Reading is one of our most important and vital life skills. Reading allows us to access information, understand it and apply it to new and different experiences. We use reading, both spoken and silent, to develop our communication, writing, presentation and it expands our imagination and creative thinking. Reading also teaches us how to listen and be empathetic, it improves our mental health and well-being.
At Carmel we read in a variety of ways. We read through whole school initiatives such as our reading routines, reading routes, subject reading and the VI super curriculum. We have targeted reading support through Accelerated Reader, our VI mentor reading at breakfast club, SLT mentor reading in PSHEE, Extra Literacy and Fresh Start programmes.
We are privileged to have an incredible Learning Resource Centre which has a wealth of diverse, interesting and exciting books which range across the key genres of: Adventure, Nature (Animals), Classics, Fantasy and Science Fiction,
Friends and Family, Historical, Horror and Ghost, Humour and Graphic novels, Mystery and Thriller, Short Stories, Sports and Hobbies and War and Conflict. The LRC is full of book displays to encourage diversity in reading and it organises participation in a range of events throughout the year such as Carnegie and Excelsior. We encourage our students to read for fifteen minutes a day everyday. On Monday in our PSHEE lessons, every form group starts the lesson by reading their books for fifteen minutes. This includes students and staff.
Targeted literacy interventions take place to support students. Interventions will be organised by the Lead teacher of Literacy. Students with lower SATs literacy scores, or low reading ages as indicated by STAR Reading age assessments will receive further testing using a SALFORD assessment. They could then be selected to take part in one or more of the school literacy interventions. The interventions usually target KS3 students, but bespoke programmes are delivered to KS4 students.
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Interventions include:
- Reading Support and Comprehension: once or twice per week during timetabled lessons or before the College day.
- Breakfast Club: 3 times a week identified students will meet before school to take part in paired reading with teachers and sixth formers.
- In addition to this all Year 7 and 8 students receive a literacy through virtues lesson once a week where they will specifically look at developing reading and writing skills through texts which support our College virtues.
- In Key Stage 3 all students will receive one English lesson per week with a specific focus on Literacy. These lessons will always begin with some form of reading, either independent or guided reading as a group.
- All students across Key Stage Three and Key Stage 4 will begin every PSHE lesson with independent reading. As outlined above this will be tracked and monitored by Form Tutors
Explore our reading opportunities by clicking a book:
