Literacy is a set of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills that form the key to academic success.
Disciplinary literacy – or subject-specific literacy – recognises that literacy skills are both general and subject specific. Across all disciplines in our school, teachers model for students how to read, write and communicate effectively in their subjects to equip them with the literacy skills required for further education, employment and adult life.
Our school is passionate about literacy and leads on the trust-wide ‘TCAT Reads’ project: “every teacher, an expert teacher of reading.”
Our literacy values:
- Learning is taught through language, making all literacy skills essential for academic and holistic success.
- Every teacher teaches and models excellent literacy.
- Disciplinary literacy makes clear that every teacher accurately communicates their subject through the reading, writing, speaking and listening that are at the heart of knowing and doing every subject.
- Confident and accurate reading, writing, speaking and listening is vital for students to access the curriculum and achieve their potential.
What we deliver to support students’ literacy in school:
As well as a clear focus on accurate use of SPaG in students’ written work, we provide the following evidence-based literacy strategies:
- Access vocabulary, delivered by teachers each lesson, to improve students’ knowledge about word morphology, etymology and build cultural capital.
- RfP (Reading for Pleasure), in tutor time and across curriculums, to broaden students’ literary horizons and promote wellbeing.
- Library lesson once per fortnight during Key Stage 3 English lessons to promote library usage, increase cultural capital and reading for pleasure.
- Reciprocal Reading or ‘the Fab Four’ skills (predict, question, clarify, summarise), led by form tutors once per week, to develop reading and oracy expertise so students can confidently read challenging texts in any subject.
- Bespoke interventions: we follow the latest research into literacy and deliver interventions e.g. Lexonik Leap and Lexonic Advance for students who struggle with areas of literacy.
- Bookbuzz: from September 2021, we are involved in Bookbuzz- a reading programme from BookTrust that aims to inspire a love of reading in our Year 6 into 7 students. Students choose their own book to take home and keep from a list of 17 titles – all of which are selected by a panel of experts to ensure quality, suitability and to encourage reading for pleasure.
- The National Literacy Trust: we are members of this independent charity working with schools and communities to give disadvantaged children the literacy skills to succeed in life.
The Library
To promote our students’ enjoyment of reading, we facilitate access to variety of texts via our school library.
What does the library provide?
- Access during lunch time and during fortnightly Key Stage 3 English lesson.
- A range of exciting books, magazines and newspapers are on offer to read and enjoy.
- Opportunities for staff to take students to the library to search for books and even teach their lessons.
- Book requests each half term to ensure students always have something to read that is interesting and challenging for them.
In addition to our library, from September 2025, Year 10 English & library ambassadors will support and mentor younger learners in the school community to increase their library engagement and confident in reading for pleasure. Our staffroom too has a community book share so you can see that our school’s love of reading runs throughout the entire staff!
Rewards
- 5 house points added for all students engaging in reading aloud across all curriculum areas.
- 5 house points added for all students demonstrating excellent oracy skills across all curriculum areas.
- 5 house points added for all students demonstrating excellent literacy skills across all curriculum areas.
- Termly Head of Year recognition for Key Stage 3 students modelling engagement during their library lesson.
- End of year reward trip for Year 10 English & library ambassadors and expert readers in Key Stage 3.
We also run a wide range of exciting competitions over the academic year to encourage our young people to get involved with reading, writing, speaking and listening. We have both school and national competitions. Some of our favourites are the BBC’s ‘500 Words’ writing competition and the National Literacy Trust’s team competition to find the nation’s ‘Reading Champions’.
TCAT Reads
Please view our TCAT presentation that provides a greater knowledge and understanding around the reading process, and the research behind it. Click here to view.
Did you know?
- Children who read books often at age 10 and more than once a week at age 16 gain higher results in maths, vocabulary and spelling tests at age 16 than those who read less regularly.
- Less than half of 8 to 16 year olds have read a book in the last month.
- Reading for pleasure is more important for children’s development than their parents’ level of education and is a more powerful factor in life achievement than socio-economic background.
- 16-year-olds who choose to read books for pleasure outside of school are more likely to secure managerial or professional jobs in later life.
- 1 in 3 children do not own a book. Having books in the home is associated with both reading enjoyment and confidence. Of children who report having fewer than 10 books in their homes, 42% say they do not like reading and only 32% say they are ‘very confident’ readers. For children who report having over 200 books at home, only 12% say they do not like reading and 73% consider themselves ‘very confident’ readers.
- 22% of children report that no one at home encourages them to read.
- Teachers and parents together owe it to children to help them acquire the very best literacy skills, in order to improve their chances in life and to enable them to succeed in whatever path they choose! Together we can succeed.
How to support your child at home with literacy:
Useful websites:
BBC Skillswise is a fabulous resource for parents and has a wealth of ideas to support all areas of literacy.
The Teachers as Readers study (The Open University and UK Literacy Association) and other OU studies have established effective ways to support children’s Reading for Pleasure (RfP). Based on the research, this website aims to support a vibrant professional community of teachers, student teachers, librarians and English leaders in order to nurture lifelong readers. https://ourfp.org/
Reading
https://wordsforlife.org.uk/activities/filter/?age=9-12
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/have-some-fun/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/english/reading/
http://www.k12reader.com/strategies-to-help-engage-reluctant-readers-in-reading/
Writing
http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/seven-ways-to-encourage-kids-writing/
http://www.wordsforlife.org.uk/getting-boys-write
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/25-ways-get-kids-writing
Speaking and Listening
https://literacytrust.org.uk/resources/?keyword=&talking=home-learning-environment
https://www.skillsbuilder.org/about-launchpad
https://www.skillsbuilder.org/homezone
SPaG
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/skillswise
http://www.howtospell.co.uk/ESL-spelling-strategies
http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/effective-spelling-strategies
http://thegrid.org.uk/learning/english/ks3-4-5/ks3/useful/index.shtml