Reading
Our overarching message throughout the Academy is based on four research-driven values which are crucial in developing reading skills for life: regular, engaged, ambitious and diverse. These values permeate throughout Academy life from Form Time reading to engaging with the local community in our 'Tots and Teens Bookclub'.
Our Library
We have a school librarian, Mrs Little, so that students can benefit from recommendations and borrow books and other reading materials. Mrs Little also organises Bookbuzz (where our Year 7 and 8s receive a free book), World Book Day and supports in reading lessons and with literacy competitions.
Our Librarian leads on a '12 before 12' (Year 7), '14 before 14' (Year 8 and 9) and '16 before 16' (Years 10 and 11) reading challenge which requires participating students to read a specified amount of books within a given period of time in order to be in with the chance of winning rewards, such as Audible vouchers and newly-released books. Reading is the responsibility of every subject and so a range of recommendations have been given from Science, Art, Humanities, amongst many others; there really is something for everybody. Students can participate in this challenge by collecting a card from Mrs Little in the Library, as well as loaning the all-important books!
Fortnightly reading lessons take place in Year 7 and Year 8 with students expected to participate in independent reading as we recognise the power of a book which captures the imaginations of a child's interests, as well as through consolidating their learning through oracy tasks which encourage students to consider the viewpoints of characters, themes and the intentions of writers.
Community Engagement
September will see the launch of our 'Tots and Teens' book club: an opportunity for younger members of the family from the local community to read with their relatives in the Academy. Not only will this help to develop the growing brains of infants, but develop confidence, reading accuracy and fluency for our students.
The book club will take place on a monthly basis (Week A) and can be booked through the Evolve platform to secure a 30-minute slot.
Thinking Reading
At The King's we are relentless in ensuring that all students can benefit from regular reading, however we understand that students may find reading challenging.
The Thinking Reading programme is led by Miss Carr and her team who work to identify students decoding words at a level which is at least 2 years below their age (chronological age); eligible students will benefit from three 30-minute sessions each week which focus on developing reading accuracy and fluency.
Students who are not able to read accurately at an appropriate level have difficulty accessing a range of subjects and the assessments for these. It is the purpose of the programme to reduce the reading gap for students and empower them with the skills which will equip them for a lifetime of success.
Form Time Reading
During Form Time, students read from a range of fiction and non-fiction texts extracts as well as the whole-class reading of novels.
Here is a selection of the books being read by Years 7 – 11 during FormTime:
Trash – Andy Mulligan
Can you see me? – Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott
Noughts and Crosses – Marjorie Blackman
Where the World Ends - Gillian McCaughrean
The Extinction Trials – S. M. Wilson
The Outsiders – S. E. Hinton
To Kill a Mocking Bird – Harper Lee
The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas
Reading Across The Curriculum
We encourage the use of VIPERS reading (vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval, and summarising) across the curriculum to allow for students to practice a range of skills with a range of fiction and non-fiction texts. This also exposes students to a range of vocabulary and writing styles.
Enrichment Opportunities
We regularly run a variety of reading and writing competitions across all year groups and have even had many students published! Some of these books are available at the School Reception. There are popular book clubs running for Years 7, 8 and 9. We reward enthusiastic readers via our school reward system to show the value it has in our school. Every fortnight, a new article is ‘published’ in the canteen for students to read and discuss over their lunch. The topics covered so far this year include sports, music, technology, science and current affairs.
How To Support Reading At Home
