What is Literacy?

Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak and listen in a way that lets us communicate effectively and make sense of the world. Literacy and numeracy are the fundamental skills that every young person needs to be able to function and make progress at school, work and in society in general. Improved literacy leads to improved self-esteem and motivation; it enables students to learn independently and it is personally empowering.

Literacy at Westbourne

We believe that literacy should be intrinsically woven into the fabric of school life and involve all staff; particularly considering the increased rigour and challenge of the latest Key Stage Four examination courses. Literacy skills underpin student progression across all subjects and consequently, all teachers at the academy, regardless of subject specialism, are teachers of literacy and take opportunities to embed literacy practice within their lessons.

Should you have any questions or queries relating to literacy at Westbourne, or your child’s reading age, please contact Mr Smith, Assistant Principal:

andy.smith@westbourne.attrust.org.uk

Literacy across the Curriculum at Westbourne

We are fully committed to improving students’ literacy skills at every opportunity. Teachers take part in regular INSET training on literacy, in order to best support student progress in lessons. Some of the approaches to literacy in the classroom implemented at Westbourne are detailed below.

“Reading for pleasure is the single biggest factor in success later in life, outside of an education. Study after study has shown that those students who read for pleasure are the ones who are most likely to fulfil their ambitions. If your child reads, they will succeed – it’s that simple.

– Bali Rai

Stop & Read

At Westbourne, we believe that regular reading is vital to academic success. Research shows that children who read widely and often, do better in school than those who do not.

The average reading age required to fully access and comprehend Key Stage 4 exam materials is 15 years and 7 months, however, research shows that the average actual reading age is significantly behind this, at just 10 years and 7 months.

Exams are getting tougher, year after year. If by the time our students take their final exams in Year 11, they cannot confidently access the increasingly complex academic language within them, then they are far less likely to achieve their full potential. In June 2019, we launched a new literacy strategy at Westbourne, entitled Stop & Read.

The aim of Stop & Read is to establish a strong culture of reading across the academy, to get our students into the habit of reading for pleasure and, as a consequence, to raise their individual reading ages. At a scheduled time of the day each week, students and staff start one lesson with a ten-minute period of reading. All students in years 7-11 are required to have a reading book with them every day as part of their necessary school equipment.

Mrs Turner-Smith in the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) can suggest excellent reading books for all ages and abilities, across a range of different genres of interest. The LRC (library) is open before school, at break and lunchtime, as well as after school.

Reading Ages

Every half term during the academic year, we test all students’ reading ages to monitor their progress and, where appropriate, action reading interventions. Reading age data is communicated with parents on reports and is shared with classroom staff, enabling them to plan lessons at an appropriate and accessible level for all learners. Below is more detailed information about Reading Age scores and what they mean.

Literacy Marking Symbols

Academy staff mark pupils’ work according to a consistent set of guidelines, allowing students to recognise the symbols and be able to make improvements more easily. These symbols are printed onto the front of all student exercise books and folders across the academy. Students respond to feedback given and make corrections and improvements to their work using purple pen.

Subject Literacy Mats – Subject specific literacy mats are used in lessons to help develop the skills and knowledge of the students. They feature key vocabulary, command words, examination concepts and extended writing frames.

SPaG Superhero – A fortnightly quiz taken by students in all year groups during VT time. The focus of the SPaG Superhero quiz is linked to subject specific keyword vocabulary, and aims to improve pupil’s knowledge and understanding of academic language, as well as their spelling. Tutors record pupil results and house points are awarded for students who maintain or improve their score each week.

Accelerated Reader – A programme aimed to support and monitor pupils’ reading practice. All students in Years 7, 8 and 9 follow the programme which involves them reading books and completing quizzes on them. When students pass the quiz they move on to a more difficult book. A Parent’s Guide to Accelerated Reader can be found here.

Additional Literacy Support

As an academy, we aim to support all students who require extra help with their literacy skills, in terms of reading, writing and spelling. We offer a range of intervention programmes and ensure that students are placed into the appropriate intervention group, according to their specific needs. Parents are informed by letter of the literacy interventions in which their child is involved. We are currently offering the following interventions – log in pages can be found on our Student/Useful Links page:

Phonics – We are using Fresh Start Phonics with identified Year 7 students as part of the English curriculum. The Phonics programme looks at all aspects of literacy but is mainly focussed on reading skills, including comprehension and decoding skills. Students are assigned to the Phonics programme that is relevant to their needs.

Catch Up Literacy – Catch Up Literacy is a 1:1 intervention, which is run by our trained Teaching Assistants. Students are withdrawn for three fifteen minute sessions per week to work on a programme, which is bespoke to their individual needs.

Comprehension – The Comprehension programme is a small group provision where students are withdrawn for one lesson per week to work on their reading skills including inference and deduction.

1:1 Dyslexia – This is a bespoke intervention, which is tailored at students’ individual needs within dyslexia. Students have a weekly session to work on their areas of need.

Bedrock Vocabulary –  An online software programme which supports students’ vocabulary development as language learning is important to academic success. Students are regularly assessed and will complete work relevant to their needs. This programme can be accessed from home as well as at school.

Literacy Toolbox  – An online software programme which supports students with all aspects of literacy including reading skills, vocabulary and writing. Students will take a progress test on a regular basis. This programme can be accessed from home as well as at school.

Lexia – Lexia is an online programme, which is designed to help students become proficient readers, confident learners and KS4/GCSE ready. The programme targets students’ areas of development.

Spellzone – Spellzone is an online programme, which assesses students’ spelling. Following on from the assessment, students work through the exercises relevant to their needs.

Handwriting – We can provide resources to support handwriting, including easy grip pens and pencils, pen grips and handwriting books.

Working Together to Improve Literacy

 Research shows that your interest and involvement in your child’s learning and education is more important than anything else in helping your child fulfil their potential.

DfE – ‘A GUIDE TO SUPPORTING READING FOR PARENTS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILDREN ’

Regular reading is the key to students’ further developing their vocabulary and is therefore vital to academic success, particularly considering the increasingly complex academic language of examinations.

Please help us support your child improve their reading ability by listening to/encouraging them to read at home. If you can make reading an important part of your home life, you will make all the difference to your child’s development. Research shows that reading for just twenty minutes a day, exposes students to 1.8 million more words a year, enabling them to develop both their vocabulary and subject knowledge. A child who can choose books they enjoy and who can talk about books with their family, should become a reader for life. The Department for Education have published a booklet for parents, with advice on supporting your child with reading. This can be found here.

Accelerated Reader has a website called Home Connect, which enables you to check on your child’s progress:

https://ukhosted5.renlearn.co.uk/2589695/HomeConnect

You will need your child’s username and password to log in. You can use the website to view their overall progress and see how they have scored in the quizzes. Additionally, the website also provides details on your child’s reading targets. The ‘My Bookshelf’ function allows you to see the books which they have read and how they have scored with each individual quiz. You can also opt in to receive emails when they have taken quizzes by clicking on the ‘Email Setup’ button.

The Benefits of Reading

Watch this short video about why reading is good for you and the benefits it offers to your mind, your knowledge and your overall well-being.