Intensive reading programs are designed to provide targeted support for students who struggle with reading. These programs offer structured, systematic instruction that focuses on improving specific reading skills such as decoding, comprehension, and fluency. They are particularly beneficial for students who are significantly behind their peers in reading ability. Instruction here is best done outside of their class lessons.
Below are some recommended options for both younger learners (under 11) and older students (over 11). However, it's important to note that all of these recommendations are designed to be done in a school or professional setting performed by a SENCo, a TA or another teaching professional. However, if you want to look at reading help at home you can click here. For reading help in the classroom click here and for assistive technology, click here.
Phonics Programmes for Under 11s
For many children who are struggling with reading under the age of 11, this can be down to their phonics skills, the following focus on this key discipline. We have another article devoted to phonics, so we just have a couple of recommendations here. You can click here for our full phonics article.
Fluency and comprehension for 7+
Fluency is an important skill for all readers, but one which learners with dyslexia find difficulty to acquire. It involves accuracy and speed combined. The following programs can be helpful across the board whether you are in a primary or secondary setting.
Recommended programme
Lexia Core5 Reading
Lexia Core5 Reading is an online adaptive program designed to provide personalised learning in six areas of reading instruction, including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. It is suitable for students from Reception through Year 6, adapting to each student's unique pace of learning.
Pros
Adjusts to the student’s ability level, ensuring personalised instruction.
Covers multiple areas of reading.
The online format can be engaging for students, making it feel like a game.
It has a strong research base. It offers resources and lesson plans to be used as reinforcement with an adult in class.
Cons
Requires access to a computer or tablet.
Though adaptive, it may not replace the one-on-one support from a teacher or specialist.
Works best with adult support, otherwise may not be worth it.
Recommended programme
Reading Plus
Reading Plus is an adaptive online program that helps students develop silent reading fluency while enhancing comprehension skills. It provides personalised reading practice and comprehension questions, helping students transition from learning to read to reading for understanding. The program also tracks student progress and adjusts the difficulty of reading materials based on performance.
Pros
The program adjusts to each student’s reading ability, providing the right level of challenge.
The online, game-like format makes it more engaging.
Teachers and parents can track students’ progress easily.
Cons
Requires access to a computer or tablet with internet connectivity.
Typically requires a paid subscription.
More Tips for Younger Readers
Select Appropriate Texts:
Choose short, engaging texts that are slightly below the student’s current reading level for fluency practice. The texts should be easy enough to allow the student to focus on speed and expression rather than decoding.
Set Specific Goals:
Establish clear, measurable goals for each session, such as increasing the number of words read correctly per minute, reducing the number of pauses, reading with expression, asking a question about the text, summarising the text in 3 words. These goals help track progress and motivate students.
Model Fluent Reading:
Begin each session by reading the text aloud to the student, demonstrating fluent reading with proper pacing, intonation, and expression. This provides a model for the student to emulate during their own practice.
Incorporate Timed Readings:
Use timed readings to track progress and set challenges for students. For example, see how much of the text the student can read accurately within a set time frame, and work towards improving that score in subsequent sessions.
Encourage Re-Reading for Fluency
Have the student read the same text multiple times within each session. Start with a slower, more deliberate pace and gradually increase speed as they become more familiar with the words and structure.
Provide Positive Feedback:
Offer immediate and specific feedback after each reading. Praise improvements in speed, accuracy, and expression, and gently guide the student in areas that need more work.
Reciprocal reading
Reciprocal reading is a structured, discussion based approach to reading which is evidence based as part of intervention. it involves teaching the skills of prediction, clarification, summary and questioning and is great for supporting comprehension and active reading.
Practise Repeated Reading
For readers at a very early level, this can support confidence and fluency. the adult reads a short section, which the child repeats. Gradually move on to shared reading.
Shared Reading
For readers lacking confidence and fluency, share the reading of the text. Read together with the child, until the child is ready to read alone for a word, phrase, sentence or section of the read. They can indicate that they are ready by using a signal chosen in advance, e.g. tapping the table.
Intensive reading for 11+
The next series of recommendations focus on reading in a secondary context. For each of the programs, a link is provided to see more information.
Recommended programme
Inference Training
Inference training is a teaching method designed to improve reading comprehension by helping students use clues from the text and their prior knowledge to make inferences. This skill is crucial for understanding more complex and subtle ideas within texts, especially for older readers who need to grasp implied meanings and abstract themes.
Pros
Enhances higher-order thinking skills and comprehension.
Encourages students to think critically and read between the lines.
Effective for students with adequate decoding skills but who struggle with deeper comprehension.
Cons
Requires regular practice to develop strong inferencing abilities.
Best paired with other reading interventions if students have issues with fluency or decoding.
Recommended programme
Fluency Practice
Fluency practice involves having students read the same text multiple times to improve reading speed, accuracy, and expression. Fluent reading allows students to focus more on understanding the text rather than struggling with decoding each word. You could try a program like Read Naturally, however, others are available.
Pros
Improves reading speed and accuracy.
Helps students focus more on comprehension.
Reinforces vocabulary through repeated exposure.
Cons
Repetitive practice may disengage some students.
Focuses primarily on fluency and may need to be paired with comprehension strategies.
Recommended programme
Catch-Up Literacy Programme
Catch-Up Literacy is an intensive one-on-one intervention program designed for struggling readers aged 6-14. So it can be used for younger readers too. It offers tailored sessions that address both decoding and comprehension difficulties.
Pros
Combines decoding and comprehension support in a structured manner.
Tailored to each individual student’s reading needs.
Proven to improve reading outcomes for older students.
Cons
Requires significant one-on-one time, which may be resource-intensive.
Progress can be slow, requiring long-term commitment from the student and teacher.
Recommended programme
Morph Mastery
Morph Mastery is a structured program that teaches students about morphemes, including prefixes, suffixes, and root words, to help improve their reading and spelling skills. This program is especially useful for older students who have not responded well to phonics-based instruction. We write more about Morph Mastery here.
Pros
Helps students grasp the structure of more complex, multisyllabic words.
Ideal for those who struggle with phonics-based methods.
Improves both vocabulary and comprehension by focusing on word roots and morphemes.
Cons
May be more abstract and for younger students
Requires a certain level of reading proficiency before it can be effective.