The Gap Is Not Closing
In 2025, just 47% of disadvantaged pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and Maths at KS2, compared with 69% of their peers. That is a 22 percentage point gap, and it has not narrowed since last year. (Source: DfE, Key Stage 2 Attainment, 2024/25 Revised)
The Education Policy Institute found that by the end of primary school, the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers stands at approximately 10 months of learning, and remains substantially wider than before the pandemic. (Source: EPI Annual Report 2025, Disadvantage)
These stats represent children in your school who are reading below their potential, not because they lack ability, but because the systems around them are not yet designed to reach them.
The Reading Equity Scorecard helps you see exactly where those systems are working and where they are falling short.
A Diagnostic Built for the People Closest to the Problem
The Scorecard asks 15 targeted questions across four dimensions that together give you a practical, evidence-informed picture of reading equity in your setting
Reading Provision
How robust is your core reading offer? Does it reach every learner, or are there structural gaps in access, frequency, or quality for specific groups?
Equity and Identification
Are vulnerable readers being identified early and accurately? Are Pupil Premium, SEND, English as an Additional Language (EAL), and children in care visible in your reading data, or hidden in averages?
Belonging and Culture
Do your book collections, reading spaces, and classroom libraries reflect and represent the identities and experiences of all your learners?
Engagement and Support
Are the right interventions reaching the right children at the right time? Is there a clear pathway from identification to targeted support, aligned with the EEF's guidance on structured literacy interventions?
