diff --git a/src/io/flight/mod.rs b/src/io/flight/mod.rs
index 59ba0a83d88..4072c0d0d09 100644
--- a/src/io/flight/mod.rs
+++ b/src/io/flight/mod.rs
@@ -24,11 +24,11 @@ pub use crate::io::ipc::write::common::WriteOptions;
 /// # Errors
 /// This function errors iff `fields` is not consistent with `columns`
 pub fn serialize_batch(
-    columns: &Chunk<Box<dyn Array>>,
+    chunk: &Chunk<Box<dyn Array>>,
     fields: &[IpcField],
     options: &WriteOptions,
 ) -> Result<(Vec<FlightData>, FlightData)> {
-    if fields.len() != columns.arrays().len() {
+    if fields.len() != chunk.arrays().len() {
         return Err(Error::InvalidArgumentError("The argument `fields` must be consistent with the columns' schema. Use e.g. &arrow2::io::flight::default_ipc_fields(&schema.fields)".to_string()));
     }
 
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ pub fn serialize_batch(
     };
 
     let (encoded_dictionaries, encoded_batch) =
-        encode_chunk(columns, fields, &mut dictionary_tracker, options)
+        encode_chunk(chunk, fields, &mut dictionary_tracker, options)
             .expect("DictionaryTracker configured above to not error on replacement");
 
     let flight_dictionaries = encoded_dictionaries.into_iter().map(Into::into).collect();
@@ -63,15 +63,14 @@ pub fn serialize_schema_to_result(
     ipc_fields: Option<&[IpcField]>,
 ) -> SchemaResult {
     SchemaResult {
-        schema: schema_as_flatbuffer(schema, ipc_fields),
+        schema: _serialize_schema(schema, ipc_fields),
     }
 }
 
 /// Serializes a [`Schema`] to [`FlightData`].
 pub fn serialize_schema(schema: &Schema, ipc_fields: Option<&[IpcField]>) -> FlightData {
-    let data_header = schema_as_flatbuffer(schema, ipc_fields);
     FlightData {
-        data_header,
+        data_header: _serialize_schema(schema, ipc_fields),
         ..Default::default()
     }
 }
@@ -93,7 +92,7 @@ pub fn serialize_schema_to_info(
     Ok(schema)
 }
 
-fn schema_as_flatbuffer(schema: &Schema, ipc_fields: Option<&[IpcField]>) -> Vec<u8> {
+fn _serialize_schema(schema: &Schema, ipc_fields: Option<&[IpcField]>) -> Vec<u8> {
     if let Some(ipc_fields) = ipc_fields {
         write::schema_to_bytes(schema, ipc_fields)
     } else {
diff --git a/src/io/ipc/read/common.rs b/src/io/ipc/read/common.rs
index 5638a5289e6..306df0061cf 100644
--- a/src/io/ipc/read/common.rs
+++ b/src/io/ipc/read/common.rs
@@ -226,8 +226,8 @@ fn first_dict_field<'a>(
     Err(Error::from(OutOfSpecKind::InvalidId { requested_id: id }))
 }
 
-/// Read the dictionary from the buffer and provided metadata,
-/// updating the `dictionaries` with the resulting dictionary
+/// Reads a dictionary from the reader,
+/// updating `dictionaries` with the resulting dictionary
 #[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
 pub fn read_dictionary<R: Read + Seek>(
     batch: arrow_format::ipc::DictionaryBatchRef,
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ pub fn read_dictionary<R: Read + Seek>(
                 fields: vec![first_ipc_field.clone()],
                 is_little_endian: ipc_schema.is_little_endian,
             };
-            let columns = read_record_batch(
+            let chunk = read_record_batch(
                 batch,
                 &fields,
                 &ipc_schema,
@@ -282,8 +282,7 @@ pub fn read_dictionary<R: Read + Seek>(
                 file_size,
                 scratch,
             )?;
-            let mut arrays = columns.into_arrays();
-            arrays.pop().unwrap()
+            chunk.into_arrays().pop().unwrap()
         }
         _ => {
             return Err(Error::from(OutOfSpecKind::InvalidIdDataType {
diff --git a/src/io/ipc/read/schema.rs b/src/io/ipc/read/schema.rs
index b54292baab8..7f970786aa1 100644
--- a/src/io/ipc/read/schema.rs
+++ b/src/io/ipc/read/schema.rs
@@ -328,17 +328,16 @@ fn get_data_type(
 }
 
 /// Deserialize an flatbuffers-encoded Schema message into [`Schema`] and [`IpcSchema`].
-pub fn deserialize_schema(bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<(Schema, IpcSchema)> {
-    let message = arrow_format::ipc::MessageRef::read_as_root(bytes)
+pub fn deserialize_schema(message: &[u8]) -> Result<(Schema, IpcSchema)> {
+    let message = arrow_format::ipc::MessageRef::read_as_root(message)
         .map_err(|err| Error::oos(format!("Unable deserialize message: {:?}", err)))?;
 
-    let schema = match message.header()?.ok_or_else(|| {
-        Error::oos("Unable to convert flight data header to a record batch".to_string())
-    })? {
+    let schema = match message
+        .header()?
+        .ok_or_else(|| Error::oos("Unable to convert header to a schema".to_string()))?
+    {
         arrow_format::ipc::MessageHeaderRef::Schema(schema) => Ok(schema),
-        _ => Err(Error::nyi(
-            "flight currently only supports reading RecordBatch messages",
-        )),
+        _ => Err(Error::nyi("The message is expected to be a Schema message")),
     }?;
 
     fb_to_schema(schema)