Reading

Disciplinary Reading

Different types of reading skills are necessary for each of the subjects we teach.

We deploy a whole-school approach to reading to ensure that students experience consistent approaches to how they encounter reading at the school. Approaches include teachers frequently reading aloud to their classes, supporting students to read aloud, facilitating independent reading, using strategies to support comprehension, text decoding and pronunciation, and vocabulary instruction.

We ensure that staff are regularly trained to ensure that they deliver these strategies effectively.

Reading for pleasure

Whilst reading forms a consistent component of our academic and homework curriculum, we also ensure students have the opportunity to read for pleasure. At Key Stage 3, alongside SparX Reader, we have a day on our homework timetable dedicated to students engaging in personal reading with texts of their own choosing.

We also operate a well-stocked library with dedicated librarian, reading competitions and challenges throughout the year, as well as provision in our tutor programme for students to experience a range of texts which are stimulating, age-appropriate and challenge them out of their reading comfort zone. The books we read are curated to include a variety of classic and modern texts.

Support for weaker readers

There are varying levels of support to meet struggling students at their reading and literacy need. Our Lexonic phonics intervention program supports those in the early stages of reading, and we further develop those struggling to read with confidence and fluency. These intervention programmes are ran by skilled and specially trained teachers and LSAs.

Many of our younger students participate in paired reading with sixth-form ambassadors that supports their ability read aloud with and confidence.

We use our reading data to adapt out provisions in real time, and help to guide students to appropriate reading material that is overseen by a member of our English department during fortnightly reading lessons which take place in the library. Every student has dedicated time with their teacher for one-to-one reading which is used to gauge and improve fluency, automaticity, tone and understanding. This support is overseen by our dedicated Literacy Co-ordinator.