Reading at Swindon Academy

At Swindon Academy, we believe that being fluent in reading and having access to a rich range of reading opportunities across the curriculum is the entitlement of all students. Through reading, students deepen their knowledge of the world, and it is vital for character development:

Read Aloud

Twice a week, students enjoy 30-minute ‘Read Aloud’ sessions where one of the books from our Reading Canon is read together as a class. These sessions aim to promote a love for literature as well as increasing students’ reading ages.

We have carefully selected the books for the Canon so that they are age-appropriate and expose students to a wide genre of texts including both fiction and non-fiction. The books explore challenging themes and expose students to a wide variety of cultures, settings and characters.

Our character values of Work Hard, Kindness and Responsibility are evident in all our chosen texts. For example:

 

Reading across the curriculum

Students gain access to subject specific reading through well-sequenced reading opportunities across our curriculum. Reading strategies are used so that students gain skills in comprehension and, through exposure to a wide range of different writing styles, students can become expert readers.

Vocabulary is explicitly taught in all subjects and further supported using ‘Bedrock’ for prep. This platform teaches students new vocabulary through interactive games and quizzes whilst also encouraging reading.

All students are tested to diagnose reading levels on entry to secondary school; a range of supportive reading interventions are in place to develop phonological awareness, decoding and fluency as required.

Reading for pleasure

We are passionate about promoting reading for pleasure; our library is a warm and welcoming space packed with exciting books for students to choose from. All key stage 3 classes have fortnightly opportunities to exchange books when they visit the library during English lessons.

 

We celebrate reading with a fortnightly competition draw that students can enter every time they complete a book in their own time. Students in every year group are recognised and rewarded for their reading and can choose a prize from a selection of popular titles as well as an exciting variety of reading accessories.