Improving reading comprehension using classroom
strategies and Inference Training for groups 2015
Professional development materials, class teaching strategies and a group
intervention
Our training helps schools to improve their pupils’ understanding and enjoyment in reading.
However, it aims to particularly help those pupils in KS2 and KS3 (Y7/8) who decode adequately
but fail to get full meaning and enjoyment from their reading.
The training contains three main elements. The professional development materials help
schools explore ways of improving comprehension and enjoyment in reading; this includes
working with at least 20 pupils at each school to gather comprehension profiles. It also
provides best practice comprehension teaching and learning strategies for class teachers in KS
1/2/3.Finally it offers a group intervention of 20 lessons for pupils who need extra support
which connect to ongoing teaching so pupils generalise their skills.
Inference training places importance on professional development in reading comprehension
so staff have more clarity about reading comprehension issues. For example, studies reveal
that pupils with weak comprehension skills read in different ways to effective readers
Weak comprehenders may…
Effective readers…
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Focus on individual words/sentences
Attach most importance to decoding
Have a passive style of reading
Have lower expectations of text making
sense and fewer comprehension monitoring
strategies
Read fewer books and are less sensitive to
story structure
Fail to activate background knowledge or
visualise
Apply less integration and inference
Have a less efficient working memory
Document1
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Know that understanding is the goal of reading
Activate background knowledge and working
memory
Integrate information/ideas and make
inferences to get gist
Have high expectations of text making sense
Make predictions, ask own questions and
watch out for “answers”
Can visualise when appropriate
Monitor meaning, notice breakdown and use
breakdown strategies
Read frequently and enjoy reading
Professional development
Improving reading comprehension and Inference training has at its core a range of engaging,
professional development materials for school staff. Adults in school are generally expert readers
who use comprehension strategies so automatically they are often unaware of how they actually do
this. It is therefore often hard for staff to understand the difficulties some pupil’s experience. The
training aims to improve adult awareness of the challenges some readers face, so that adults feel
better equipped to help. It also includes a toolkit to have conversations with sample pupils about
texts to gain insight into what strengths and weaknesses pupils’ experience. The trainer works
together with staff to gather 20 pupil profiles so outcomes can be analysed.
Class teaching and learning strategies
The training draws on a range of current research about what works to outline key classroom and
school wide strategies to improve reading comprehension and enjoyment. Separate sections of the
training address issues at KS1, KS2 and KS3.
A group intervention of 20 lessons-inference training
The training offers a group intervention for pupils who need extra support to recalibrate how they
read. A group session involves a teacher/teaching assistant having “instructional conversations” to
help make comprehension strategies explicit. Four pupils work with an adult for 40 minutes, twice a
week for 20 lessons. Through reading and interactive discussions, the group:
 Activate and apply prior knowledge to their reading and use title cues to predict
 Identify words/phrases they don’t understand and use repair strategies
 Identify key words and elaborate on them to enhance meaning, and develop vocabulary
 As they read, ask their own questions and watch out for answers
 Generate inferences and integrate meaning as they read to build a gist
 Summarise a short text extract using visualisation, quick drawings, picto-words and a 10
word headline
 Retell an extract to emphasise the gist
The materials
The inference training materials include whiteboard discs and DVDs of lessons and a folder with 45
short text extracts for KS2 and KS3 pupils with support notes for adults. Many extracts are from
recent award winning titles which have been carefully chosen to contain rich opportunities for
pupils to discuss and enjoy. Further readings of the texts are also recommended using multiple
copies so that pupils can apply their skills to whole texts.
Impact
Inference training-the group intervention- featured in both the 2007 and 2013 editions of Professor
Greg Brook’s study What works for children and young people with literacy difficulties? Both editions
identified inference training as an intervention that offers significant gains for pupils with weak
comprehension skills. The latest pupil impact data from 326 pupils in KS2 and KS3 shows that
during inference training sessions, most pupils make 2 sub-levels progress in reading or an increase
in reading comprehension of 12 months over 8-10 weeks.
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Marriott Primary School in Leicester comments that … “it empowers the children and gives
them more control and insight in their reading. They understand that there is much more to
reading than decoding. For us adults, the training and teaching makes us understand the task
of the reader much more. The pupils enjoy the sessions enormously.”
Millie aged 10 . “When I read, I never used to picture things in my head before and now I do.”
