Reading

Reading is integral to everything we do at St Aldhelm’s; we understand the vital role it plays in everyone’s future. Reading opens the mind, transports us to places we may never visit and times we can never visit. For anyone who tells us they don’t like to read then our answer is simple: ‘you haven’t found the right book…yet!’

We approach reading in three ways:

1. Engagement across the curriculum
2. Impactful intervention
3. Fostering a love of reading

Engagement across the curriculum

Reading is interwoven across our curriculum; it is imperative to every subject, including those with a more practical focus. Every lesson starts with a learning objective and key words which are discussed and revisited throughout the lesson. It is vital for students to be able to build and use academic vocabulary to allow them to learn independently. Students are encouraged to read aloud in lessons: whether it be instructions from the board, text from a textbook or novel, or their own work; oracy and reading go hand in hand to create confident and articulate learners.

Impactful intervention

From September 2022, all KS3 students will receive four hours of reading intervention a fortnight. This will be based on their reading age and tailored to supporting their own reading progress.
These interventions are:

• Read Write Inc: Fresh Start phonics
• Reading Plus
• Direct Instruction
• Book Club and vocabulary

Fostering a love of reading

We would love all our students to leave us with a genuine love of reading. We aim to do this in a variety of ways:

• Drop Everything and Read in English: for twenty minutes a week, students and their teacher will sit and read a book of their choice. They can bring one from home or select one from the back of their English classroom. Each room stocks a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts – The Guinness Book of World Records is always a popular choice!
• Tutor Time reading: each morning tutor session (excluding assembly days) start with ten minutes of shared reading; the book is selected by the tutor group and then read collectively. Books are carefully selected to ensure they are appropriate for the year group but also provide challenge and diversity. Choices include previous Carnegie Medal winners, must reads from years gone by and modern classics.
• Library: our library is open every day for students to visit. They can sit and read during their break or check out a book to read at home. Our Learning Resource Manager regularly updates the displays with a book of the month, a selection of books on a theme and interactive displays where students can share their thoughts on books. There is also the opportunity to take part in a book club and become a student librarian. You can check out our latest library newsletter here:

If you are looking for your inspirational next read, then look no further than our age-appropriate reading lists: The Library Monthly – July

Year 7 reading list

Year 7 books for pupils aged 11-12 in KS3 – our suggested reads (schoolreadinglist.co.uk)

Year 8 reading list

Suggested reading book list for Year 8 pupils | KS3 | Age 12-13 (schoolreadinglist.co.uk)

Year 9 reading list

Books for Year 9 – a recommended reading list for 13 year olds (schoolreadinglist.co.uk)

Year 10 reading list

Year 10 recommended reading list for pupils aged 14-15 in KS4 (schoolreadinglist.co.uk)

Year 11 reading list

Year 11 suggested reading list for pupils in KS4 age 15-16 (schoolreadinglist.co.uk)

There are lots of ways to get reading at home without buying/borrowing a book. Check out some ways here: Reading at home