Pathways to Read – Build Confident, Fluent Readers in Your School
A primary school reading programme designed to equip pupils from year 1 onwards with key skills to move them through the reading process towards becoming competent and fluent readers.
Pathways to Read offers a carefully structured and progressive approach to developing reading skills, grounded in a mastery framework. Designed for use from year 1 to year 6, the units include clear, detailed plans that support engaging and purposeful reading lessons. Each six-week unit centres around inspiring, high-quality books and novels.
Pathways to Read guarantees full coverage of the National Curriculum, ensuring that all statutory requirements are met with clarity and confidence. The programme promotes high-quality classroom discussion, fostering rich language development and deepening pupils’ understanding of texts. It provides regular opportunities for pupils to practise reading fluency and engage in a wide range of comprehension activities—enhancing vocabulary, forming predictions, retrieving information, and responding effectively through the application of mastery skills.
Pathways to Read covers reading comprehension and vocabulary development through a mastery approach. It divides the National Curriculum into three distinct strands: ongoing skills, core skills, and mastery skills. The programme ensures a consistent whole-school approach to reading, supported by clear, detailed lesson plans and resources linked to high-quality texts.
The units can be used alongside our award-winning Pathways to Write programme, supporting a seamless whole-school curriculum approach and offering opportunities for topics to link across year groups. While the two programmes are designed to complement each other, each can also be implemented successfully as a stand-alone resource.
★★★★★
Charles Darwin Primary – Subject Leader
My class love the Pathways texts and our reading sessions are their favourite part of the day. The progress they have made since September has been superb. They now have the ability to discuss new vocabulary and are using it in their spoken language and written work. The texts themselves are really popular and the children love to reread those from previous terms, having increased confidence in reading a familiar, quality text. I have regular requests for books from the same authors or on similar themes and have been able to widen their reading for pleasure choices from this. I would recommend Pathways to Read 100%, the resources are high quality and easy to follow and ensure full curriculum coverage.
★★★★★
Iwade Primary – Writing Lead
We have recently started the Pathways to Read programme and love it! The text choices are superb and the whole programme is extremely comprehensive and well-resourced.
★★★★★
St Bernards Primary – Subject Leader
Pathways to Read is an innovative, exciting and inclusive sequence of learning which engages children with the many aspects of the National Curriculum through high-quality texts.
In these testing times, reading is an essential resource for escape and the planning units and slides that The Literacy Company provide, allow access to many wonderful worlds. Our children get to discover these worlds from the comfort of their classroom in a low-threat, high-impact environment. I would highly recommend these units to any teacher - they provide your students with a pathway to learning ... and imagination.
★★★★★
Rock Ferry Primary – Deputy Headteacher
It [Pathways to Read] allows us to provide personalised learning plans for individuals and groups. It also has meant we can continue to read, read, read and to offer wider texts as well as exposing the children to wider vocabulary.
★★★★★
Easton Primary – Headteacher
I love the range of texts chosen [for Pathways to Read], the comprehensive planning and how all the key skills are covered and repeated to ensure progress - fantastic!
Key elements of Pathways to Read
Pathways to Read ensures a consistent approach to reading across the school and ensures that reading skills are taught explicitly and progressively. The programme uses inspiring books and novels that guarantee engaging and purposeful reading lessons.
With our easily accessible Pathways Literacy Platform, all resources are just a few clicks away, streamlining planning and supporting effective teaching.
Detailed whole-class reading plans to ease teachers' workload
3-5 30 minute lessons per week to allow schools to use the programme flexibly
Clear and supportive PowerPoints for each whole-class reading session
Progressive development of reading skills following a mastery approach
Develops reading comprehension skills through the mastery approach
Contributes to the development of cultural capital
Links creatively to the wider curriculum when combined with our Pathways to Write product
Progression document to support mixed-age classes
Whole-school text and genre coverage overviews
Termly reading assessment trackers
Introductory training materials
Grouped reading plans bespoke for Y2 to support budding readers
There are two membership levels available for Pathways to Read, each offering increasing access to resources and valuable savings across the Pathways Literacy suite.
Your initial purchase includes one year of full access to our online platform, with an annual renewal fee thereafter. The initial one-off cost options for a single-form entry school:
Prices are subject to VAT.
