Literacy

Guided Reading

At HAOC, we believe that the embedded twice-weekly practice of guided reading for thirty minutes is essential in broadening tier 2 vocabulary, enriching cultural capital and ultimately improving exam performance.

According to Renaissance UK’s biggest-ever literacy study of more than 1 million children across hundreds of schools from all different demographics, exam results improved massively where guided reading was routinely practiced.

Guided reading helps students develop greater control over the reading process through the development of reading strategies which assist in decoding meaning as well as enhancing their oracy skills by being able to talk more confidently about great literature. The teacher guides or ‘scaffolds’ their students as they read, talk and think their way through a text, completing various small text directed, focused tasks such as sequencing, text completion, scanning, skimming and inferring.

When readers can talk, think and read their way through a text, they build up self-confidence as well as their own systems in the future of decoding and ultimately enjoying reading. Quality literature is highly motivating to both students and teachers. Students prefer to learn with these texts and given the opportunity will choose these texts over traditional, ‘easy readers’.

Moreover, coupled with reading eclectic and ground-breaking books, the students will also experience a diverse range of short non-fiction texts throughout the year linked thematically to the novels. These are designed to help students comprehend more challenging texts through activating prior knowledge outlined in research by Keene and Zimmerman; understanding issues such as racism, religious extremism or PTSD before encountering them within a novel.

The Guided Reading curriculum

The Guided Reading curriculum has been carefully planned and sequenced. Click here to see the overview and narrative of the full curriculum.

During the autumn term we want our scholars to begin the year reading a novel that will enrich their understanding of culture, identity and diversity. Come spring, students move on to a compelling, nail-biting thriller. Finally, the summer term sees them exploring an exciting collection of short stories and timeless classics. The table below shows the texts students will be reading throughout the academic year.                                        

Immersed with these novels are a range of non-fiction texts to support comprehension through the activation or prior learning. Among others, they will read a true account of the brutal stabbing of the headteacher Philip Lawrence, they will read about the origins of the term ‘gaslighting’, the inhuman child slave labour of Victorian England, and Nando Parrado’s 2 ½ months existing on a frozen mountain in Chile after a plane crash. They’ll read a stirring speech delivered to survivors of domestic abuse, they’ll learn of the terrible trolling and bullying of Little Mix’s Jessie Nelson, about the London 7/7 bombings and the terrible tragedy that was Grenfell.

SEND Guided Reading

SEND Guided Reading groups run along-side the mainstream reading in Yrs 7, 8, and 9.

These groups are run by expert English teachers to help improve student’s confidence, fluency and comprehension with reading, and improve their reading age.  The books included (an example are shown below), are pitched just right to support and scaffold their reading further.

Academic Reading

KS5 students follow an academic reading programme. Students begin in Yr 12 with current affairs, from law and order to the climate crisis, followed by signing up to an academic pathway that provides a bespoke package of academic reading and/or podcasts designed to promote academic thought around their chosen destinations.  Students read articles that provoke thought, impart knowledge and answer questions about the text to ensure understanding. Our current Academic Reading pathways are; Business and Finance, Creative Arts, Human Sciences, Law and Legal, and STEM.

Reading for pleasure

Not only can reading be highly enjoyable if someone finds the right genre to capture the imagination, but the evidence also tells us the most successful people are all avid readers. Bill Gates still reads a minimum of 50 books per year, and former US President Barack Obama described reading as ‘the gateway’ skill that makes all other learning possible. However, trends also tell us that many young people have fallen out of the habit of reading regularly as technology and other entertainment forms take the place of books.

A recent poll by the independent newspaper found that gifting books as a Christmas present has declined by almost half in the past decade and this number is even higher amongst children. Therefore, it is our mission to help our students develop a love of reading that will not only benefit their intellectual journey but also help build confidence, cultural capital and in many instances, support mental health. Reading is proven to help us use the experiences read about to develop empathy for people in the outside world, and to use skills in ways that boost self-esteem and confidence.

What is the HAOC reading challenge?

Because we know the powerful benefits of reading, we run a reading challenge for all our students from Yr 7, right the way through to Yr 13. The Literacy team have compiled a reading list for our students to encourage them, indeed even challenge them, to find a book that captures their interest and give reading a go. For those who are already avid readers, this list provides a breadth of stimulating reads, including fiction and non-fiction, that we believe will broaden their horizons and hopefully open them up to a whole new world of diverse and inspiring stories.

How was the reading list selected?

Many of the texts have won awards, such as the Carnegie award, or been selected as part of national reading competitions. We believe the breadth of titles reflects our ambition to offer a broad, ambitious and diverse curriculum where all our students can see their personal characteristics reflected in literature.

The list is divided into sections and categories;

• Key Stage 3 has two sections, one with titles for confident readers of reading age 11+ and one for developing readers of reading age 10 or below. This is simply as a guide to help select titles at this stage, but any student can read any title;
• Key stages 3, 4 and 5 have also been divided into genres of culture and identity, thriller, adventure and mystery, and fantasy sci-fi or dystopian. Key stage 5 also has some philosophical titles.

