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Reading

At Westfield school we believe that reading widely, both for pleasure and for learning, is an incredible asset to all members of our school community. We believe that students should read at home and in school and that doing so is one of the keys to lifelong learning and success.

We currently encourage and develop reading amongst our students in the following ways:

  • The continued development of our school library which is now an engaging and vibrant reading hub accessible to all students
  • Timetabled reading lessons for Years 7 and 8
  • A programme of reading for pleasure in Year 7 and 8 English lessons which asks that students read at home as part of their weekly routine
  • Phonics support for students who need help in developing their functional reading skills
  • Discrete vocabulary learning (morphology and etymology through Lexonik) to support students in independently accessing more complex language
  • A programme of professional development projects, many of which involve staff researching links between vocabulary and social capital development, to improve teaching and learning

Future Developments

Over the next four years, we will further develop reading and subject literacy in the school in the following ways:

  • Expand the scope of the school library to support families in reading at home
  • Further develop the breadth of exciting activities linked to reading for pleasure
  • Establish a form time reading curriculum which challenges all students to have read a number of engaging, relevant and thought-provoking novels along with their form tutor
  • Research, develop and implement disciplinary literacy teaching within each subject's curriculum to ensure that students can effectively read, write and speak as subject specialists