Reading Strategy
Intent
At Penwortham Priory Academy, we value reading and the building of a reading culture in our staff and young people.
Every subject has a reading-rich curriculum, which increases background knowledge and cultural capital. Our aim is for every pupil to increase in their confidence and fluency in reading whilst at Penwortham Priory Academy. We foster a culture of reading around school, in every classroom, with every teacher. We want our pupils to have a curiosity for reading and to explore the world around them through both non-fiction and fiction.
At Penwortham Priory Academy, we identify gaps in reading skills quickly and intervene so that pupils can read either at or above their chronological age. Our aim is to build an outstanding reading school.
We align our approach to reading with current research in:
1. EEF Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools
2. DfE 'The Reading Framework'
3. DfE 'Now the whole school is reading'
Reading Strategy
Implementation
Leaders understand the importance of disciplinary literacy and have built meaningful opportunities for reading into their schemes of learning. We employ generic approaches and subject specific reading strategies to promote reading across the curriculum. All teachers have received CPD on how to incorporate reading into their lessons, and how to promote reading skills to pupils, in particular, reciprocal teaching of reading strategies (summarise, clarify, predict, ask questions) and ARC (activate prior learning and vocabulary, read for comprehension, consolidate learning by engaging with what has been read). This greatly increases reading ‘mileage’ for pupils, enables them to become more fluent readers and aids comprehension.
At Key Stage 3, as part of their English lessons, every pupil has a dedicated reading lesson, one hour per week. In this lesson, pupils read articles online using a programme called Reading Plus. This platform provides reading exercises that are bespoke to pupil's interests and reading abilities. See more about Reading Plus here >> Reading Plus - Adaptive Literacy Program - Hybrid Learning.
In addition, pupils can visit our school library to borrow a book and engage in their own choice of private reading. The school library supports pupils and departments by providing relevant resources to support the curriculum and a supportive environment to stimulate, maintain and develop a lively and enquiring mind and an enjoyment in reading.
Click to find out more about our school library supports the whole school approach to reading.
We are in the process of developing departmental libraries and quiet study zones across the school to enhance 'in school' opportunities for pupils to read for pleasure. Take a virtual visit to the Humanities library here.
Reading for pleasure is also supported in these ways:
• Books being provided to yr 7 in the annual 'Bookbuzz' event
Bookbuzz school reading programme for Year 7 and Year 8 | BookTrust
• Hosting an annual Scholastic Book fair
Scholastic Book Fair | Penwortham Priory Academy
• Promoting World Book Day
World Book Day | Penwortham Priory Academy
Departments routinely include explicit teaching of Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary in their schemes of learning. Displays around school and glossaries in subjects reflect the vocabulary being taught in lessons.
To further promote interaction with vocabulary, there is a weekly competition open to all pupils called 'The Chilli Challenge' that encourages interaction with 30 Tier 3 words in the subjects of English and Maths that pupils either struggle to spell, or use correctly.
Click Tiered vocabulary in the classroom | Bedrock Learning to read more about the different tiers of vocabulary.
For homework, all pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 have access to 'Bedrock Learning', a personalised online vocabulary and grammar programme. Click here to learn more about Bedrock https://youtu.be/Fj7cnxxXK0U
Two afternoons a week in Learning for Life lessons known as 'Everybody Reading', tutors of Year 7,8,9 and 10 pupils read age appropriate fiction aloud to their form group using reciprocal reading strategies. The books for these sessions have a theme per year group e.g. 'self' and are accompanied by a scheme of learning. These lessons are not linked to the English curriculum and are chosen to add breadth and develop cultural capital for pupils. Read more about 'Everybody Reading' here
Learning for Life | Penwortham Priory Academy
All pupils who are new to the school have their reading abilities tested using the Reading Plus programme which helps to diagnose any gaps in reading skills. Pupils may be required to attend Reading Plus intervention as a result and we communicate with parents and staff where this is the case to ensure they are aware what help is being provided and what they can do to support. We provide additional reading support through Year 10 and 11 peer readers reading with younger pupils in afternoon Learning for Life lessons.
Impact
We analyse impact on reading progress in a variety of ways:
Accelerated Reader, Bedrock and Reading Plus provide data reports for us to analyse.
Engagement with the Chilli Challenge is measured weekly and promoted by House Leaders.
We conduct pupil voice surveys about reading across subjects
For more detail on our reading strategy, please click here.
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Match the shelfie to the selfie for World Book Day
Amongst the activities to celebrate the event, staff shared their own reading experiences during lessons, there was a Reading Plus challenge, and a quiz to bring a bit of fun to the day.
