We have a range of interventions that help us to develop reading at the school.

The Big Read

Every Wednesday the whole school spends morning registration reading their accelerated reader books. These are books in the library that have been matched to the reading level of the individual child. Once a child has read the book they sit an online assessment to make sure that they have understood the content of the book. They need a score of 70% to move on to the next book. This is to check that they have read the book before bringing it back to the library to get it changed.

Reading in English lessons

Pupils in years 7 and 8 have 8 hours of English per week, of which 2 hours are reading lessons. They continue read the accelerated reader books that they read during our morning Big Read and they attempt the same online assessment after each book.

Reading for English homework

Pupils in year 7 and 8 may have reading homework set. This is usually for between 20 and 30 minutes. We do ask parents or carers to sign the pupil’s homework planner to show that they have completed the set reading activity.

Reading Workshops

We run weekly reading workshops during morning registrations for pupils that need help to improve their reading ages. These are small intervention groups run by teaching assistants at the school.

Reading Buddies

Some post-16 students volunteer to sit with younger children and listen to them read.

Standardised Reading Tests

We use a standardised reading test with some of our SEND pupils every six months to check the progress they are making in their reading ages.