Academic Reading Across the School

We have academic reading as a whole-school priority to promote a love of reading while strengthening students’ ability to access challenging subject content. Reading is deliberately planned across all key stages so that students encounter high-quality texts regularly and develop fluency, vocabulary and background knowledge.

Key Stage 3 – In all Key Stage 3 subjects, students read at the start of lessons. Teachers select a short text linked to the current half-term topic so that reading directly supports curriculum learning. This builds reading stamina, broadens vocabulary, strengthens disciplinary knowledge and establishes reading as a consistent learning habit across subjects.

At Key Stage 4, planned reading continues across the curriculum through a structured model:

• Core subjects: reading in at least three lessons per timetable cycle
• Option subjects: reading in at least two lessons per timetable cycle

At Key Stage 5, reading is a consistent feature in all lessons. 

Read Along

All Year 7 students are set regular online reading through Read Along by their tutors to encourage reading at home. Students can complete this independently or alongside a parent/carer. The programme supports reading comprehension through follow-up questions and provides explanations of unfamiliar vocabulary that students may find challenging. It is an excellent way to build confidence, develop understanding and foster a lifelong love of reading.

Reciprocal Reading

Students in Years 7 to 10 take part in weekly Reciprocal Reading during tutor time. Students read novels, short stories or other engaging texts while practising the four key Reciprocal Reading strategies: summarising, predicting, questioning and clarifying. These strategies help students to think more deeply about what they read, improve comprehension skills and develop confidence when discussing texts with others.

Accelerated Reading

All Year 7 and 8 students take part in our Accelerated Reading programme, designed to develop literacy skills, confidence and love of reading. The programme is personalised to each student’s reading age and interests, ensuring books are both accessible and engaging.

Every fortnight, tutor groups visit the library for dedicated reading sessions led by our librarian. During these sessions, students read, borrow books and complete quizzes to check understanding and celebrate progress. This structured approach helps students build fluency, comprehension and enjoyment of reading.

Working in Partnership with Parents and Carers

Parents and carers play an important role in supporting literacy development. Encouraging regular reading at home, discussing books, practising spellings and talking about new vocabulary can make a significant difference to a child’s progress. We value working in partnership with families to help every student become a confident and capable reader, writer and communicator.