Literacy

Literacy Mission Statement

All members of Edgbarrow School are committed to creating a community providing students with explicit opportunities to develop their literacy skills.

Literacy is key to academic success across the curriculum and Edgbarrow School is committed to supporting students to read, write and communicate effectively in all of their subjects. All teachers are teachers of literacy and we aim to build on literacy skills taught at Key Stage 2 as well as support students’ subject specific literacy skills.

Young people who read daily in their free time are twice as likely to read above the level expected for their age than children who don’t read daily (National Literacy Trust, 2019). At Edgbarrow school, we understand the importance of reading and the impact it can have on students’ academic achievements. We ensure that reading skills are actively taught across the curriculum and that our curriculum gives a high priority to reading for pleasure. We also ensure careful monitoring of reading ability and, where necessary, implement interventions for those that may need extra support.

Communicating clearly and effectively is a vital life skill and we aim for our students to be confident communicators, both in their writing and in their spoken language. All subjects provide opportunities for students to plan, construct, reflect on and redraft their written responses.

School Strategies:
Reading

1.  Across the whole curriculum, teachers will provide activities for students to:

  • read and follow written instructions.
  • read to explore and to develop understanding.
  • learn how to decode from the text.
  • learn how to access their textbook, including format and index.
  • learn how to select from written material, reformulate, question and challenge what they read in textbooks, encyclopaedias, and newspapers or from ICT sources.

2.  Teachers will provide reading material of high quality, which is relevant and balanced in its presentation of ethnicity, culture, gender
     and appropriate for age and ability of the students.
3.  Opportunities should be created for teachers to refer to students' use of reading in assessments and reports for all curriculum areas.
4.  Independent reading will be routine in form time and lessons.

Writing

1. Across the curriculum, teachers will provide activities for students to:

  • use writing to plan and organise.
  • plan, draft, discuss and reflect on their writing, using ICT where appropriate.
  • write for a range of purposes and audiences.
  • make notes in a variety of formats, e.g. brainstorming.

2.  Teachers will set writing tasks that have clear and immediate purposes, are objective-driven and which are appropriate for the age and
     ability of the students concerned.
3.  Teachers will teach students how to structure their writing using a variety of sentence structures, paragraphs and a wide range
     of punctuation, including higher-order punctuation e.g. semi-colons, colons and brackets.
4.  Where students are asked to write in a particular genre, e.g. a newspaper report, teachers will ensure that students are familiar with
     the appropriate style and conventions.
5.  Teachers will correct errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling in line with the school’s assessment and marking policy.

Strategies to support your child with literacy:
    • Encourage your child to read a selection of fiction and non-fiction texts
    • Take them to local libraries or bookshops and encourage them to select books that they find interesting
    • All Key Stage Three students are registered on the Accelerated Reader programme. When they have finished a book, encourage them to use the link below to complete comprehension and vocabulary quizzes on what they have just read:
    • Renaissance Learning - online resource
    • When completing homework, aid them in correcting spelling, punctuation or grammar errors
    • Encourage your child to write creatively on a subject that interests them (e.g. a newspaper article, a persuasive speech, a letter, a story or a piece of descriptive writing).
    • Talking with and listening to others is a fantastic way to develop vocabulary; encourage your child to talk to people of all ages. This could involve reading with younger siblings or older relatives or simply talking to others about their own experiences in life.
    • If your child is preparing for a spoken language activity, consider acting as an audience so that they can practise what they want to say.

 Useful links:

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Twenty one Year 12 students took part in a reading programme which involved reading with Year 7 students once a week to help them to develop their reading skills.

website

All staff took part in INSET reading strategies training and lots of staff took part in TeachMeets/Literacy Working Party meetings.

Accelerated Reader programme was used with selected KS3 students, with targeted intervention implemented where necessary. In 2021-2022, the programme will be used with all KS3 students.

Whole school participation in World Book Day with form time quizzes, classroom activities, library activities and much more!

Several members of staff, students and governors engaged with lectures as part of the National Literacy Trust conference week.

Remarkable Reading Challendge

The Edgbarrow Reading Challenge was a ten day optional reading challenge during lockdown. At 3pm every school day, links appeared on the website with an extract from a book, a recording of a member of staff reading the extract and an online comprehension quiz to complete. We were very pleased to receive 910 entries in total. the school.