At Archway, we understand that reading can be a complex skill to master and for some students, reading can often be a barrier to progression across the whole curriculum. Therefore, we have placed reading as a key priority. Our newly refurbished library and an investment into a variety of new texts, gives our students the ability to access a vast range of texts which is suited to all tastes and interests.
All students are assessed in order to gather a reading age. For students who have a reading age below their chronological age we offer one-to-one reading intervention with the scheme ‘That Reading Thing’. This intervention offers students the opportunity to break down words in order to better decode, which aids with reading and spelling strategies.
Our whole school approach to reading offers all students at KS3 a weekly session that dedicates itself to the progression and understanding of the fundamentals of reading.
Reading = word reading x language comprehension
A half termly literacy focus is operated whole school in order to ensure students can embed their understanding in that particular area. These literacy focus areas range from ‘paragraphing’ to understanding ‘word classes’ or ‘comma use’ to ‘apostrophes’. Our aim at Archway is for all students to remember these key literacy focus areas and use them automatically in their written work.
In addition, a half termly reading focus is operated in English lessons enabling students to read a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts.
The themes for this academic year (2023-24) are:
| Autumn Term 1 – Gothic Fiction | Autumn Term 2 – A world at war |
| Spring Term 1 – Real life stories/situations | Spring Term 2 – Road trip/travel writing |
| Summer Term 1 - Shakespeare | Summer Term 2 – Autobiographies/biographies |
Furthermore, each day students are given a ‘word of the day’. This word is explored and written down by students giving them the opportunity to expand their vocabulary, spell them correctly and understand word meaning. All words are directly associated with learning for that half term and therefore links students learning ability in all subject areas.
At Archway we actively promote and encourage reading for pleasure. Students are encouraged to read at every opportunity. This might be by attending our weekly lunchtime ‘book club’ or by raising money for a ‘readathon’. Students are often more motivated with a ‘first news’ article based on current global topics or may simply choose one of our recommended reads. All reading is good reading and students are encouraged to engage fully in this area.
An overview of reading at Archway:
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Reading for Pleasure |
Reading – whole school approach |
Reading Intervention |
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For more information about reading and reading comprehension, please see below:
Improving reading comprehension - The reading house model - YouTube
Download\View the full Reading Strategy <HERE>