Whole School Literacy

Reading at Oakwood School

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Dr Seuss

We recognise that supporting children to become capable and engaged readers plays an important role in their future success. Reading empowers; it facilitates education and employment, and it enriches one's personal life and growth. At Oakwood we want to encourage students to read widely, wisely and for enjoyment and we do this in a number of different ways.

Supporting your child with reading:
We understand that the digital environment in which today's students are immersed can easily distract them from reading. As parents, you play a crucial role in helping them establish healthy habits. For instance, encourage them to read for a minimum of 20 minutes per day, and prioritise reading before engaging with screens. Engaging your child in discussions about their reading to foster comprehension and interest is also helpful.

Ways to support your child if they are a reluctant reader:

• Try listening to an audiobook.
• Read aloud to your child and engage in discussions about the text.
• Give praise and set rewards.
• Ensure the choice of book is suitable (see our recommended reading lists).
• Take your child to the bookshop or the library to choose a book together.

Tutor time:
During our Monday tutor times, Key Stage 3 students read and are read to, covering an entire novel over the course of the year. These lessons support our students to foster a love of reading, broaden vocabulary and increase fluency, as well as improve their wider cultural knowledge of the world around them.

Year 7 are reading Lark by Anthony McGowan, Year 8 are reading The Cats We Meet Along The Way by Nadia Makail and Year 9 are reading Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher.

In Year 10 the Monday tutor time activity alternates between SPaG activities in Week A and reading an article in Week B. This article is based on cultural events happening around that time, for example Remembrance and International Women's Day. Tutors will then use the article to facilitate discussion about the issue with the students.

English reading lessons:
We use an online programme called Reading Plus to complete diagnostic tests to accurately identify gaps in pupils' reading skills and use this to provide a bespoke pathway for those children who not meeting the expected standard readers through a research-based reading intervention. Reading Plus lessons are once a fortnight for all Key Stage Three students. In addition students are expected to complete online lessons at home with comprehensions and vocabulary tasks. These are set by their teacher as homework tasks on Satchel. Their progress is monitored and tracked by their English teachers with interventions put in place where needed.

The Oakwood Library
Oakwood's library is part of our Study Centre, located on the ground floor of the main building and is open from 09:05am – 4:00pm weekdays. It contains a wide selection of fiction and non-fiction books, covering a broad spectrum of ability. Please click this link for more information about the Study Centre:

Study Centre - Oakwood School
 

Fostering a love of reading:
Every year, our year 7 students are invited to choose a new book to take home with them, at no cost to parents. The books students can choose are from a curated list of 16 books, all specifically chosen by BookTrust to improve engagement in reading for secondary school students.

Every Wednesday lunch time, we run a book club open to all students. As a group, we work our way through the UKLA longlist, with each student being able to read the books that interest them. By the end of the year, we decide our shortlist, and our overall winner from the longlist.

World Book Day had been a staple of our calendar for several years, and is celebrated with a range of activities in the days leading up to the day itself. Our events have included book swaps, author visits, creative writing, mood boards, and many more.

Author visits are crucial to enabling students to see themselves as writers, and to inspiring students to continue writing beyond school. In the past, we have hosted Nicola Garrard, who shared with students her inspiration for her two novels 27 Miles and 29 Locks. This year, we are excited to be welcoming Tia Fisher, author of our year 9 tutor time read Crossing The Line, who will be talking to all of year 9 as well as running workshops.

As part of our drive to foster a love of reading, we have also taken KS3 students on a range of trips, including to the Warner Bros Studio Tour to do a creative writing workshop, to The Globe Theatre to take part in a drama based workshop, and the Tate Modern to complete an art based creative writing activity.

Throughout the year, we organise a range of events for our students to take part in. These events include creative writing competitions, poetry competitions, charity readathons, and even an end of year book themed library party! These events engage a range of students, and have resulted in over £250 being raised for charity, students poetry being published in a book, and over a hundred students entering our short story competition.

Reading across the curriculum:
Literacy is key to learning across all subjects in secondary school and a strong predictor of outcomes in later life. One of our whole school priorities is 'disciplinary literacy'; an approach to improving literacy across the curriculum that emphasises the importance of subject specific support.

We are committed to ensuring our students are learning how to read, write and communicate effectively in each of their subject areas. Subjects have specific reading texts and opportunities built into lessons and homework that encourage students to read for their subject (eg read like a historian, read like a scientist) Part of this is teaching subject specific, Tier 3 vocabulary which is done across the curriculum.

Book lists:

Recommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-Art-Department.pdf

Recommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-Dance-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-Design-and-Technology-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-Drama-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-English-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-French-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-Geography-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-German-Department.pdf

Recommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-History-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-ICT-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-Maths-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-Music-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-Physical-Education-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-Religious-Education-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-Science-Department.pdfRecommended-Reads-from-Oakwood-Spanish-Department.pdf