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Published in 2026, Literacy Essentials for Every Teacher is Alex Quigley’s practical, evidence-informed guide to improving reading, writing, vocabulary and classroom talk. It also includes substantial sections on literacy assessment and supporting pupils with SEND. Its central message is that literacy is not an extra initiative or solely the responsibility of English teachers: it is how pupils gain access to every part of the curriculum.

1. Every teacher is a teacher of literacy

Literacy is involved whenever pupils read a textbook, interpret a question, explain an idea, learn a technical term or construct a written answer. A science teacher may not teach literacy in the same way as an English teacher, but they still teach pupils how to communicate and understand ideas within science. Improving literacy therefore requires the participation of every subject and every phase of education.

2. Literacy is more than reading and writing

Quigley presents literacy as a connected system involving reading, writing, vocabulary and talk. Weakness in one area can restrict progress in another. A pupil with limited vocabulary may struggle to understand a text, participate in discussion and express ideas accurately in writing. Literacy teaching is most effective when these elements reinforce one another rather than being treated as separate initiatives.

3. Literacy changes from subject to subject

Pupils must learn the distinctive ways in which experts communicate within each discipline. Reading a historical source is different from reading a scientific explanation, while writing an evaluation in geography demands different choices from writing a literary analysis. Teachers should make these differences visible rather than assuming that pupils can automatically transfer generic literacy skills between subjects.

4. Reading should build knowledge, not merely test comprehension

Classroom reading can become a repetitive cycle of short extract, worksheet and comprehension questions. Quigley argues that this can produce shallow engagement with texts. Teachers should use reading to develop knowledge, provoke questions, explore ideas and create meaningful discussion, rather than simply checking whether pupils can locate isolated facts.

5. Decoding and fluency cannot be taken for granted

Some older pupils can recognise words but still read slowly, hesitantly or without expression. This places a heavy burden on working memory and leaves less mental capacity available for understanding. Teachers need to recognise that reading comprehension may be restricted by inaccurate decoding, poor fluency, weak vocabulary or insufficient background knowledge.

6. Teachers should model what fluent reading sounds like

Pupils benefit from hearing teachers read challenging passages accurately, at an appropriate pace and with meaningful expression. However, listening to a model is not enough: pupils also need opportunities to practise. Echo reading, choral reading, paired reading and repeated reading can provide safer and more purposeful practice than unexpectedly asking individual pupils to read aloud around the class.

7. Use the R.E.A.D.S. framework to guide classroom reading

Quigley offers R.E.A.D.S. as a flexible structure for handling challenging texts:

• Review prior knowledge and make predictions.
• Explore meanings and clarify understanding.
• Identify Anchor points where the class should pause.
• Debate alternative meanings or competing viewpoints.
• Summarise the important learning.

It is not intended as a rigid worksheet. It prompts teachers to decide whether pupils need clarification, vocabulary support, discussion or consolidation at different points in the text.

8. Give pupils access to rich and extended reading

Short extracts have a legitimate place, but they should not become the entirety of pupils’ reading experience. Books and substantial texts expose pupils to longer sentences, less familiar vocabulary and more developed ideas than everyday speech or simplified slides. Quigley recommends creating “reading clusters” around curriculum topics so that pupils encounter related ideas and vocabulary repeatedly in meaningful contexts.

9. Select vocabulary carefully

Teachers cannot explicitly teach every unfamiliar word in a lesson. Attempting to do so interrupts reading and overwhelms pupils. Quigley distinguishes between keystone vocabulary, which is essential for understanding the central concept, and bridging vocabulary, which may need a brief explanation to maintain fluent reading. This helps teachers devote the most time to the words that genuinely unlock meaning.

10. Teach important words deeply

Quigley’s established SEEC model provides a useful sequence:

• Select a manageable number of important words.
• Explain them using clear, pupil-friendly meanings.
• Explore examples, non-examples, synonyms, word families and morphology.
• Consolidate them through retrieval, discussion, reading and writing.

The aim is not for pupils merely to copy definitions. They need repeated encounters with words and opportunities to use them accurately.

11. Handwriting and spelling remain important

Writing difficulties are sometimes mistaken for a lack of ideas or subject knowledge. In reality, slow handwriting and insecure spelling can consume pupils’ attention and restrict the vocabulary they are willing to use. Quigley argues that transcription skills remain important well beyond the early years, especially when pupils must write accurately and quickly in examinations.

12. Teach pupils how sentences work

The sentence is the basic unit through which pupils communicate their knowledge. Teachers should model how sentences can be expanded, combined, shortened and connected. In science, this might involve adding a clause that corrects a misconception; in history, it might mean adding evidence or explaining causation. Practising one carefully constructed sentence can sometimes teach more than producing a page of rushed writing.

13. Make the writing process visible

Skilled writers plan, draft, reconsider, revise and edit, but these processes are largely invisible to pupils. Teachers should model how ideas are selected and organised, how an opening sentence is formed and how a draft is improved. Pupils need to see that successful writing is produced through a sequence of decisions rather than appearing fully formed on the page.

14. Break editing into manageable stages

Telling pupils simply to “check your work” is unlikely to produce meaningful improvement. Editing is cognitively demanding because pupils must consider spelling, punctuation, grammar, clarity and content simultaneously. Quigley suggests using editing anchor points during writing, perhaps after ten minutes or after two paragraphs, and giving pupils one specific feature to review at a time.

15. Teach the writing conventions of each subject

Writing expectations change across the curriculum. A successful scientific explanation may require precision and causal language, while a history essay may demand evidence, comparison and evaluation. Subject teachers should share models, identify useful sentence patterns and explain why particular structures are valued in their discipline. Generic writing frames should support pupils temporarily rather than replace subject-specific thinking.

16. Structure classroom talk carefully

Simply placing pupils in groups does not guarantee productive discussion. Talk needs clear purposes, routines and expectations. Quigley recommends ABC Feedback, in which pupils:

• Agree with an earlier contribution.
• Build upon an idea.
• Challenge a claim respectfully.

This encourages active listening, evidence-based reasoning and participation. It also makes pupils accountable for responding to one another rather than directing every answer back to the teacher.

17. Diagnose barriers and adapt without reducing ambition

A reading age or assessment score can provide a useful starting point, but it does not explain why a pupil is struggling. Teachers need to investigate possible barriers such as decoding, fluency, vocabulary, background knowledge, handwriting or confidence. Quigley’s SHARE model brings together five principles:

• Scaffolding challenging tasks.
• High expectations for every pupil.
• Assessment-driven adaptations.
• Responsive interventions.
• Explicit teaching of literacy.

Pupils with SEND should not automatically receive easier, thinner texts or less demanding work. They should retain access to ambitious curriculum content, supported through careful modelling, chunking, prompting, rereading, vocabulary teaching and appropriate intervention.

Overall message

The book’s message is practical but demanding: literacy improves through knowledgeable teachers making deliberate decisions every day. It is not solved by a display, a word of the week, a one-off intervention or a whole-school slogan. Strong literacy practice grows when teachers repeatedly model reading, explain vocabulary, structure discussion, teach writing and diagnose the precise barriers preventing pupils from succeeding.