We started our new literacy drive in November 2016 and continue to promote reading at all levels for a variety of purposes.

Year 7 and 8 students were been issued with ‘Artemis Fowl’ or another appropriate text selected by their English teacher. Some Year 7 students read ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’. ‘The World’s Worst Children’ or ‘Quiet Power’ were issued to Year 9 students. Year 10 students read a range of texts, including ‘Sea Fever’. ‘Coming Into the Country’, McPhee’s exciting exploration of Alaska, or ‘Mountains of the Mind’, Robert McFarlane’s exploration of science, literature, philosophy and man’s love of expeditions, were issued to our Year 11 students.  Each week students read these texts with their form tutor and undertook work to help them to become more effective readers. This has culminated in a competition with a prize to be awarded for the best entry.

Years of research shows that a child who reads for pleasure will do better at school in all subjects. Please join us in our literacy drive by reading with your child, particularly throughout the summer. We will be issuing reading age scores by letter to all parents in the next few weeks.  Not only will it improve their capacity to learn, but your child will also benefit from an incredible shared experience. Parents and carers of our students at Key Stages Three and Four have been informed by letter of their child’s reading ages and asked to participate in the scheme.

A well as reading with their form tutor, our students have benefitted from our whole school focus on literacy. All of this helps our students to develop literacy skills through work that makes cross-curricular links with other subjects. We work together in sustained and practical ways to help our students to acquire the discipline and skills necessary for high standards of literacy.  Formal letter writing is on the agenda as I write. This is timely when all of those applications for summer jobs are being made.

For further information, please contact me at the school. We would love to hear from you about your experiences in participating in this initiative.

L. Mcleod