Literacy

Literacy – along with Numeracy – forms one of the five pillars which support our curriculum. We have a three pronged Literacy Strategy here and these run through the planning and delivery of lessons in every faculty and department.

• Vocabulary acquisition – equipping our students with a rich and varied vocabulary with which to express themselves in their speech and their writing.
• Reading of complex texts – we use various approaches to enable our students to access and understand complex, academic texts.
• Oracy - we recognise the necessity for our students to be able to express themselves orally in both formal and informal settings. Improved oracy is proven to impact positively on attainment across all subjects and makes pupils more confident and, ultimately, more employable.

We also recognise and celebrate the value of reading for pleasure. Students are given regular opportunities for private reading as part of our tutor time programme. We also encourage our students to read at home. Studies have shown that reading regularly for pleasure can:

• Improve brain connectivity – reading brains grow faster and better.
• Increase vocabulary and comprehension.
• Develop empathy.
• Aid better sleep.
• Reduce stress.
• Lower blood pressure and heart rate.
• Support mental health.
• Nurture creativity.

Since the appointment of our Literacy Co-Ordinator in March, we have begun to plan whole school events to support and enrich our classroom focus on Literacy. Once Covid19 restrictions are lifted, we plan several events in which every pupil can participate. For now, we have focused on providing our new Y7 pupils with some fun activities including our participation in the national Reading Is Magic Festival and our Literacy Advent Calendar Competition both designed to cement the link between Literacy and creativity.

https://literacytrust.org.uk/resources/ultimate-christmas-book-list/