We are committed to providing a first-class education for all students. We recognise that for some, literacy is a barrier that can prevent students from fully accessing this curriculum. Therefore, as early as possible, we identify students for whom literacy is a barrier and provide the strategies to overcome them. Our guiding principle is that interventions do not limit the curriculum nor disadvantage any pupils by removing them from subjects or limiting their learning experience.
All teachers are teachers of literacy and as such, all teachers should:
- Promote reading, writing, speaking and listening within their subject area.
- Identify the needs of all pupils within these four areas of literacy and devise strategies to support them within their subject.
- Ensure that literacy learning is be enjoyable, motivating, challenging and empowering
- Scaffold in order to support pupils’ writing and speaking to build confidence
- Provide pupils with feedback on the literacy elements of their work and provide opportunities for them to make improvements
Via ‘Love of Reading’, promote the Reciprocal Reading strategies of: Predict; Question; Clarify; Summarise.
A. Jones
Curriculum - Literacy
Reading Support
Intervention process:
Year 7 students take New Group Reading Tests (NGRT) as part of the CAT testing process. This test measures comprehension and decoding reading abilities.
Students who have a standardised score below 100 are enrolled on to ‘Reading Plus’ which is delivered via a weekly class in registration time and a weekly homework.
For some students, enrolment on Lexonic Advance is appropriate. This is a six-week support package to help improve the skills needed to decode and comprehend complex, discipline-specific vocabulary.
In English, students in Years 8 to 11 with literacy needs are, in the main, taught in smaller classes to enable teachers to spend more time on literacy development.
Library
Bridgewater’s school library is situated on the Lower School site and is staffed by a dedicated librarian. The library has over 6,000 books and resources, including a wide range of fiction and non-fiction for leisure reading, school work and general interest.
The library is open before school from 8.00am, break time and lunchtime. Pupils are encouraged to visit the library to borrow books and to complete homework. Computers are available for pupils to use. A Pop-Up Library also takes place at Upper School on a fortnightly basis for our older pupils.
Click here for more information on our Lower School Library and reading suggestions for pupils joining the school in Y7.
Recommended Reading
Dyslexia-Friendly reading list
The Reading Cloud:
https://www.readingcloud.net
Reading for Pleasure
Cheshire Book Quiz
The Cheshire Book Quiz is an interschool competition set up by Cheshire school librarians to promote a love of reading. Each month, groups of Y7/Y8 pupils read a set book from a total of five specially chosen titles, and then come together to take part in a short quiz on that book and wider fiction. In the summer, the four teams in Cheshire with the highest scores meet for the Final and can meet a children’s author and win book prizes and a trophy for the school.
Cheshire Schools Book Award
The Cheshire Schools’ Book Award is an annual book prize. All books on the shortlist and the winning titles are chosen and voted for by students from secondary schools across Cheshire. All participating schools are invited to a special celebratory event held each June when the winner is announced.
Books & Biscuits
On a fortnightly basis, groups of Year 7 and Year 8 students are invited to attend a class run by our librarian to provide support with reading for pleasure. Students are given the opportunity to choose books to read and discuss their reading with their peers.
Love of Reading
Every week, students take part in the ‘Love of Reading’ Programme during form time Personal Development classes. We aim to foster an enjoyment of reading in our students by using challenging, high-quality texts across subjects to deliver this aspect of the curriculum. Form tutors act as ‘expert readers’ to help with fluency, prosody, and to model the reading of challenging texts.
