Literacy

At Lift Aylward, we believe that literacy lies at the heart of a student’s success, it is the key to empowering individuals and unlocking their critical thinking, creativity and communication, as well as improving students'self-esteem and motivations. Ultimately, we believe it is the key to enabling our students’ to have happy and successful lives, that leave positive legacies.This is why we instil a love of reading, writing and oracy, in all Lift Aylward students. 

Literacy Aims

As an academy we aim:

• For literacy to be a central component of our entire curriculum by encouraging the transfer of literacy skills across the curriculum

• To ensure fluency,  progression and mastery in reading and writing

• To enhance our students’ ability to express oneself fluently and grammatically in speech 

• To expand students’ vocabulary repertoire and their ability to deconstruct and process new words 

To do this we promote and develop the following four main areas we believe are central to lifelong literacy development:

• Oracy

• Reading

• Writing

• Subject-specific vocabulary

Guided Reading

Every morning, students in Key Stage 3 start the school day in a 30-minute reading session. We foster a love of reading by judiciously selecting a wide range of age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction texts. In these sessions, students practise reading aloud, are explicitly taught vocabulary and develop comprehension skills. It is an initiative that we are proud of as a school and that both students and teachers enjoy. Examples of the booklets we use in Guided Reading can be found here: 

Reading Interventions

Knowing our students’ starting points is an important step in ensuring that we provide the best and most appropriate reading intervention pathways to improve and sustain their reading abilities. As such, we have three reading assessment points for all students in the Autumn term, the Spring term and finally, in the Summer term. The consistent testing means that the Academy is able to be responsive to students’ needs and intervene appropriately in a timely manner. 

Following each reading testing point, the Literacy team analyses students’ results and adjusts Guided Reading class lists based on Stanine scores and identifies students who aren’t secure readers. To support students who may be struggling with reading or have English as an Additional Language, we offer the following additional intervention pathways: 

• Ruth Miskin Literacy Phonics programme

• FlashAcademy 

• Read Write Inc Fresh Start

• Lexonik Advance 

We are proud of the curriculum provision we have on offer and celebrate the impact it has had on our students’ reading outcomes and confidence.

English as an Additional Language (EAL) 

Two of our core values at the Academy are ‘Kindness’ and ‘Excellence’ and these mean that we are committed to ensuring that we remove as many learning barriers as possible for every member of our school community. Students who join us from outside the country are no exception to this. 

In addition to the NGRT reading tests that students complete, EAL students also undergo an English proficiency assessment using the digital platform, FlashAcademy. Following this proficiency assessment, the Literacy team can determine what level of support would most benefit the student. Our current offer for EAL students includes: 

• Tailored Guided Reading Sessions - EAL students access phonics and vocabulary lessons using FlashAcademy, building independence in speaking and writing with achievable milestones to boost their confidence

• Ruth Miskin Literacy Phonics - Through this systematic phonics programme, EAL students learn to  read fluently and develop comprehension, writing and spelling skills in the English language

• Induction sessions - EAL students are taught key vocabulary and concepts for English, Maths and Science curriculums so they can make an easier transition into mainstream lessons

Reading in the Curriculum

We have worked collaboratively with our teachers to prioritise the three key areas to develop reading in the curriculum:

1. We expose students to age-appropriate text. 

2. We develop subject- specific vocabulary 

3. We use research-based strategies to support students’ reading comprehension skills. 

Our academic curriculum aims to challenge our students to foster independence and a love for reading and we achieve this through: 

• Weekly reading lesson in the English Curriculum dedicated to reading age-specific intervention through the Sparx Reader digital platform at Key Stage 3. Students access this intervention using their personal Chromebooks, which are issued to them upon joining the Academy

• At Key Stage 4, students access Century Tech to support with their English Literature and English Language study. Following a diagnostic assessment, the platform provides bespoke learning pathways to support students in closing gaps

Celebrating and Rewarding Readers 

By recognising progress, we help students see themselves as successful, motivated readers. The digital reading platforms we use make this even more powerful by offering interactive features, personalised goals and real-time feedback that helps keep our young readers engaged. When students feel their effort is valued, they are more likely to read regularly, challenge themselves and develop a lifelong love of reading. 

At the Academy, we proudly celebrate every step of our students’ reading journeys through: 

• Public praise and shoutouts at lineups and are recognised weekly by their peers and teachers

• Praise postcards are sent home so students can celebrate their reading achievements with their families at home

• Half-termly celebration assemblies where students receive certificates and badges for their reading engagement and progress 

• Spontaneous recognition events where students go on enrichment trips or workshops

Reading for Personal Development

Tutor time reading has become one of the most enjoyable parts of the school day. Students are engaged in reading three days a week as a group.   Our librarian has hand-selected books which are linked to themes in the personal development curriculum, where students can explore age-related issues and discuss solutions.