Literacy

At All Saints we recognise that literacy is at the core of everything we do in preparing our young people for a successful and prosperous future. In the following report: Literacy Changes Lives 2014, research suggests there are ‘potential social and economic gains to be made by improving literacy levels.’

So, what is meant by literacy? The National Literacy Trust defines literacy as: the combination of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills we all need to fulfil our potential. These life skills are essential to the happiness, health and wealth of individuals and society. (National Literacy Trust 2024)

We believe that literacy underpins everything we do, and we are working hard to nurture and improve our students’ literacy skills across the whole curriculum. It is essential that our work is in partnership with families therefore, we have provided useful resources which are not only accessible to teaching staff and students, but to families for use outside the classroom (these will be added to and amended when necessary). In recent years, curriculum changes have placed even further emphasis on improving literacy standards and it is paramount to understand this has to be achieved by working together: students; families and teachers.

Being literate enables a child to access the whole curriculum and further their chances of a successful future; the national curriculum currently states: ‘Teachers should develop pupils’ spoken language, reading, writing and vocabulary as integral aspects of the teaching of every subject,’ (DfE KS3 & 4 Framework) but this is something that can also be encouraged outside of the classroom and it is hoped that our resources will prove to be useful tools for everyone

Whole School Reading Strategy

Dedicated Tutor Time Reading Programme

We have a clear and diverse Dedicated Tutor Time Reading Programme at All saints. We seek to develop the reading culture within our school community and encourage reading for pleasure. We want all our students to develop an appreciation of language and the craft of writing. The programme is designed to ensure all students have access to high quality texts and experience a range of authors, genres and styles that they may not normally encounter within their own personal reading. The programme aims to expose students to this rich variety of literature not only to promote the enjoyment of reading, but also gain 'cultural capital' and to help shape their character. 

The Dedicated Reading Time (DRT) Programme is led by form tutors who read each text aloud modelling fluent and expressive reading whilst highlighting difficult language to close the vocabulary gap and expose our students to high level words (vocabulary not normally encountered in everyday speech). This programme seeks to place reading at the heart of the curriculum and ethos of the school, where we are working together to be exceptional in all that we do, so that that we "may have life, and have it to the full". (John 10:10)

The Dedicated Reading Programme runs three afternoons a week, for 30 minutes. Tutors will read this text aloud while students follow in their own book. Tutors focus on pace, pause, intonation and expression. Once a tutor group has finished a text, they will be allocated a new one. 

Reading and Disciplinary Literacy

At All Saints Academy, we are passionate about reading and pupil’s ability to understand the written word around them.

This is because:

• Reading increases pupils vocabulary by 26%
• Pupils who read make more progress in their GCSEs
• It significantly improves young peoples’ cognitive development, even overcoming disadvantage due to socio-economic background
• It helps pupils secure professional jobs
• It helps young people feel less lonely, be less likely to suffer from depression, and have greater self-esteem

However, we also recognise that not all young people are confident readers, with:

• 1 in five pupils not able to read well by the end of Primary school
• 18% of 15-year-olds in English do not have a minimum level of literacy proficiency
• Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds reading at a level on average 3 years behind their non-disadvantaged peers

Given the significant benefits that being a secure, confident reader can bring to a young person’s academic, emotional, and spiritual development, it is right that reading be prioritised such that pupils leave secondary school at an age-appropriate level of reading comprehension.

Our Approaches

We have a raft of strategies that are used throughout the time our young people spend at All Saints to boost their reading skills. These include:

Building Upon Key Stage Two

We work closely with our feeder schools to establish continuity of approaches used for both phonics instruction and Reading for Pleasure programs. This work falls within The Chesil Literacy Project that works across all 22 schools within Weymouth and Portland.

More information can be found onThe Chesil Literacy Project website

Regular Assessment

Pupils’ reading ability is assessed at the end of each term. By assessing regularly, we are able to deploy strategies to support and stretch our young people appropriately for their reading ability.

We use the GL Assessment New Group Reading TestsInformation for parents – GL Assessment (gl-assessment.co.uk)These are series of multiple-choice questions which test how well pupils understand a given sentence or passage.

Parents are informed of their child’s reading age at the end of each term, as well as the support measures required for their reading ability.

Targeted Intervention and Support

After each reading assessment, pupils are placed into bands depending on the difference between their reading age and chronological age. The able below outlines this categorisation:

The support or extension activities put in place for pupils in each category are as follows:

DEAR (Drop Everything and Read)

The DEAR programme aims to develop pupils’ love of reading. All pupils spend two 30-minutes tutor sessions per week reading a novel. The novels have been selected to ensure they are age appropriate in terms of both Reading Age and themes.

The books being read from September this year are:

These books were launched in September, with teachers modelling the reading of the text. All pupils have their own book for DEAR sessions. Strategies, such as using a bookmark to aid reading, are widely adopted by pupils.

Explicit Disciplinary Literacy Instruction

Whilst the previous strands of the Reading strategy aim to aid the general reading skills of pupils, this final strand focuses on developing pupils’ abilities to read and comprehend academic texts and communicate effectively in each discipline.

When approaching an academic text, teachers consider:

• The background knowledge required to understand the text;
• The specific vocabulary needed to link themes and topics together; and
• The specific language structure of the subject.

Additionally, the figure below, from Alex Quigley’s Mind the Reading Gap, illustrates the roles of background knowledge and specific-specific reading strategies, when linked with general reading strategies, on developing pupils’ disciplinary reading skills.

Therefore, teachers have considered the key tier three terminology that pupils must understand to be successful in their subjects, and teachers use methods of explicit disciplinary literacy instruction to teach and reinforce these keywords.

These strategies include:

• The Frayer Model
• Visual Organisers for synonyms or antonyms
• Glossaries and Knowledge Organisers
• Online spelling test homework

Subject-specific reading strategies are aided by the inclusion of high-quality educational textbooks in many lessons, increasing pupil exposure to academic writing in a structured and effective manner.

Reporting to Parents

The progress of pupils’ reading ability is primarily assessed using the GL Assessment Standardised Reading Tests (completed three times a year). Pupils also complete an Accelerated Reader Star Test each September to gauge their ZPD range.

After each GL Assessment Reading Test, data is analysed at a cohort level, and pupil level. This is used to identify target groups for engagement and inform appropriate action (for example promoting boy-focus reading material or promoting the free loans system with disadvantaged pupils). Progress data for Reading Plus is analysed to review the progress of pupils entered on the Reading Plus Intervention programme. This analysis reviews pupil completion, and speed and comprehension progress data. This information is internally reviewed and shared with parents.

The progress of pupils in intervention programmes is monitored using the six-weekly course-appropriate tests. When the pupils meet the stated criteria for progression, parents are contacted to discuss their child’s progress and next steps.