It is our mission that every child leaves school being able to read at an age-appropriate level. In order to achieve this – and to ensure our young people can experience the joy and wonder of reading – we place it at the heart of everything we do.
Only by reading well will our students be able to fully access the specific knowledge they need to achieve their potential in all areas of the curriculum. But more importantly, it is reading above all that will unlock the full range of experiences and opportunities we want our students to have when they leave school and enter the wider world beyond.
Tutor Time Reading Programme (TTRP)
TTRP provides a wonderful opportunity for students of all reading levels and prior abilities to participate regularly in the guided, structured reading and exploration of texts. The programme introduces children to a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts covering a diverse range of themes, topics, and text types and is designed and structured with the aim of rapidly improving the reading confidence and fluency of all students – including those who have historically found reading most challenging.
Assessment of Reading
We believe in ‘assessment not assumption’ and recognise that it is important to be able to accurately assess the reading abilities of our students so that we can identify and then address any specific barriers to reading a young person might have. Students’ reading ability is benchmarked through assessments at the start of every year and an appropriate pathway designed as appropriate.
Support for Struggling Readers
If students have been identified as not yet reading at an age-appropriate level, there is a comprehensive pathway to ensure we meet the specific reading needs of our students. There are many reasons why young people may be struggling to make rapid progress in reading, so we have built in the mechanisms to ensure all are given the right support no matter the barrier. This may be through small group programmes designed to improve reading fluency and comprehension, such as the Herts for Learning Reading Fluency programme, or in some cases could involve one-to-one phonics support, using the Sounds-Write Phonics Programme. Our Year 12 Reading Mentors support students who lack confidence in reading by sharing books that match their interests. Through regular reading sessions, they model fluent reading, read aloud with students, and help them develop their confidence and enjoyment of reading.
Reading Across the Curriculum
We are determined that all of our young people will become skilled readers. We recognise that to achieve this they need to learn how to become expert readers in all areas of the curriculum. To support them to be able to read like historians, scientists, mathematicians, and geographers, students will be explicitly taught key pieces of vocabulary designed to help them unlock their learning. Reading strategies will also be used to ensure students are becoming increasingly confident readers across a wealth of different disciplines.
Reading for Pleasure
Reading for pleasure offers countless benefits to students, both academically and in terms of their wellbeing. To encourage this, we have produced a list of 50 books, including both classic and contemporary titles, that we recommend students read before they leave school.
Alongside this, we have identified 50 non-fiction texts, differentiated across KS3, KS4 and KS5, to cater for a wide range of interests and reading abilities. These lists are displayed around the school and can also be found in the Resources section of the school website.
Many of the texts are available in the Library and Reading Room, and students can earn merit points for every book they read. Our Reading Ambassadors play a key role in fostering a love of reading across the school through promoting and leading a wide range of activities, including book clubs, reading competitions and whole-school reading events.
Links to other useful pages
Great Cornard Library - https://tgschool.net/library
TGS 50 Book List - https://tgschool.net/page/%20tgs-50-book-list