Reading
Reading during Coronavirus
Reading & The Learning Resource Centre
The Learning Resource Centre (LRC) provides a welcoming environment in which to study or read, and plays a central role in supporting learning at Firth Park Academy.
The LRC incorporates a full IT suite with 30 computers, 16 netbooks and a colour printer. All students are encouraged to take books out on loan, and this is reflected in our loan statistics of over 1000 items issued per month.
Accelerated Reader: The LRC is managed by Mrs Edwards, a Chartered Librarian with many years’ library and educational experience. She leads our Key Stage 3 students in Accelerated Reader, which is one of the most widely-used reading schemes in the country. Using a comprehension and vocabulary test, students are guided to a range of fiction and non-fiction books which they are able to read and quiz on. Each student is given a bespoke points target, which helps us track reading progress and achievement. The comprehensive data produced by this programme means that we are able to analyse students’ ability in the key skills needed to become fluent readers..
Whole Class Reading: In addition to this, all KS3 forms participate in Whole Class Reading, which occurs up to 3 times a week. Teacher-led reading promotes a wider use of vocabulary and knowledge of more complex words in context, as students need to be able to understand 95% of a text in order to read for meaning.
The reading material for this scheme has been carefully chosen to reflect different cultures, history and social issues, allowing students to explore different topics within a safe class environment.
Year 7 and 11 Boosters: For those students who find fluency and comprehension a challenge, we offer Period 6 Catch Up lessons for Year 7 and 1:1 sessions for targeted Year 11s. This means we can focus on the specific needs of a small group of students, in order to prepare them for assessment and GCSE examinations.
Reading Mentors: Some of our Year 9 and 10 students are Reading Mentors, which takes place twice a week in the LRC. Using the data produced in assessment, we choose students who will benefit from reading to an older student mentor, for a time typically limited to 12 weeks. This scheme has proved to be very successful for those students who lack confidence in fluency and understanding.
Reading Club: Since 2015, our library reading club has met once a week to read and share great stories. We access a range of contemporary fiction and modern classics, and regularly use Twitter to engage with authors. The club currently has 25 regular members, and we are always ready to welcome further students.
At Firth Park Academy, we are proud that our students and staff take part in World Book Day, Book Buzz and the School Library Pack. We also host bi-annual Scholastic Book Fairs and get involved with the Sheffield Book Awards. The LRC subscribes to the National Literacy Trust, School Library Association and Sheffield Schools Library Service, all of which ensures we provide an outstanding service for the students of staff of the academy.
Mrs Edwards is a Chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) which means she is committed to professional development at the forefront of her sector.
