Reading opens the door to every subject. It enables students to acquire knowledge, encounter new ideas and access the full breadth of the secondary curriculum. It is therefore central to academic success at The Hayfield School.
Our ambition is for every student to become a confident, resilient and increasingly independent reader. We want our students to be able to understand and respond to the challenging texts they encounter in lessons, while also discovering books and other reading material that capture their interest, broaden their understanding of the world and encourage them to read for pleasure.
Students arrive at The Hayfield School with different experiences of reading and different starting points. Some are already confident readers, while others require additional support. Through high-quality teaching, careful assessment and targeted intervention, we work to ensure that every student can develop their reading and engage meaningfully with learning across the curriculum.
The Hayfield School’s Reading Strategy aims to ensure that all students:
Our approach is built around five connected pillars.
Reading does not look exactly the same in every subject. A historian approaches a written source differently from a scientist reading the findings of an investigation or a mathematician interpreting a complex problem.
Disciplinary literacy means teaching students how to read, write, speak and think successfully within different subjects. Teachers explicitly show students how subject experts approach texts, identify important information, understand specialist vocabulary and communicate their ideas.
Reading is therefore a responsibility shared by teachers across the curriculum, rather than something that takes place only in English lessons.
A strong vocabulary helps students to understand increasingly challenging ideas and express themselves with greater precision.
Teachers identify and teach ambitious academic and subject-specific vocabulary, including words that students are unlikely to encounter in everyday speech. Students meet this vocabulary both through direct teaching and through their wider experience of lessons and texts across the curriculum.
Classrooms are also equipped with dictionaries so that students can use them when they encounter unfamiliar words.
As students progress through secondary school, the texts they encounter become increasingly demanding. Successful reading involves more than understanding the literal meaning of the words on the page. Students must learn to identify purpose, select important information, make connections, apply knowledge, analyse ideas, draw conclusions and evaluate what they have read.
Teachers support students in developing these skills and model how a confident reader approaches a challenging text. Strategies used across the school include:
These approaches help students to understand what successful reading involves and give them the support they need to approach complex material with increasing confidence and independence.
Reading contributes not only to academic achievement but also to students’ cultural and social understanding of the world around them.
We recognise that interest in reading can decline as young people move into secondary education. We therefore want to help students find books and other reading material that are right for them. Alongside the academic texts they encounter in lessons, students are encouraged to read because they want to and to see reading as something that can be interesting, valuable and enjoyable.
Literacy is central to inclusion, belonging and equitable access to the curriculum. High-quality classroom teaching sits at the heart of our approach, but some students require additional support to develop particular aspects of their reading.
Where this is the case, we use assessment to identify the nature of the difficulty and plan the most appropriate response. This may include support with:
Students receiving additional support are monitored closely so that their progress and provision can be reviewed.
Diagnostic assessment takes place throughout the academic year. We draw upon a range of information to build an accurate picture of each student’s reading and determine whether further support may be required.
All students in Years 7, 8 and 9 complete the New Group Reading Test, known as NGRT, each term. The results are carefully analysed and used to identify the most appropriate support. In some cases, further diagnostic assessment may be needed. This can include:
The professional knowledge of teachers is also invaluable. Information from subject assessments and previous data captures contributes to our understanding of a student’s performance and helps us to consider how effectively they are accessing learning across the curriculum.
Information from diagnostic assessment is used to place students within one of five levels of provision: universal, targeted, targeted plus, specialist, or stretch and challenge. The support a student receives is determined by the evidence gathered through reading assessments and teachers’ knowledge of the student.
Every student is entitled to high-quality teaching that develops literacy across the curriculum. Students encounter disciplinary reading strategies and receive explicit and implicit vocabulary instruction in their subjects.
In Years 7 and 8, students are also taught explicitly about reading fluency through their English Language lessons.
Students who require targeted help with reading comprehension may receive an individual reading-comprehension target. This is placed in the front of their English, history, languages, geography and drama exercise books.
Teachers in these subjects are made aware of the target, and students are encouraged to reflect throughout the year on how successfully they are meeting it.
Students requiring further support with reading comprehension or fluency may receive more sustained provision.
Students in Years 8 and 9 may have an additional reading hour included within their timetable. Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 may also work with their English teacher in class as their reading fluency is monitored termly. Some Year 7 students may receive a reading-comprehension support pack to complete as part of their homework.
Students who require specialist help, including phonics intervention, receive weekly sessions with an English teacher. These sessions may take place individually or within a small group.
Where appropriate, students may also receive support from the Special Educational Needs Department.
The progress of confident readers is also monitored through data captures and NGRT assessment to ensure that it is sustained across different subjects.
Teachers use challenging texts, model high-quality reading and demonstrate how accomplished readers engage with complex material. Students are given opportunities to develop the quality of their own responses and receive feedback from their subject teachers.
Students at The Hayfield School will:
Not every student will receive the same support because provision is matched to individual need. Assessment enables us to identify where support is required and select an appropriate response.
Regular practice is essential to the development of any skill. Reading regularly can help a young person to become more fluent, develop a broader vocabulary and approach challenging texts with greater confidence.
