The 2-Minute Fluency Spot Check
A free one-page guide for UK primary teachers
Know where every reader stands — in 2 minutes
You don't need a stopwatch. You don't need a spreadsheet. You just need to know what to listen for.
This one-page guide gives you the 5 key indicators that separate fluent readers from children who can decode but still struggle to comprehend.
No stopwatch? No spreadsheet? No problem. Just listen.
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What's inside?
Why does fluency matter?
Here's what we've learned: a child can pass the phonics screening check, decode every word accurately, and still struggle to understand what they've read.
Why? Because decoding isn't the same as fluency. When reading is slow and effortful, there's no cognitive space left for comprehension.
Fluency is the bridge between decoding and comprehension. And most schools aren't systematically assessing it.
Who made this?
I'm Simon Sharp, a headteacher at an Infant School in Surrey. Like many schools, we celebrated our phonics results — until we noticed something troubling. Children who'd passed the screening check were still reading slowly, word-by-word, with little expression.
They could decode. But they weren't fluent. And it was affecting their comprehension across the curriculum.
This spot check is what I wish I'd had years ago — a simple way to identify which children need fluency support, without adding hours to an already packed assessment schedule.
— Simon Sharp, Headteacher
Print it. Share it. Use it tomorrow.
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