We have divided the list this way to support students and parents/carers to select texts that will be age appropriate, both in their content and in the level of challenge posed by the book. However, we understand that just like these books, all students are different and these categories are merely a guide, any student is welcome to read any of the texts that intrigue them. All these titles are already in our school library so can be easily accessed.

Click here to view the full reading list, as well as reading lists that reflect Black History Month, LGBT+, and World Book Day.

How does the reading challenge work?

Students will be rewarded for their engagement with reading throughout the challenge. Each book read earns house points, while reaching key milestones unlocks a series of increasingly prestigious awards.

• For every book read, students will be awarded 10 House Points, plus for reading...
• 3 books from the list, they will receive a Bronze award;
• 7 books from the list, they will receive a Silver award;
• 10 books from the list, they will receive a Gold award;
• 15 books from the list, they will receive a Diamond award and an additional prize.

All students have to do is produce a short book review once they have read it, summarising the plot and their opinion on how much they enjoyed it and why. This can be in the form of a written report, a book video recording or a creative response such as a musical song, live action-drama video, poetry, or art.

Reading in the classroom

Research from educational academic Tom Sherrington found that in many secondary schools across the country, some students can go an entire week only having actually read six words. This is because reading is either not prioritised in lessons or reading routines are not accountable, meaning they do not require students to actively engage with reading a text. Therefore, HAOC prioritises reading in lessons by utilising a range of approaches to ensure all our students are encouraged and required not only to read each week but read aloud; an important skill when entering the world of work. These techniques include:

Choral reading: once the teacher has read a passage of writing or text, students will all read either the same piece or a new piece simultaneously aloud.

Echo or ‘paired’ reading: Students take turns to read sections of a passage of writing or text to each other

Both these approaches avoid students being expected only to follow a reader, while a smaller number of more confident students read aloud.

The Carnegies and The National Reading Champions Quiz

Both these nationwide events are always popular with HAOC students. They provide valuable opportunities for them to celebrate reading, share their love of books with other like-minded youngsters, and to demonstrate just how much they have learned from their reading.

The Carnegies involve students reading as many books as possible from a pre-determined shortlist and then meeting with other students from local schools to debate which one they thought was best, then voting for their favourite.

The National Reading Champions Quiz is an aspirational event, where groups of students are quizzed on their book knowledge in fun regional heat competitions, with the winners going onto represent their region and their school in a grand final in London with the opportunity to be crowned Senior National Reading Champions!

 

Subject Team Leaders have selected and sequenced tier 3 (core knowledge) and a specific prescribed set of tier 2 words per subject at KS3 and KS4. The vocabulary used is embedded into questioning so that students become fluent in using them as part of their thinking.

When introduced, students then engage with identifying accurate uses of this vocabulary in relatable examples to help secure their understanding of its definition and use. This vocabulary is embedded in curriculum maps and linked to end points in the lesson and structured oracy tasks. Students will ‘parrot’ vocabulary back, which is proved to enhance metacognition and help students to retain and broaden their vocabulary.

To support students further with writing and vocabulary, HAOC run a number of poetry and creative writing competitions which are run in conjunction with national or international celebrations such as Black History Month, LGBT+ History Month, International Women’s Day, or World Book Day.

Winning entries are then published internally in the school library.

Subject Team Leaders have planned and embedded opportunities for students to take part in structured oracy tasks as part of their curriculum. These include extended discussions, debates and public speaking tasks using the HAOC Talking like Experts Oracy Framework.

Beyond the Classroom

Our commitment to oracy extends beyond everyday classroom practice. Students participate in national programmes and competitions that provide authentic opportunities to apply and celebrate high-quality spoken communication, including the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge and English-Speaking Union competitions in debating, public speaking and Shakespeare performance.

These experiences reinforce that effective communication has a purpose beyond school and can support future study, employment, leadership and participation in wider society.

Confidence, Character and Wellbeing

Our approach to oracy is an important part of students' wider personal development and wellbeing. Regular, carefully scaffolded opportunities to speak and be listened to help students develop self-confidence, self-expression and a sense of belonging. Students learn that their ideas have value while also developing the maturity to listen to, understand and respectfully challenge the perspectives of others.

As students become increasingly confident communicators, they are better equipped to express their needs, articulate concerns, ask for help, establish positive relationships and advocate for themselves and others. Oracy therefore contributes not only to academic success but to developing resilient, socially confident young people who can participate fully in their communities.

Collectively, our approach ensures that oracy is explicitly taught, deliberately practised and progressively developed. By combining a sequenced English oracy curriculum with purposeful opportunities for exploratory and presentational talk across subjects and beyond the classroom, we equip students with the knowledge, language and confidence to communicate successfully at school and in their future lives.