Key Issues to Highlight at Transition Periods. Early years to Primary; Primary to Secondary – Strategies to Address Them

It is widely regarded that learning to read is one of the most crucial aspects of a child’s learning, and that a great deal of a child’s formal education will depend upon being able to read with understanding. Difficulties with reading can lead to educational difficulties, as well as economic and social disadvantage. However, such difficulties may be reduced by suitable intervention.

Reading comprehension, like listening comprehension, requires connecting and integrating words using background knowledge, knowledge of linguistic patterns and text structures. Skilled comprehenders are able to make these connections quickly, and in doing so organise the text into a coherent whole.