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Literacy and Oracy

Reading, Literacy and Oracy are core to our philosophy of learning at Washwood Heath Academy.

Washwood Heath is committed to raising standards of literacy in all its pupils, through a coordinated approach. Every teacher has a role to play in this process. Reading, writing, oracy and vocabulary are vital skills in learning and life. At Washwood Heath these skills matter. Reading is one of our core curriculum drivers and one that is key to achievement. As such, reading is central to every aspect of learning at Washwood Heath and is developed by all teachers in every department and lesson.

‘Schools have no more fundamental responsibility than teaching children to read…Nothing is more important in education than ensuring that every child can read well.’ Reading: The Next Steps, DfE 2015

Reading for all at Washwood Heath – Secondary phase
Targeted Intervention	Universal Offer
Additional support for the weakest readers	Reading independently and for pleasure	English Curriculum	Wider Curriculum
Pupil is below average according to SATs reading scaled score and/ or accelerated reader star reading test identifies reading age as significantly below chronological age. Year 7 & 8 cohorts have timetabled Literacy catch up lessons with English specialist. We are in the process of training staff in Secondary phase to deliver the Fresh Start Phonics programme (RWI). Paired and group reading. Close monitoring through the AR programme.	Accelerated Reader Every Year 7 & 8 pupil has a reading book matched to their reading age with them at all times. (Pupils know their ZPD) Word Millionaires and rewards. Library lessons once a fortnight in Year 7&8. LOVE TO READ Tutor time reading twice a week. Year 9 & 10 have class reader novels and Year 7 & 8 read their AR books. Book reviews Extra Opportunities Regular reading competitions with rewards and book token prizes. Reading Ambassadors produce termly ‘recommended reads’ posters displayed around school. Author visits. Open University KS3 Reading for Pleasure project. Sixth Form students listen to Year7&8 pupils read during form time.	Carefully chosen texts to increase background knowledge Novels, poetry and non-fiction texts which enable pupils to gain knowledge about different perspectives/ ideas in society and the world. Curriculum thinking Key skills for reading are revisited throughout the year. Vocabulary is deliberately taught and tested. Knowledge organisers present key vocabulary and reading for any given unit. Library lessons Year 7&8 pupils have a fortnightly library lesson where they focus on developing their reading. Year 11 have a termly visit to the library to take out a novel to read to support with their language examination.	Guided academic reading Subjects areas use guided reading to develop pupils fluency and understanding. Vocabulary Instruction Knowledge organisers Quizzing Dual coding Explicit teaching of key vocabulary Department Literacy Focus All subject areas have termly Literacy focus, including ‘to develop students’ ability to read complex academic texts.’

Oracy

We recognise that ensuring that learners are literate and numerate is fundamental in enabling them to flourish, thrive and access the next stage of their education, employment or training. The development of learner language and Oracy is a key part of our curriculum as we understand how vital it is for our learners to build confidence in communication skills not only for their time in school but also to prepare them for working life and for making a difference in society.

Learners have opportunities to discuss, challenge and build on other points of view and to develop their formality of language to ensure they have the confidence to speak to different audiences. Tier two and Tier three vocabulary is a key part of the curriculum planning which is undertaken by our Heads of Department and Subject Leaders.

Reading is also an integral part of every child’s education. We believe passionately in promoting reading and encouraging pupils to read a range of texts that challenge them and introduce them to new ideas and styles of writing.

There is much evidence that illustrates the link between reading and exam results and ultimately future earnings. However, reading is also of cultural benefit and it exposes pupils to lives and experiences they might never otherwise come across and in turn promotes emotional intelligence and empathy.

To support our Secondary age learners further we provide the following:

Aside from our library within school we now have an online library, with a selection of titles for all year groups, including links to Mental health and wellbeing books.
Book Buzz- A programme where all Yr. 7 and Yr. 8 students choose a book to take home and keep.
Read to Succeed. Form time Teacher led reading. Students will listen to and discuss a text and practice handwriting skills, during weekly sessions.
Spelling tests to support the development of vocabulary. This takes place during Read to Succeed sessions in form time.
The Voice 21 Programme- Oracy development- We are currently in Yr. 2 of this programme.
Learn path- students can access the latest literacy and Oracy news including links to interesting articles and the top books to read every month.
One to one reading for students who require extra support which takes place during extended form time.

