurately but still cannot explain or connect the ideas may need more detailed comprehension assessment or provision.

Further guidance

EEF literacy guidance for Key Stage 2 covers explicit comprehension strategies, vocabulary and purposeful discussion.