Literacy@Baysgarth

At Baysgarth we truly value the importance of good literacy skills; we know the significant impact that reading skills have on our students’ ability to succeed at secondary school and beyond. Good reading skills and a strong command of vocabulary not only allow students to access the curriculum, irrespective of discipline, but they also open a window to the wider world. 

We know that a student's reading ability directly impacts on their success in all their GCSE subjects and their opportunities in later life. Research has proven that weak reading skills limit the life chances of young people whereas good reading skills have a positive impact on our children's physical and mental health, their future income, their family life, engagement in their civic duty and their emotional development.

We recognise that in addition to 'reading to learn' there is also a requirement to develop and celebrate a culture of reading for pleasure. At Baysgarth we are committed to developing resilient readers who can access a range of texts which explore a multitude of themes, perspectives, experiences and are reflective of the diverse world we live in.

At Baysgarth we aim to:

• Expose students to a rich and diverse range of genres, authors, experiences and themes in the ‘Collective Reading’ programme;

• Create a culture of promoting and celebrating reading which is visible throughout the school;

• Deliberately and explicitly teach vocabulary to learners to improve their expressive and receptive language.

• Utilise Reciprocal Reading strategies to develop reading comprehension in all learners;

• Use data to identify and support students with low reading ages offering bespoke intervention to promote progress in reading skills;

• Deliver high quality CPD to all staff to develop a school where every teacher is a ‘teacher of literacy’;

• Offer students the opportunity to engage in reading and writing competitions and challenges;

• Work with the wider community such as local book shops, libraries and authors to offer students a diverse range of experiences linked to reading.