The Reading Teacher
Understand what you read. Not just the words.
Small expert-led reading groups that teach children to think like a reader — so they understand not just what they read, but what it means. Without more workbooks, drilling or being told to just keep practicing.
"Honestly she’s like a different kid. I’m so glad I found you in time"
Anila, parent of Lewis, Year 5 group
What changes when the Comprehension Accelerator works
- Your child stops staring blankly at the page — and starts being able to tell you what they’ve read, what it meant, and why it matters
- The reading between the lines that’s always felt impossible starts to click — because they’re being taught to find the clues that were there all along, not just guess at the answer
- Reading stops being something they avoid — because when you actually understand what you’re reading, books stop feeling like hard work and start feeling like something worth picking up
- You finally get clarity on exactly where your child is and what they need — with a full written assessment after the trial, so you stop wondering and start knowing
- The gap between what they can read and what they understand starts to close — week on week, in a way that no workbook or worksheet has managed to do
- Your child builds the comprehension foundations that everything else is built on — so when the time comes for SATs, entrance exams or 11 plus prep, you’re not starting from scratch
- The vocabulary gaps that have been quietly derailing their understanding get identified and filled — so unknown words stop blocking the meaning of everything that follows
- Your child discovers that reading groups are actually enjoyable — because discussing a text with other children who get it does something that sitting alone with a comprehension sheet never could
“Confidence, talking about what he’s read, difference in how he looks at reading”
HOW THE COMPREHENSION ACCELERATOR WORKS
Comprehension isn’t a skill you can drill.
You can’t worksheet your way to it. And sitting a child down with a CGP book every evening won’t build it — it will just confirm to them that reading is hard work and not much fun.
Real comprehension develops when a child learns to think like a reader. To notice what an author is showing rather than just telling. To find the evidence behind an answer. To read between the lines — and know how they got there.
That's what these sessions teach.
Why we do this in groups — not 1:1
For fluency, one-to-one works best. Every child’s gaps are different and the work is specific.
For comprehension, groups work better. Here’s why.
When a child doesn’t understand something in a one-to-one session, there’s nowhere to go. The teacher ends up pulling the answer out of them — which feels like progress but isn’t. The child hasn’t learned to find it themselves.
In a group, something different happens. One child offers an idea. Another builds on it. A third sees something the others missed. The discussion does the work — and that discussion is exactly what develops comprehension. They also see other children finding it hard, which matters more than parents expect.
This isn’t a happy accident. It’s the reason we only offer comprehension as a group.
HOW THE COMPREHENSION ACCELERATOR WORKS
What a session looks like
Every session follows a similar structure — but no two sessions are the same.
We start with an image. Low stakes, no text, no pressure. Children look at a picture and work through the five Ws — who, what, where, when, why. They find clues. They give evidence. They learn that their first instinct isn’t always right — and that looking closer changes everything.
Then we move to text. We model what it means to think like a reader — the questions that run through your head as you read, the connections you make, the things you notice. Children annotate, highlight, discuss. They don’t just answer questions about a text. They learn how to approach one.
We then look at structured comprehension questions — the kind they’ll meet in school, in SATs, in entrance exams. The teacher models the first one. The group does the second together. Each child does the third independently. Step by step, the scaffolding comes away.
Vocabulary is woven through every session — because unknown words don’t just slow children down, they block meaning entirely.
Sessions are interactive, not passive. Children write in the chat, hold up mini whiteboards, take control of the screen. Nobody sits quietly at the back. Every child is seen, every session.
It’s not tutoring in the traditional sense. It’s targeted teaching — in a group small enough that every child’s thinking is heard.
A typical session - children live on zoom
Working on interactive content in our digital classroom
“Group dynamic, no one left out, confidence building”
MEET HANNAH — THE READING TEACHER
Hi, I’m Hannah. I’m a fully qualified primary school teacher with over 16 years of experience, and I specialise in teaching reading.
Before setting up The Reading Teacher, I was a Literacy Leader and Deputy Headteacher — which means I’ve not only taught hundreds of children to read, I’ve trained other teachers how to teach reading too. I set up these small groups because I kept meeting children who were so close to making the shift — children who just needed the right focus, at the right stage, with someone who knew exactly what to work on. I’m also a proud mum to two children of my own, and I teach the way I’d want my own children taught: patient, properly challenging, and genuinely fun.
Fully qualified teacher. Up-to-date DBS check. Fully insured.
“He also found a love of reading, which he didnt have before”
If you book the trial, here’s what the next few months could look like.
Your child stops dreading the question at the end of the page. They start being able to tell you what they read, what it meant, why it mattered. They pick up a book without being asked. And one day — without any fuss — they just choose a harder one.
The conversation with school changes. Instead of ‘just keep practising’, you start hearing that the teacher has noticed a difference. And you noticed it first — weeks before anyone else said anything.
If you don’t — that’s okay too. But the gap tends not to stay the same. The texts get harder. The expectations increase. And what feels manageable now gets quietly harder to close.
If you’re worried your child won’t engage in a group — I’d gently push back on that.
Every group is capped at 4–6 children, matched by reading level. These aren’t passive sessions where a child can sit back and hide behind a screen. Every child is seen, every session. They’re called on, engaged, and included — but always with care, never on the spot.
And the children who come in most reluctant are often the ones who surprise their parents most — because they realise, sometimes for the first time, that they’re not the only one finding it hard.
The trial exists for exactly this reason. One assessment. One group taster. A full written report. And an honest recommendation — even if that recommendation is that this isn’t the right fit.
You’re not committing to anything beyond that.