Standard
Premium
Whole School
£1600
£1850
KS1(Y1&2)
£550
£625
KS2
£1100
£1250
Annual costs after the first year
The annual cost options for a one form entry school:
Full
KS1 (Y1&2)
KS2
£250
£100
£175
A mastery approach to learning
Pathways to Read provides three categories of skills developed each half-term.
Ongoing skills
Linked to text choices and achieved through selection of teaching activities
Core skills
Prediction, vocabulary development and retrieval
Mastery skills
2-3 objectives are focused on for pupils to master over the course of the half-term
FAQs
Can it be used in mixed year classes?
As the national curriculum for year 3/4 and year 5/6 are the same, there would be no issues in doing so. There is a progression document which would support with this.
How is a mixed-age year 1/2 class managed?
In the mixed class, year 1 could join in with the whole-class, but when reading independently in the grouped session, year 1 would follow the progression of books in your chosen phonics programme.
A selection of units is available for use in mixed-age Year 1/2 classes.
How is fluency developed?
Each week, there are opportunities to develop pupils’ fluency. In Key Stage 1, this is modelled in the whole class session and Year 2 practise this fluency strategy in the grouped reading session. In Key Stage 2, the teacher models fluency in session 1 with the opportunity for pupils to re-read and practise the fluency strategy in session 2. Session 3 allows for independent practice. Progression in fluency is threaded throughout the programme.
Would Pathways to Read replace guided reading as it is now?
The programme uses a whole-class model to replace guided reading. Reading comprehension skills and fluency strategies are modelled by the teacher at the start of the week then pupils move on to independent practice.
How many lessons per half-term are there?
There are six weeks of sessions in total. In Year 1, beginning in the spring term, pupils take part in one whole-class session each week. In Year 2, the structure changes to include a weekly whole-class session, a group session and a follow-on task. This can be delivered as a single, extended reading lesson of up to 90 minutes or divided into shorter sessions across the week. As pupils transition into Key Stage 2, the model shifts to three whole-class sessions per week, alongside a follow-on task and a dedicated time for reading for pleasure.
Do the units have to be taught in order within the year group?
It is recommended that the units are taught within their designated half term as the progression of skills and texts has been carefully planned, mirroring the structure in Pathways to Write. The Pathways to Read units also align with the themes explored in Pathways to Write, supporting a cohesive curriculum. However, there is some flexibility and units can be rearranged if necessary, provided that overall skill coverage is maintained.
How does Pathways to Read link with Pathways to Write - would the class be working on two texts at the same time?
Your Pathways to Write text would be your writing focus (with some of the reading links already within it). Pathways to Read is more in depth for reading objectives and would be around 30 minutes a day with extracts/pages from texts. You can choose from 2 sets of Pathways to Read texts to match the texts you are using for Pathways to Write. This way you can select the Pathways to Read text that links with your Pathways to Write theme.
As it is a whole-class approach, would you encourage pupils to be in mixed ability pairs/groups?
There are a range of strategies within the units including peer support. A lot depends on the text and the reading expectations in that session
Is the ideal to have a copy of each book between 2? The cost implications of this would be that schools would build up resources over time.
There are some texts you might wish to have half class sets for and others where just 1 or 2 copies would be required.
Some of the non-fiction books require a half class set to allow pupils to use the structural features and allow them to move around the book. It is also important for pupils to use real books for promoting engagement and developing a love of text. With some novels, the full book may be shared during a reading session—such as at the end of the day—while a selected section is explored more deeply during the Pathways to Read lesson. A purchasing guide is provided to support with book selection and resourcing.
What is the research behind Pathways to Read?
There has been extensive research behind the Pathways to Read proven methodology. You can read the full research and development document here.
Are the texts included in the package?
The supporting texts for the units of work can be purchased at Peters at 30% off the RRP price of the books:
*You will receive 30% discount off the RRP on the vast majority of books ordered for the Pathways to Read and Pathways to Write programmes. Items excluded from this offer: book packs, plus short discount items (a small number of academic titles, big books, and audio titles). This offer may not be used in conjunction with any other promotion
I am ready to start seeing a consistent approach to reading in my school.
