In years 7-9, pupils have a designated reading lesson for reading. During this time, pupils read, alongside their English teacher, a book from the Reading Canon. Books have been carefully chosen to match need, broaden horizons and develop reading ability. Through exposure to texts that they would not necessarily have chosen before, pupils can be exposed to new vocabulary and cultural knowledge. Reading aloud significantly helps those pupils who struggle to decode words on their own and who do not have the fluency required to be able to make sense and comprehend what they are reading.
All pupils are also encouraged to read in their own time; reading for pleasure is a key indicator of a child’s future success. Pupils across years 7-9 will have access to Sparx Reader. Sparx Reader is an online platform that builds pupils’ reading ability through exposure to texts that are appropriate to their reading ability, with assessments to track how they engage and comprehend texts. This is set on a weekly basis and is tracked, similarly to Sparx Maths.