King James's School

Our vision for literacy

We do not under estimate the power of literacy and   communication skills, and how vital these are for everybody in   society. The ability to read fluently and articulate your ideas   through speech and written forms, can provide individuals to a   voice to shape their future.  Margaret Fuller captures this well,   "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."   Our vision here at King James's is to create a vibrant, literacy-   rich environment where every student is empowered to reach   their full potential through strong reading, writing, speaking,   and listening skills.  Literacy is the foundation of all learning, and we believe that   fostering these skills is crucial for our students’ academic   success, personal growth, and future opportunities. ​ It is essential for students to be able to read proficiently, so   they  can access their daily learning within the classroom to   confidently gain a secure set of skills and knowledge to   progress towards their GCSEs.

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 Literacy Approaches

 As a school, our literacy approaches acknowledges not only the importance of reading, but also   writing and oracy.

 Click on the links to read more about our literacy at King James's School

 Literacy approaches strategy document

 Literacy Policy

 Reading Tests​

 Assessing students twice a year allows us to identify those who may require additional support   with reading. Further diagnostic testing allows us to create personalised  intervention to help bridge   these gaps in learning. 

 Intervention is grouped by three priority areas to help us create an effective intervention program. 

 Priority 1 intervention are our lowest readers. They receive one hour of intervention per week, plus  tailored support from our SEND provision. 

 Priority 2 intervention receive one hour of intervention per week.

 Priority 3 intervention take part in our reading buddies, where they have one 15 minute intervention slot per week. 

Supporting my child at home with literacy

There are many things that you can do at home to support your child with reading. Here are some tips which we hope you will find useful. 

• Make reading a routine at home - Find a regular time for reading in your child’s day, so that they can begin to expect it as part of their routine. This can be any time of day. You can encourage your child to track their reading using a weekly reading chart. This will help them celebrate their progress.
• Encourage your child to follow their interests - Do not worry about what they are reading. Let them read the same book, or same genre of reading material (such as football magazines!), over and over again. Repetition will help younger children learn words and understand how language is structured. Following their interests is also the best way to keep them engaged and make reading fun, which will make them more likely to want to read more widely going forward.
• Use technology together - National Literacy Trust research has found that, when used appropriately and with an adult, technology can provide an important route into reading for many children, including those in the early years, and boys. Feel free, at times, to use your mobile phones, tablets, computers, laptops and other devices to engage your child in reading and activities that can help them build their vocabulary.
• Talk about the book your child is reading - Research shows that children who engage regularly in conversational turn-taking with an adult learn faster when they’re older. Taking every opportunity to chat with your child will help them build the language and vocabulary skills they need for school. 

What should my child be reading? 

The answer is anything! Any form of reading to comics, magazines, fiction and non-fiction will support your child in reading. 

We have picked out some selections of interesting reads that can be found in our ILC. We have categorised them into year group but we do recognise that reading ranges can vary. 

 Year 7      Year 8     Year 9     KS4