Reading
Reading at Trinity Academy Cathedral
We are ambitious for our students. We believe that reading is the key skill that enables our students to believe that ‘anything is possible for one who believes’. We are committed to ensuring that no child leaves with reading as a barrier to their progress.
As a result, we have developed a whole school approach to reading with the explicit objective of obliterating reading as a barrier to learning. This has been put in place over several years and has been a significant reason for the high outcomes that our students achieve.
Reading in lessons
Students are taught new content in their lessons using frequent exposure to high quality texts in all their academic subjects. They are taught to read, speak and write using academic vocabulary.
This is modelled by our teaching staff, new words are explicitly taught to students and, in most subjects, students read from booklets written by subject experts. This means that students will read at least 300,000 words every year that they are at Cathedral.
In a typical lesson at Cathedral, you would expect to see:
- Quick Vocabulary Method: New tier 3 vocabulary pre-taught to students to ensure an equal start.
- I say, you spell: Syllabic breakdown of the word of the lesson to support students to spell with accuracy.
- Read with a rule: Students will track the text using a ruler to support focus and engagement.
- Teacher as the expert: The teacher will read to students to model fluency and ensure correct intonation.
Reading rewards
At Trinity Academy Cathedral, we know that reading rewards. Our approach to reading for pleasure focuses on linking reading to wider success.
To provide our students with access to the widest range of books, we use Sparx Reader as part of English homework at Key Stage Three. This means that our students have access to hundreds of books at their fingertips.
Link: https://sparxreader.com/parents/ (A parents guide to Sparx Reader)
Students can visit the library every day at break and lunch times and after school. We have a well stocked library with lots of exciting texts, and a full-time librarian to help advise and support students in finding the best reading material. The library is a relaxing, quiet space where students can read in peace.
We also have a number of special events related to reading over the course of the school year, including regular author visits and opportunities to celebrate students who are reading regularly.
Reading Support
We want to ensure that no child ever leaves Cathedral without the critical reading skills they need to navigate the wider world. Any student who is struggling with literacy is given targeted support. Sometimes this is through small group interventions and encouragement from the library, sometimes through a range of one-to-one reading intervention sessions with staff trained in synthetic phonics. We work closely with external partners, such as GL Assessment and the New Group Reading Test, Lexonic, and Thinking Reading (an industry leading reading program), in order to ensure that our students get the absolute best experience possible.
Please download the guide below for tips on how to support your child at home with reading.
Reading Support Guide for Parents/Carers
Sparx Reader
Personalised online reading platform for students aged 11-16, Sparx Reader ensures challenging, attainable tasks with support for parents and teachers.
Sparx Reader – A parent’s guide to Sparx Reader