Further key information about our Reading Strategy:

Love to Read

At WHA we believe it is imperative that we carve out time for students to read for pleasure during the school day. We have two forms times each week dedicated to independent reading and whole class reading. Year 7 and 8 students have selected their own reading book from our AR selection and bring that to each session. They have the opportunity to read to their form tutor 1-1 as well as discuss their chosen books with peers. In year 9 and 10, students have a selected text that they read with their form family. Recent reads include The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander, Bringing Back Kay-Kay buy Dev Kothari, Churchill’s Spy by Sufiya Ahmed and The Children of the Stone City by Beverly Naidoo. Students listen to their form tutor read to them, stopping to discuss the plot as it unfolds and their impressions of characters. In all cases this is designed to be a calm start to the day where students have 40 minutes dedicated time to reading for pleasure, not only supporting their wellbeing but also the connections they have with teachers and peers.

Reading competitions

At WHA we run a half termly reading competition where students can immerse themselves in reading in a variety of different ways. The competitions have been designed to show students that reading can take place anywhere in many ways. For example, students participated in the Masked Reader competition, where staff made recommendations of their favourite books and listen to staff reading the blurb and tried to guess who made the recommendation. This sparked fantastic conversations about reading preferences between adults and children. Students then participated in the Get Caught Reading competition, where students were rewarded for reading for pleasure in those hidden moments throughout the day. The latest competition is our Read Around the World competition, encouraging students to read texts from a variety of different authors from around the world from the Classics to Graphic Novels we have designed this competition to broaden student engagement with the wealth of reading material the world has to offer to them.

Reading Ambassadors

We have a team of Reading Ambassadors from across both KS3 and KS4 who represent student voice and preferences on all things reading in the Academy. These students all made an application stating why they would like this role for 24-25. All students discussed how they felt passionate about encouraging other students to engage in reading in the way that they did due to the mental health and wellbeing benefits they get from reading and felt they would be the best candidates to work on this. Since taking on the role, the team meet fortnightly to bring student voice suggestions on competitions, library stock requests and student responses to our reading initiatives. They also produce a half termly poster displayed around school and in the Newsletter tempting students into the Library.

Open University Reading for Pleasure Project 24-25

We are currently taking part in the Open University Reading for Pleasure Project 24-25 where we are working alongside a variety of stakeholders from the OU who are supporting us to further develop our culture of reading for pleasure at WHA. As part of this project, we have two aims. Firstly, to improve staff knowledge of contemporary YA texts to improve the quality of book talk happening around the Academy and secondly, to update the places and spaces students have to read in school. This is a year long project but so far has seen updates to the Library layout as well as an update in the stock we hold and a variety of professional development opportunities to upskill staff on what is current in the YA world. We are looking forward to seeing how this project continues to develop over the remainder of the year.

Please enjoy using all of the resources and information on this page to help develop your reading, writing, speaking and listening skills! Click the links below:

Click here to access the Washwood Heath Online Library

What is Oracy and why is it important?

Learn Path

Read to Succeed

We recognise that ensuring that pupils are literate and numerate is fundamental in enabling them to flourish, thrive and access the next stage of their education, employment or training. The development of pupil language and Oracy is a key part of our curriculum as we understand how vital it is for our students to build confidence in communication skills not only for their time in school but also to prepare them for working life and for making a difference in society.

Students have opportunities to discuss, challenge and build on other points of view and to develop their formality of language to ensure they have the confidence to speak to different audiences. Tier two and Tier three vocabulary is a key part of the curriculum planning which is undertaken by our Heads of Department and Subject Leaders.

Why are we going to read to our students during extended form time?

Children who are read to when they are young are more likely to do well in school overall. When you read to children, you are stimulating language and literacy skills, as well as building motivation, curiosity and memory.

Phonemic awareness – Being able to hear, identify, and play with individual sounds in spoken words.
Phonics – Being able to connect the letters of written language with the sounds of spoken language.
Vocabulary – The words students need to know to communicate effectively.
Reading comprehension – Being able to understand and get meaning from what has been read.
Fluency (oral reading) – Being able to read text accurately and quickly.
Developing Phonetic awareness, vocabulary and reading comprehension, all of which will set them up for success as they grow and interact with the world around them.

This is why we have created Read to Succeed.

Please see below for guidelines to the sessions:

R2s1