The independent inquiry into white working class educational outcomes shines a light on a group of young people whose outcomes have stubbornly resisted improvement for many years. The inquiry covers a lot of ground, as it should. There are no simple explanations for why white working class pupils continue to underperform, and no single policy will change that. But if one recommendation deserves particular attention, it is the call for a much greater focus on reading fluency. At FFT, we’ve recently analysed more than one million reading fluency assessments taken by over 230,000 pupils in primary schools across England. Like most analysis in this area, ours identifies disadvantage through eligibility for free school meals, the closest practical measure we have for the white working class group the Inquiry is concerned with. Overlooked factor What we found reinforced something I have come to believe: that reading fluency is one of the most overlooked factors in improving educational outcomes. White disadvantaged pupils start key stage 2 behind their peers in reading fluency, and they finish key stage 2 behind them too. By the end of year 6, one in three is still reading below 90 words correct per minute, compared with one in five non-disadvantaged pupils. Ninety words correct a minute is a common benchmark for reading fluency to be able to access the curriculum. Strikingly, the gap barely narrows at all during the four years pupils spend in key stage 2. This matters because that level of fluency is what lets children move from learning to read to reading to learn. Once pupils can read accurately, confidently and automatically, they are much better equipped to access increasingly demanding texts across every subject. When they can’t, the challenge isn’t confined to English lessons. It follows them into history, science, geography and maths. It affects their confidence, their engagement with school and in the end, their attainment. Important conversation For the past decade, national policy has rightly focused on phonics. The improvements are significant, and schools and government deserve enormous credit for them. But decoding words isn’t the end of learning to read. Too many pupils move through primary school without the fluency they need to make the most of the curriculum, or to enjoy reading for pleasure. That’s why the inquiry has identified something genuinely important. Reading fluency isn’t the silver bullet. Poverty, attendance, teacher quality and wider social factors all play a part in shaping outcomes for disadvantaged children, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise. But neither should we overlook an area where the evidence is strong, we know what kind of intervention works, progress can be measured and individual schools and teachers can make a tangible difference. Schools cannot solve educational disadvantage on their own. Nor should they be expected to. But they can help far more pupils leave primary school as fluent, confident readers. This is one of the strongest foundations we can give any child for success in secondary school. The conversation sparked by the inquiry is important. My hope is that it leads not only to renewed discussion about the attainment gap, but also to a commitment to sustained action in one area where we know improvement is both possible and worthwhile. If we want to improve outcomes for white working class pupils, reading fluency is one of the best places to start.