Reading
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Developing confident readers who enjoy reading for pleasure is a core aim at Ashmole. Every English lesson begins with students actively reading a text of their choosing. This is carefully monitored by their English teacher and form tutor, both of whom regularly have conversations with their students about the books they are reading, promoting a reading culture and the sharing of great writing. Students record their daily reading, alongside a glossary of interesting words and new vocabulary, in their reading journal. This enables parents and carers to see their child’s reading journey and we encourage regular conversations about the books they are reading at home. We aim for students to read one book roughly every two weeks and students are rewarded for their reading progress throughout the year. |
Adults in our school are also a part of our reading culture. ‘I am reading…’ signs on every classroom and office door advertise what each member of staff is currently reading and encourages conversations about books throughout the entire community. Showing students that the adults around them value reading encourages reading for pleasure. We also have half termly staff book clubs.
Reading occurs in every lesson across the curriculum and each subject area has developed a disciplinary approach to reading instruction under the umbrella of a whole-school, researched-informed process. Each student is explicitly taught how to annotate and interpret in a way that is relevant to that subject, developing students’ expertise in each field of study.
Students have autonomy over the books they choose to read and we encourage them to read widely and often, including genres of fiction and non-fiction throughout the year. Our library is well stocked with over 20,000 texts and magazines. The school librarian is available to guide student in their reading choices and all Year 7 and Year 8 classes have a lesson in the library once per fortnight.
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We regularly test students’ reading ages and provide reading support according to need. Our small group and one to one programmes are designed to help those with the greatest need make rapid progress. Our very popular Reading Buddies scheme pairs a Year 12 student with Year 7 and Year 8 students weekly in our Sixth Form centre. Pic of reading buddies All students are invited to attend a variety of book clubs and our Carnegie book group is particularly popular. |
