Reading

Why is reading so important?

• Research from The Literacy Trust and Newcastle University found that, by the age of 11, children born in poverty are on average 19 months behind their more advantaged peers.
• White British boys were found to be the worst performing group. 
• Children with low levels of literacy were also found to have less likelihood of achieving good academic qualifications, less likely to gain jobs that will pull them out of poverty and a higher chance of going to prison. 
• 24% of those not in employment are not functionally literate. 
• Children who are most engaged with literacy are 3x more likely to have higher levels of well-being. (NLT, 2018)

Why is reading important in our school context? 

• Largest ethnic groups = Black African and White British. These two ethnic groups have the lowest overall progress score nationally. 
• 58% male cohort. 
• 34% of students receive PPG. 
• School’s catchment area encapsulates postcodes from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th most deprived deciles in the UK. 
• Greenwich is the sixth most deprived local authority in England. In 2019, Royal Borough of Greenwich had the 2nd lowest progress score in London for GCSE outcomes and in the UK overall.

Our school mission is to ensure that our scholars can stand shoulder to shoulder with their more affluent peers across the country. Children not reading at or above their chronological reading age will not be able to achieve this and are less likely to achieve a grade 4 at GCSE. 

Our school mission is to ensure that our scholars can stand shoulder to shoulder with their more affluent peers across the country. Children not reading at or above their chronological reading age will not be able to achieve this and are less likely to achieve a grade 4 at GCSE.

1. All scholars are reading and writing at their chronological age by the end of KS3

• To access the GCSE curriculum (fulfilling lives and the first steps is getting them the first GCSE results)
• To support in articulation

2. To develop a passion and love for reading through habitual reading

• To develop an appreciate for canonical literature.
• To develop cultural capital

Ambition - To ensure that scholars are reading at their chronological age or above in order to gain access to Russell group Universities and professional careers.

Growth - To ensure that where scholars are behind, they catch up and are committed to improving. To cultivate independent, habitual readers. 50% of scholars read at 17.00+ by the end of KS3.

Fellowship -Ensure scholars engage with a range of texts from a range of perspectives and cultures.

Scholarship- Develop a love of canonical literature, giving scholars the cultural capital to debate and discuss the development of western culture.

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The reading programme and our priority of reading throughout the school day has led to scholars making exceptional progress in regard to their reading ages. The NGRT is a standardised, adaptive, termly assessment to measure reading skills against the national average.

Most noteworthy is the longest data set measuring the Y10 2022-2023 cohort. In Y7 less than 31% were reading at their chronological reading age (CRA) but by Y10 Spring over 88% are now reading at their CRA. The NGRT assessment records progress, ranking the results on a 5-point scale from much lower to much higher. For the academic year of 2022-2023 89% AGFS scholars were making expected, higher or much higher progress on their reading age.

Moreover, from Autumn 2022 to Spring 2023 there was a significant increase in the number of scholars reading at a CRA of 17 and 17+.

• Year 7 +8%
• Year 8 +17%
• Year 9 +19%
• Year 10 +21%

Specialised intervention programmes see equal success and progress with scholars on the Fresh Start programme making on average 3 years and 3 month progress between Autumn 2022 and Summer 2023. Lexia scholars made on average 1 year and 4 months progress in the same time period.