Park Lane Academy

Literacy

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Literacy at PLA is driven by disciplinary Literacy. As such, we recognise that Literacy skills are both general and subject specific; we are committed to providing whole-school literacy opportunities which includes our academy-wide reading approaches, as well as providing subject-specific, high-quality reading, writing and oracy opportunities in every sequence of learning to support our three curriculum drivers:

 

Challenging Offer

Students are provided with the opportunity to engage with appropriate and challenging

texts, developing a range of strategies to read and check comprehension to promote

independence. High quality reading and engagement with rich and varied subject specific vocabulary across the curriculum models the expectations of high quality written and oral communication.

Passport to Success

We strongly believe that literacy skills – the ability to read, write, speak and listen effectively in a range of contexts – underpins students’ access to a broad, balanced, rich and inclusive curriculum experience, so that all students can thrive regardless of their starting points. The literacy approach at PLA equips students with these core transferable skills and knowledge, engaging and empowering them to achieve in the next stage in future learning, employment and adult life.

Lifelong Learners

Literacy at PLA provides tailored access to a range of meaningful, quality reading, writing and oracy opportunities for students to embed foundational, lifelong literacy skills and to develop as independent, confident and committed lifelong learners. A love of reading is developed through opportunities to read widely and for pleasure, engaging students in a range of themes and ideas to develop their knowledge of the world and their place as world citizens.

Reading at Park Lane Academy

Reading is a key priority at PLA, and is one of our Teaching and Learning Golden Threads:

‘Engage students with high quality reading across the curriculum’.

Our aim is to develop an environment rich in reading and language development to promote a lifelong understanding of the importance of reading for knowledge acquisition, academic achievement and wellbeing. We want each student to reach their potential by reading at, or above, their chronological age.

  • Robust assessment using KS2 baseline, CAT, NGRST assessment, and additional bespoke reading assessments enable a timely implementation of reading interventions. For students working below age-related expectations, we provide Wave 2, 3 and 4 interventions using a targeted combination of Lexia, Literacy Group, Read Write Inc, Stile, Alpha to Omega and other bespoke interventions. These interventions are dependent on students’ individual needs, e.g. to bridge gaps in decoding, language comprehension and/or fluency with common exception words.
  • Across the curriculum and during tutor period, students engage in well-mapped, high quality reading, delivered with a range of strategies developed in CPD, to promote a love of reading and continuous reading progression, as well as exposure to Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary.
  • Reading for pleasure is also promoted through: Readathon; World Book Day competitions; community links with Halifax Library; bookshop trips for Year 7 and Year 8; timetabled weekly library access for KS3. Student voice is engaged to ensure the library is stocked with relevant and engaging texts.
  • Metacognitive reading approaches, such as teacher-led Reciprocal Reading, and Tier and Tier 3 vocabulary are implemented in Five Phase lessons to enable students to read academic texts and tasks.