Reading Record / Running Record
Blank running-record sheet.
The Reading Record / Running Record template is a blank observation sheet that lets teachers capture exactly what happens when a child reads aloud. The page provides a lined text area where the teacher transcribes or annotates the reading passage, alongside a notation column for marking substitutions, omissions, insertions, repetitions, and self-corrections using standard running-record symbols. A dedicated accuracy and self-correction ratio section sits at the foot of the sheet, leaving space to calculate reading level and jot quick qualitative notes on fluency, phrasing, and comprehension. Completely free of pre-filled text, the template works with any decodable reader, levelled book, or classroom novel — from Foundation Stage through to upper primary — making it an everyday tool for guided reading rotations and reading recovery sessions.
Learning objectives
- Capture a precise record of a child's oral reading behaviours in real time
- Calculate accuracy rate and self-correction ratio from raw tallies
- Identify specific error patterns to guide phonics or fluency instruction
- Determine whether a text is at an independent, instructional, or frustration level
- Build a dated evidence base of reading development over time
- Inform guided reading group composition and book banding decisions
How to use this template
- Print one blank sheet per pupil per reading session.
- Write the book title, date, and level at the top before the child begins.
- Mark each word as the child reads: tick for correct, then add standard notation for errors, omissions, or self-corrections.
- Count the tallies and enter them into the accuracy and self-correction ratio boxes at the bottom.
- File completed sheets chronologically in the pupil's reading folder for longitudinal tracking.
Classroom & home ideas
- Run a weekly running record for every pupil in your lowest guided reading group to monitor whether their current book band is the right challenge level.
- Use the error-pattern column to feed directly into the next day's phonics revision focus for specific children.
- Share anonymised completed records with a SENCO or reading specialist when making referrals for additional support.
- Take a running record at the start and end of each half-term to measure reading growth as a visual pair of sheets.
- Train older reading buddies or classroom helpers to record ticks while you annotate errors, speeding up the process.
Skills & curriculum links
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know Marie Clay's notation system to use this template?
Standard running-record notation (tick, SC, E, O, R, T) is widely used in primary schools and takes only a short time to learn. A brief key card is easy to print and clip to your clipboard alongside the template.
Can I use this with any book, or does it need a controlled-vocabulary text?
You can use it with any text. For a formal accuracy calculation you need to know the total word count, but for qualitative observation during guided reading any book works well.
How long does a running record session take?
For a 100–200 word passage, most experienced teachers complete a running record in three to five minutes. The blank template is sized for up to around 200 words.
Is this template useful for EAL learners?
Yes. The notation column can capture language-transfer patterns as well as decoding errors, and the qualitative notes section gives space to record observations about comprehension and expression specific to EAL learners.
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