Reading at Bredon Hill Academy 2022-23.

At Bredon Hill Academy we take a whole school approach to reading. Every member of the school works together to develop our culture of reading and to support all pupils to develop decoding, comprehension, fluency and stamina as supported by Scarborough’s Reading Rope and the EEF’s report on Supporting Literacy in KS2 and in Secondary Schools (2021, 2019 & 2022). We believe that all pupils should be supported to be fluent readers who have a real pleasure in the written word.

Current situation;

• Reading for pleasure is embedded at BHA as a key value.
• Our Library is open every lunch time for pupils to visit and borrow books run by Mrs Oakley, a knowledgeable practitioner, and her staff and student team;
• We have a reading area developed in the foyer for students and to promote reading within the community;
• Pupils’ reading ages are assessed on entry in Y6 and at timely moments throughout their time at BHA for teachers to make decisions about their needs;
• Lowest 20% of pupils with literacy difficulties and low reading ages supported through QFWT, trained TA support with Precision teaching slots before school and within English lessons ‘Fresh Start’.
• We have developed an ongoing in-house programme of CPD for reading skills throughout subject areas, especially with a focus on vocabulary and reading to learn;
• Shadowing the Yoto Carnegies Award (https://yotocarnegies.co.uk/take-part/)
• Reading Buddies Scheme working with Y7 students supporting Y6s and Y8s with Y7s who need help and support. This takes place in the Library or Hall twice a week during the end of the day form time;
• Tutor Reading Programme;
• Adult Mentoring Scheme has been developed where adults listen to identified pupils read during end of the day form time;
• English department deliver CPD on reading strategies to whole staff.

How do we inspire pupils to read?

• Booklists for each year group;
• Tutor Reading Programme in Y6 and Y7 and Y8 form times;
• Vibrant library which is manned at lunch times;
• Pupil librarians;
• Y7 BookBuzz to encourage a culture of reading;
• Use of published authors talking about the writing process .e.g. Tom Palmer, Phil Earle;
• Summer Reading Passport to all year groups and new intake;
• Book Fairs during set weeks and with an evening for parents to be able attend;
• World Book Day events;
• National Poetry Day Events;
• Staff bookshelf for sharing readers;
• Teachers share their current reading with classes;
• Relentless enthusiasm for reading;
• Reading Newsletter once a half term.

How do we encourage pupils to read?

• Use of ‘live lessons’ with published authors talking about their writing;
• Busy-brained reading during each English lesson;
• Teachers listen to children read;
• Reading related home learning once a fortnight;
• Vocabulary related homework once per fortnight;
• Expectation that all pupils read at home every night and to someone at least 3 times a week – Planner;
• Reading Journal/scrapbook work in English;
• Whole school approach – every pupil must have a book with them at all times;
• Reading Buddy Programme Y6 and Y7;
• Adult Mentoring Scheme for Y8;
• Designated reading lessons in English.

How do we identify reading barriers?

• Transition data from feeder schools
• NGRT test all Y6 pupils on entry in September;
• WRAT test all pupils;
• GL testing at the beginning of Year 6 and 7 and at the end of Year 6 and 8;
• Reading with teachers within English;
• We use FFT Aspire Reading Assessment to identify wpm for each student;
• We use Dyslexia Gold to identify and target students with a dyslexia diagnosis or with dyslexic traits;
• Implement reading interventions: Reading Programme with adult volunteers; - Reading Buddy Programme twice a week; Tutor Reading Programme- CPD for whole staff re: reading; - Support for subject teachers – barriers explained, support provided;

Next Steps

• Use curriculum redesign to promote and embed reading for progress;
• On-going monitoring and evaluating pf evidence-based reading interventions: Reading Programme with adult volunteers; - Reading Buddy Programme twice a week; Tutor Reading Programme- CPD for whole staff re: reading; - Support for subject teachers – barriers explained, support provided;
• To ensure our bottom 20% are being supported by the best evidence-based practice;
• Develop Tutor Reading Programme during form time in all years;
• Look to further develop evidence-based reading provisions depending on needs of students;
• Further develop staff engagement with reading for progress (CPD for teachers using academic reading/vocabulary) and reading for pleasure;
• Find ways to inspire all pupils to read;
• Termly prize for best library user. House points for tutor group who use the library most;
• Reading for pleasure sponsored event in Spring Term;
• Develop the outside literacy shed built by S Banks and turn form gardens into reading gardens;