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Developing Literacy and Reading
At Fakenham Academy, we believe that creating a culture of reading is vital in ensuring our students have the ability to achieve their potential in school and beyond.
We aim to foster a love of reading which will stay with our students into their adult life; cultivating readers with a passion for a wide range of materials will ensure that children’s love of reading will extend beyond the classroom.
A culture of reading is also crucial to the academic progression of our students. Our students’ success in terminal examinations is reliant on their ability to read with confidence. Most GCSE specifications are expecting more independent reading from students; their own research and revision rely heavily on their ability to read and interpret texts; their exam responses require an ability to read and understand that the examiner requires; their own responses need to be carefully checked. We focus on reading in KS3, ensuring students have the foundations needed for their GCSE studies
Reading Lists:
Year 7 Reading ListYear 9-11 Reading ListYear 8 Reading List
Reading is challenging
We develop our understanding and command of the English language through our experience of and exposure to challenging texts in all contexts: students will be introduced to challenging texts in all subjects. They may read an artist’s explanation of their thinking when planning a piece of art; they may read a first person account of a key historical event; they made read a text which attempts to manipulate reader response and analyse its features.
Reading is varied
Reading comes in many forms essential to everyday life. Reading of blogs, newspaper reports, magazine articles, research pieces, images, moving image and surveys are as valid as reading longer fiction and non-fiction texts. We encourage students to vary their reading materials and aim to foster a love of reading which enthuses students and allows them to explore their interests as well as develop new ideas and experiences.
We place a high value on reading through the following activities and approaches amongst others:
- Students are required to have reading material as part of their daily equipment.
- Students will take out their reading material along with other equipment at the beginning of each lesson.
- Where appropriate, lessons may start or end with some independent or guided reading.
- Students are encouraged to read when they have any spare time within or outside lessons.
- Students use the library during lessons and outside of lesson time.
- There are reading times within the tutor programme and students are expected to read or discuss their reading within tutor groups.
- Year 7 and 8 students have a fortnightly reading lesson (as part of their English lessons).
- Lessons in all subjects incorporate guided reading or group reading of challenging texts (part of our Curriculum Intent)