George aged 11 . “It helps to show what you have to do when you read, and I like the talking we
do in the group.”
Y8 students at Sir Jonathan North School enjoy the small group learning context and
comment... “the talking in a group helps us to read with more understanding and enjoyment.
You share ideas about how to read so you understand clearly and learn from each other”.
Training for Schools
Eighty five literacy specialists, (some employed by LAs and others independent consultants), are
accredited inference trainers and provide training to schools in England, (as well as undertaking a
wide range of other literacy work). Training for these accredited trainers is hosted by the Institute of
Education in London. For schools, training is generally school based and focuses on professional
development, classroom strategies and the group intervention. The grid below outlines a model
and sequence of initial and follow up training which can be tailored to meet the needs of the school
and involves daytime and twilight sessions. Allow at least 15 hours of trainer time spread over a
few weeks/a term. Training is particularly effective when schools identify one member of staff to
shadow/collaborate with the trainer and this person provides on-going support between and after
training.
Initial training
Approximate time
Follow up training
1. Characteristics of reading
comprehension and 13
barriers
2. Trainer/teachers work with
20 pupils and
collect/analyse
comprehension profiles
3. Whole class strategies to
boost reading
comprehension
4. How to deliver inference
training-group intervention
90 minutes
5. Teacher at the school
leads an inference session
at staff meeting(no trainer)
6. Follow up/coaching for
staff delivering the group
intervention
2 hours
3 hours
3 hours (only for
staff delivering the
group intervention)
7. Team teaching in class
trying out whole class
strategies and feedback
Further follow up by
arrangement
Approximate
time
Staff meeting
Half day
Half day
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Costs of Inference Training
We estimate the cost of teaching the group intervention per pupil is under £100 if delivered by a
Level 2/3 TA or £250 per pupil by a teacher. (Adults need 40 minutes teaching time for each lesson
and 20 minutes planning and recording, so allow 20, one hour adult sessions for a complete
programme)
The costs of the training for a group of up to 24 teachers / Teaching Assistants are trainer costs plus
Classroom strategies to improve reading comprehension and Inference Training folders at a cost of
£40 each, plus postage. Generally schools purchase one folder between four staff and trainers can
mail schools additional hand-outs before training. The charge for accredited trainers varies from
trainer to trainer, and has to be agreed individually, but a minimum of 15 hours trainer time is
needed per school.
Acknowledgements
Our professional development materials and class teaching approaches are based on a wide range
of research including:
Almasi and Fullerton, Gunning, Cain Oakhill and Elbro, Keene and Zimmerman, New National
Curriculum, Ofsted, Tovani
The group intervention-Inference Training- was adapted from the work of Yuill and Oakhill by Tony
Whatmuff, with acknowledgement and thanks to the following colleagues in Leicester city for their
valuable ideas and input.
Emma Kehoe, ASD Specialist; Jo Puttick, Primary Consultant; Harbans Khahra,E2L specialist;
Ian Todd, Secondary Consultant; Julie McLay, Speech and Language Practitioner
A special thanks to Jane Oakhill and Nicola Yuill at Sussex University and Carsten Elbro at University
of Copenhagen who have given advice and support in developing this edition of inference training
and acknowledgement to Kate Cain’s publication Reading Development and Difficulties 2010
Blackwell . Thanks also to Mia Sneyd and Target Literacy.
National Trainer tony.whatmuff@leicester.gov.uk
Key Information about Inference Training
 Training consists of 3 components-professional development , whole class teaching
strategies in KS1-3 and a group intervention which was highly recommended in
Professor Greg Brooks’ study What works for children and young people with literacy
difficulties
 Training is usually school based and flexible to suit the needs of a school but allow a
minimum of 15 hours trainer time for initial and follow up training
 Schools need to select a member of staff to participate in some training and follow up
 Training for accredited trainers is hosted by the Institute of Education in London. Trainers
undertake a wide range of work in addition to inference training
 The group intervention is for pupils who decode adequately but experience comprehension
difficulties. Four pupils work with an adult (trained Level 2/3 TA or Teacher) for 40 minutes a
session, twice a week for 10 weeks. (20 lessons)
 Groups that received 20 lessons made an average of 12 months progress in comprehension
age (2/3 sub levels)
 Schools need to select a member of staff to participate in some training and follow up
 The Inference Folder is only available to schools that access the training.
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