Literacy Across the Curriculum

At Park Lane Academy, we are on a journey to build a culture of reading across the school and we want to encourage and support our students to read more frequently and more widely. Evidence shows that plenty of daily reading also improves children’s writing; those who read more often will get better at it.

Reading is fundamental in teaching children about the world around them, improving their vocabulary, and developing their oracy. Furthermore, reading develops the imagination and helps students to empathise.

Reading comprehension is also a vital skill for success at GCSE. Since September 2015, the government has raised standards on GCSE papers through the introduction of 9-1 grades; students now need an average reading age of at least 15 years to access GCSE papers.

We have adopted a consistent approach to literacy through marking and assessment as well as ensuring that literacy skills are taught, revisited, and revised by all teachers, in all subjects.

This includes a scaffolded approach to reading new texts, with the teacher as the model reader, and explicit teaching of Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary.

We believe that every teacher is a teacher of literacy.

Tutor time

Reading for pleasure is encouraged through DEaR (Drop Everything and Read) for two mornings a week. During this time, a teacher delivers this through reading as a class or students read their own books independently.

Supporting your child with reading at home

Most parents/carers want to support their children in becoming as successful as they can be in all aspects of their life, and reading is no exception.

Talking to your child about what they’re reading is one of the most important things you can do. Not only does it support your child’s comprehension of the text but promotes enjoyment and engagement with reading outside of school.

At KS3, knowledge organisers are sent home each half term.  Knowledge organisers define the key language and concepts of each topic they are studying in each subject.  We encourage students to review these knowledge organisers on a regular basis in order to increase the use of vocabulary and further understanding.

Below are some questions that could be useful when talking to your child about the fiction book they’re reading. By no means are these an exhaustive list but could be a good starting point to encourage and support your child and help build that dialogue about reading between parent/carer and child.