Literacy, Numeracy and Catch-up

Literacy and numeracy skills are the fundamental building blocks for learning at secondary school.  Without basic literacy and numeracy skills, students will struggle to engage with subjects across the curriculum.  We therefore invest significantly in our literacy and numeracy programmes. 

Literacy and Numeracy Across the Curriculum 

All teachers, regardless of subject, are teachers of literacy and numeracy.  All students complete a reading age test on entry and at key points throughout their secondary education.  Teachers use this information to support their planning and ensure that texts are accessible for all.  Teachers use a range of pedagogical approaches to support students with their spelling, punctuation and grammar.  Departments expose students to subject-specific texts and vocabulary (tier 3 vocabulary) to develop students’ mastery within each curriculum area.  Likewise, mathematical concepts and skills are taught explicitly across the curriculum, for example plotting a graph in geography or using quadrats in science. 

Students’ literacy and numeracy skills are further supported through our morning tutorial programme.  Fortnightly, students engage in a numeracy session with their tutors, which includes 10 quick questions and a problem-solving challenge.  Each week, students engage in a literacy challenge, which could include spellings and punctuation, guided reading, or identifying synonyms and antonyms.  Additionally, all students are expected to engage in silent reading once per week during tutorial time.  Our highly experienced librarian supports students in choosing an appropriately challenging book from our well-stocked library. 

Accelerated Reader 
Approximately 20% of our key stage 3 students participate in the Accelerated Reader programme within their English lessons.  The programme supports students’ reading by making personalised reading recommendations based on interests and reading levels, setting personalised reading goals and monitoring engagement through quizzes and comprehension activities. 

Paired reading 
We run a popular paired reading programme in which our year 10 students support year 7 and 8 students to read aloud. This develops students’ confidence and fluency in reading, as well as building supportive cross-year-group links. 

Targeted reading intervention 
We run several targeted reading intervention sessions in the library, supported by our Librarian and our Learning Coaches.  Students read aloud from an appropriately challenging text in a small group to develop their confidence and fluency in reading. 

Phonics support 
Mrs Backhouse, a highly experienced Learning Coach and former primary school teacher, leads one-to-one and small group phonics support sessions with some of our students.  This intervention is vital to enable students to access the curriculum and our wider reading support intervention strategies above. 

Numeracy Ninjas 
Approximately 85% of our key stage 3 students participate in the Numeracy Ninjas programme within their Maths lessons.  This programme supports students to consolidate and develop their fluency in important numeracy skills needed to access the curriculum.  Maths teachers use information from frequent low stakes testing to support planning within their lessons and to identify students who would benefit from further numeracy support. 

Times Tables Rock Stars 
New students in Year 7 have access to the Times Tables Rock Stars platform to independently practice their times tables.   A small number of students are selected to do this more formally in small intervention sessions under the supervision of the Head of Maths.   These students are selected using information obtained from the Numeracy Ninjas programme followed in class. 

Maths intervention 
Mr Roll, our highly experienced Head of Maths, works with small groups of students to improve their Mathematical understanding of areas that have been identified as needing development.  This intervention is carefully tailored to support students’ individual needs.