Curriculum Intent
At North Huddersfield Trust School, we know that literacy is the key to academic success across the curriculum and is more important than ever as curriculum reforms place new demands on students and teachers. Our main aim for improving literacy is for all teachers to attend to the literacy demands of their subjects, increasing their students’ chance of success. This disciplinary approach will support students to help them to read, write and communicate effectively to improve academic outcomes so that they can live full lives and contribute to society. Part of this vision is to see every child leave school with the reading skills they need to become productive, informed, participating citizens, and for them to see reading as a pleasurable activity. We aim to design a reading-rich curriculum where reading is a part of every lesson.
What do we do?
A focus on reading
Promoting a love of reading can have a major impact on young people and their future. There is significant research to suggest that reading for pleasure is positively linked to many literacy-related benefits such as: reading attainment and writing ability; text comprehension and grammar; breath of vocabulary; greater self-confidence as a reader; and pleasure reading in later life. To provide opportunities for students to read, KS3 students have one lesson per week dedicated to independent reading. Students are encouraged to read a text of their own choice and they are supported in using the Learning Resource Centre where they can access a wide range of exciting and up-to-date reading material. We are also involved in the Bookbuzz reading programme from BookTrust that aims to help inspire a love of reading in 11 to 13-year-olds. We give our students the opportunity to choose their own book to keep from a list of 17 titles. They are all carefully selected by a panel of experts to ensure quality, suitability and to encourage reading for pleasure.
At both KS3 and KS4, pupils also have a literacy enrichment session once a week called ‘Read and Respond’ which exposes them to a range of fiction and non-fiction texts. Staff and pupils are involved in delivering the sessions where they listen to a text being read out aloud. This leads to discussion about what they have read, helping to develop reading and communication skills. Reading aloud and discussing texts is a crucial strand of Reading for Pleasure pedagogy – it enables students to access rich and challenging texts, and offers a model for silent, independent reading. There is also a vocabulary focus in these sessions where complex words are discussed, defined and then used in context.
Reading friends
Reading Friends is a paired reading project whereby staff and students read with weaker readers in school on a weekly basis. This is a fantastic opportunity that allows students to engage in reading and share their reading experiences on a 1 to 1 basis. The aim is for students who take part in the scheme to develop an increased reading age and a newfound love of reading.
For more information on how to support your child’s reading at home, please contact our Literacy Coordinator, Mrs Richardson, or our librarian, Miss Smith. Below is a list of exciting books that can be used to engage any reluctant reader!
For younger readers:
Murder Most Unladylike – Robin Stevens
Nowhere on Earth – Nick Lake
Fight – Chris Powling
Charlotte’s Web – E. B. White
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator – Roald Dahl
Kick Off – John Hickman
Artemis Fowl – Eoin Colfer
Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot – Dav Pilkey
Maximum Ride manga series – James Patterson
The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
The Dark Candle – Peter Lancett
Rebound – Kwame Alexander
Creaturepedia – Adrienne Barman
Born Scared – Kevin Brooks
Message Alert – Ann Evans
Word Nerd – Susan Nielsen
Six Hours – Pete Johnson
Slime – David Walliams
Holes – Louis Sachar
All Wrapped Up – Chris Askham
For older readers:
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – R. L. Stevenson
The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo
I Am Malala – Malala Yousafzai
The Book Thief – Markus Zuzak
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – Jenny Han
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The Black Flamingo – Dean Atta
Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro
Mystery Society – Steve Niles
Maus – Art Spiegelman
Consistency |
Consistency is key when it comes to improving literacy across the curriculum. Our aim is for all staff to understand how to teach students to read, write and communicate effectively in their subjects and our focus is to prioritise subject specificity over general approaches. For example: – targeted vocabulary instruction in every subject – develop student’s ability to read complex academic texts – break down complex writing tasks through explicit instruction, modelling, targeted support and other approaches such as collaborative and paired writing – combining reading and writing activities – teach students how to recognise features, aims and conventions of good writing within each subject – teach spelling, punctuation and grammar explicitly to improve writing – provide structured opportunities for talk |
Closing the Gaps |
Our Higher-Level Teaching Assistants deliver targeted intervention sessions with students who have been identified as requiring support with reading and writing, particularly in Year 7. Assessment is used to match students to appropriate types of intervention. For example, at KS3, we ascertain the reading ages of all students at least twice a year which helps us to identify those requiring support and ensure the reading material they encounter provides stretch and challenge. |
Community |
Throughout the year, we provide opportunities for students to participate in events which link with the wider community. For example, the Shakespeare Schools Festival and Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Shadowing Scheme. (More information can be found on Frog via the LRC link). We also work with partner primaries to ascertain prior learning. |