Reading

Encouraging reading for pleasure

The overriding aim of the reading strategy is to develop and embed a positive reading culture throughout the school, in which both able and reluctant readers make progress and flourish.

Beyond the intrinsic benefits of reading for pleasure, we believe that:

• secure reading is a key factor in closing the gaps in achievement associated with deprivation and disadvantage;
• reading helps us to learn from sources beyond our immediate experience;
• improving literacy can have an impact on pupils’ self-esteem, on motivation and behaviour;
• high levels of literacy enable pupils to learn independently.

Supporting less confident readers

As a distinctively Christian community, our desire to overcome barriers caused by any form of disadvantage is rooted in scripture, and we seek to be generous, loving and proactive in enabling every child to flourish (Psalm 92:13).  As such, we aim to ensure that all pupils, and especially vulnerable groups of pupils, make good or better progress in literacy, including those for whom English is an additional language, those with special educational needs, more able pupils and those known to be eligible for government funding through the Pupil Premium or other initiatives.

Disciplinary literacy and staff confidence

At Ripley, we believe that all teachers are teachers of reading and literacy.  We aim to ensure that the teaching of strategies for reading, writing and communication is highly effective and cohesively planned and implemented in all subject areas across the curriculum.

Monitoring

Reading and literacy sits at the heart of our quality assurance procedures for the taught curriculum at Ripley.  Subject Leaders and SLT links monitor the quality of teaching and learning through learning walks, work scrutiny, and staff and pupil voice exercises.  In addition to this, each subject undergoes a curriculum review process where Senior Leaders carry out an intensive review over the course of two days, producing a report with action points for development.

Parental engagement

Research by the Education Endowment Foundation has shown that strategies to engage parents in supporting their children’s academic learning have a positive impact on average of two months’ additional progress at secondary level (four months at primary and five months in EYFS).  There are also higher impacts for pupils with low prior attainment.

In our various communications with parents, face-to-face or in writing, we aim to encourage a positive dialogue about learning in all forms.  Wherever the opportunity arises, we reiterate the importance of reading and literacy to parents and pupils.

For more information about Reading and Literacy at Ripley St Thomas, please contact Mr D. Gillthorpe, Assistant Principal (KS3)