Reading
Intent
At Stafford Manor High School, we believe that a high-quality literacy curriculum is essential for students’ academic success and personal development. Our aim is to develop students’ love of reading, writing and discussion, enabling them to become confident, fluent communicators.
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Reading is central to our ethos. We prioritise the development of fluency and comprehension, recognising that these skills underpin achievement across all subjects. Students’ reading abilities are assessed on entry, and we are committed to ensuring curriculum areas contribute to the development of reading.
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Our approach is informed by research and delivered through a strategic, whole-school model. Literacy is embedded across all areas of provision, including classroom teaching and targeted interventions. We recognise that high-quality teaching is the most effective means of improving outcomes and are committed to ongoing staff development and engagement with current best practice.
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We place particular emphasis on supporting disadvantaged students and those with additional needs, including pupils with below age-related reading levels and those with English as an additional language. Through targeted support and inclusive teaching, we aim to ensure all students can access the curriculum and achieve success.
How is reading implemented at SMHS?
Tutor reads
Tutors read with their tutor groups twice weekly in KS3 and once weekly in KS4, enabling them to access a broad range of reading material, irrespective of their own reading level. See the tutor reads tab for more information.
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Reading lessons
Students in Years 7 and 8 English class have weekly Key Stage 3 English reading lessons in the library to develop their reading fluency, library skills and love of reading
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Year 7 Fluency Blast
For the first two weeks of Year 7 we prioritise reading fluency - because comprehending at the point of reading is an essential skill which will support students through their whole school journey.
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Assessment
We use the FFT Reading Assessment Programme to assess the reading ages of all students in KS3, using their KS2 assessment data, English assessment data and teacher referrals alongside this to identify students who may be struggling. For students identified as struggling, we use a range of diagnostic assessments to identify their precise need. These include:
FFT diagnostic assessment
YARC Primary
YARC Secondary
Fresh Start Assessment
WRAT 5
Dyslexia Screener
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Intervention
Students who are struggling with reading are quickly identified and assessed to ascertain their precise learning need. At Stafford Manor we use the following interventions:
Fresh Start (phonics)
Reading Fluency
KS4 reading fluency (to support Options subjects)
1:1 reading
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