Parents and carers can support by:
Finding the right reading material is important. Not every young person will be drawn to the same kind of book. Some may enjoy adventure stories, while others may prefer travel writing, biographies, autobiographies or other forms of non-fiction. Helping a young person to discover material connected to their existing interests can be an important first step towards building confidence and reading more regularly.
If you have concerns about your child’s reading, please contact their English teacher or tutor. They will be happy to discuss your concerns and explain whether, and to what extent, reading may be affecting your child’s learning.
Reading is essential to learning in every subject. It enables students to acquire knowledge, understand new ideas and access increasingly challenging parts of the curriculum. Strong reading skills also support independence, confidence and success both at school and beyond.
No. Although English lessons play an important part in developing reading, students need to read successfully in every subject. Each subject has its own vocabulary, types of text and ways of communicating ideas. Teachers across the school therefore help students to understand how effective reading works within their particular subject.
Disciplinary literacy means teaching students how to read, write, speak and think within different subjects. For example, a historian approaches a written source differently from a scientist reading the findings of an investigation or a mathematician interpreting a problem. Teachers show students how a subject expert identifies important information, understands specialist vocabulary and responds to a text.
Teachers use a range of approaches to support students. They may read a passage aloud, demonstrate how to identify important information, explain unfamiliar vocabulary or show students how to annotate a text. At times, teachers and students may read aloud together, or students may repeat a passage after hearing it read fluently. These approaches help students to develop the confidence and skills needed to approach complex texts more independently.
Teachers identify and teach ambitious academic and subject-specific vocabulary across the curriculum. Students encounter new vocabulary through direct teaching and through the texts, explanations and discussions used in lessons. Classrooms are also equipped with dictionaries so that students can look up unfamiliar words when needed.
All students in Years 7, 8 and 9 complete the New Group Reading Test, known as NGRT, each term. Teachers consider these results alongside subject assessments, previous data captures and their professional knowledge of the student. This helps us to understand how effectively each student is accessing reading across the curriculum.
The New Group Reading Test is an assessment used to provide information about a student’s reading. We analyse the results to identify whether a student may require additional support or further assessment.
No. An NGRT result forms one part of the evidence we consider. Teachers also draw upon subject assessments, previous information and their knowledge of how the student reads and learns in lessons. Where necessary, further diagnostic assessment may be completed before support is decided.
Where more detailed information is required, further assessment may include Fresh Start phonics screening, dyslexia screening, YARC assessment or spelling screening. The assessment used will depend upon the student’s individual needs.
The information gathered will be used to match your child to the most appropriate level of support. Our graduated approach includes universal, targeted, targeted plus and specialist provision. The form of support will depend upon the particular aspect of reading with which your child needs help.
Universal provision is the high-quality teaching received by every student. Across the curriculum, students are taught subject-specific vocabulary and shown how to approach texts within different subjects. In Years 7 and 8, students are also taught explicitly about reading fluency through their English Language lessons.
Students who require targeted support with reading comprehension may receive an individual reading-comprehension target. This is placed in the front of their English, history, languages, geography and drama exercise books. Teachers in these subjects are made aware of the target, and students are encouraged to reflect on their progress throughout the year.
Targeted plus provision offers more sustained help with reading comprehension or fluency. Students in Years 8 and 9 may have an additional reading hour on their timetable. Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 may also work with their English teacher in class as their reading fluency is monitored termly. Some Year 7 students may receive a reading-comprehension support pack as part of their homework.
Students requiring specialist support, including phonics intervention, receive weekly sessions with an English teacher. These may take place individually or within a small group. Where appropriate, students may also receive support from the Special Educational Needs Department.
Yes. The progress of confident readers is monitored through NGRT assessment and subject data captures. Teachers use challenging texts, model how accomplished readers engage with complex material and provide feedback to help students develop the quality of their own responses.
Students receiving additional support are monitored closely. The school considers reading assessments, intervention assessments, attendance and participation in intervention. Students’ development is also considered through subject assessments, reviews of their work, student voice and examination outcomes.
Yes. We want students to read successfully for academic purposes, but we also want them to discover reading material that interests them and broadens their understanding of the world. Students are encouraged to find books and other material that are right for them and to see reading as something valuable and enjoyable.
We encourage students to read for at least 20 minutes several times each week and to update the reading log in the weekly planner section. Regular reading helps to develop fluency, vocabulary and confidence.
The most important starting point is finding suitable reading material that genuinely interests them. This might include fiction, biographies, autobiographies, travel writing or other forms of non-fiction. Different young people will be drawn to different subjects and styles of writing.
You can help by encouraging regular reading and talking to your child about what they are reading. You might ask about an interesting character, subject or idea, or discuss unfamiliar vocabulary together. You can also encourage your child to persevere when reading feels difficult and support their attendance at any additional provision arranged by the school.
Begin with their existing interests and help them find reading material connected to something they already enjoy. This does not have to be a particular type of novel. Biographies, autobiographies, travel writing and other non-fiction can all help a young person to build confidence and develop a more regular reading habit.
Please contact your child’s English teacher or tutor. They will be happy to discuss your concerns and explain whether, and to what extent, reading may be affecting your child’s learning.
