Literacy: Foundations for Learning
Literacy underpins the school curriculum by developing students’ abilities to communicate verbally and in their own writing, access written information, and read widely for pleasure. The acquisition of these skills is vital to students’ development and to function independently and successfully in the wider world. The building of these fundamental skills supports learning and achievement across the curriculum, and it is the responsibility of teachers and support staff from all subjects and Key Stages to ensure that students are given the opportunity to do this successfully throughout their school journey.
Literacy is fundamental for success in school and later life. Students who cannot read, write, and communicate effectively are highly unlikely to access the challenging academic curriculum in secondary school and are more likely to have poor educational outcomes across all subjects.
At St Nicholas Catholic High School, there are several mechanisms in place to support student literacy:
Reading Testing and Intervention
Students are screened for reading skills when they arrive at St Nicholas’; this data is triangulated with SATs scores and initial assessments in English lessons to identify those students in need of further support and to inform class teachers of students’ reading ability.
An HLTA delivers a range of reading intervention programmes, such as those provided by Lexonik, to support weak readers. This may involve temporarily withdrawing them from some lessons to ensure these programmes can be delivered effectively.
Disciplinary Reading and Literacy
Within departments, literacy is prioritised to ensure students can read and write like subject specialists. They read challenging texts on a regular basis, with class teachers supporting their reading through reading comprehension strategies, and activities such as reciprocal reading. Each subject has a range of identified core texts, and these are used as vehicles for a more comprehensive reading focus. Students are taught what reading skills are needed within each subject, such as the need to hone in on data in science-based subjects, or to consider inference in art-based ones. Subject-specific reading lists point students towards texts that link to areas of academic study, allowing them to further enrich their knowledge and understanding.
Whole School Reading and Literacy
Across the year, students are involved in several reading activities that support their interest and enjoyment in reading. These include larger events such as World Book Day and Readathon, as well as smaller activities such as half-termly library visits and invitation to author visits. The school library provides a range of timetabled activities for students to participate in, as well as ensuring a full range of books are available to borrow; this includes physical books and eBooks on our ‘SORA’ service. The library is staffed by a fully trained and full-time librarian, whose expert knowledge supports students in their reading journey.
