One question that often comes up is ‘when to bridge off decodable readers?’. The questions that follow are ‘How do we do it?’ and ‘Beyond decodable readers – What should students read?’ 

Let’s start with the last question first. As many schools are accustomed to the security of levelled readers, the leap of faith into the unknown can be daunting. But the truth is, there is no such a thing as a ‘level’ reader. There are books that are topic and age appropriate but trying to fit them into a system of levels gives us a false sense of comfort. Once students are demonstrating accurate and automatic word reading with the basic AND the extended code (including some common r-controlled vowels) and they can demonstrate some comprehension and fluency then they should start exploring early chapter books. Selecting these books should focus on topic and interest.  

So, what about when? In line with a systematic approach to teaching phonics where basic and some extended code is taught in the first year of instruction (Kindy, Foundation, Prep) then you may have a student or two ready to start exploring more challenging texts at the end of that first year. For the majority of students, they should have learned enough code* to understand how the English orthography works to start reading non-decodable readers. This is usually in combination with decodable readers too. The decodable readers help reinforce effective decoding skills and the early chapter books help students start applying these skills more broadly. At any time, a student from mid-Year One, might be reading two types of books. One for consolidation and practice (the decodable) and one for application (a non-decodable). Focus on lots of repeated reading, clarifying vocabulary and engaging in summarising and discussing the text.   

And what about the how?  

I know many teachers want to get it ‘right’, but that doesn’t mean perfect. Have faith that you are teaching phonics and word reading skills explicitly and effectively and ensure students get lots of practice. As students transition off decodable readers, you might observe a ‘dip’ in fluency for some students. This is to be expected. The demands of the texts increase and ‘decodability’ becomes more complex. Don’t panic! As long as the student is not reverting to inefficient strategies like guessing, keep providing them with lots of opportunities to practice reading out loud to a partner or an adult. Most importantly, encourage students to listen to what they are reading and adjust their pronunciation, self-correct or clarify. English has many irregular words and learning how to read them is just part of this wonderful journey! Just keep practising!  

I always remind teachers to keep coming back to the simple view of reading. In order to achieve reading comprehension students need strong word reading skills and strong language comprehension. Keep building up both sides of the equation through exposure to a range of texts for repeated reading and bolstering language and vocabulary across the curriculum.  

Talk to our team about the range of transitional texts available for students moving off decodables as well as fluency readers. There are many great resources to support your students.  

Remember, when you buy from SPELD NSW you are supporting our charity and helping to keep our services accessible to all.  

*Enough code refers to having mastery over the basic code, common long vowel and r-controlled spellings and some high frequency irregular words.  

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Check out our range of Fluency books to support your students’ reading growth with our curated range of resources designed to build fluency, confidence, and a love of reading.

Our collection includes resources for students in Years 1–4 developing fluency after decodable texts, as well as catch-up readers for older students in Years 2–8 who need targeted support. Each series combines engaging content with structured phonics practice, ensuring every student can strengthen their skills and experience success as a reader.