At Hammersmith Academy, we believe that it is vital to build our students’ literacy skills and promote a lifelong passion for reading.
Literacy encompasses, reading, writing, speaking and listening, and is an essential life skill, vital for success and allowing individuals to develop emotionally, communicate effectively and express themselves more freely.
There is a wealth of research that attests to the positive benefits of reading for pleasure. Reading for pleasure is important for both educational purposes as well as personal development and evidence has shown that there is a positive relationship between reading frequency, reading enjoyment and attainment.
Year 7 Literacy
Our Year 7 students start each day at 8am with a 30-minute literacy session, led by staff who are specially trained to deliver literacy improving activities.
The sessions are designed to allow students to read a wide range of novels that are not on the core curriculum, to develop their spelling, punctuation and grammar and to deepen their reading for pleasure.
A wide variety of books have been carefully selected to act as mirrors and windows for our students; we want them to have the opportunity to read books with characters and stories that are reflective of their lives but also allow them to explore new worlds and experiences.
As a result of the Year 7 Literacy sessions, our students’ reading ages, increase on average, by 7 months in a short space of time. All of this has a direct impact on students’ ability to learn across all subjects long term. Higher literacy levels lead to better understanding of subject content, improved comprehension of concepts and overall higher-grade attainment. Ultimately, students become resilient long-term learners.
A Lifelong Love of Literacy
We want to instil a love for literacy which lasts for life.
Students of all ages are encouraged to read at every possible opportunity and are expected to have a reading book as part of their ‘Power of 3’ equipment pack so they are prepared and ready to read when the moment arises.
The Library is the best place to start with thousands of books to choose from and the Librarian is on hand to recommend titles for every interest and genre.
HA Literacy 100
Our Literacy 100 is a specially curated reading list put together by the English Department and the Library. Each year group has a wide selection of must-reads spanning a multitude of genres to choose from that will challenge their reading skills and transport them to places out of this world.
We encourage students to pick at least one book from the list to read each academic year.
Literacy 100
Supporting your Child’s Literacy at Home
- Encourage them to read widely and often. Read poems, stories, non-fiction – anything you can find.
- Dedicate time to reading and make it a habit. At home or in the classroom, reading regularly is essential.
- Show them just how much they can learn from reading. What new facts and information can they discover?
- Help them to find something that they love reading about. Many children struggle to get into reading because they don’t enjoy it – but there’s a book out there for everyone.
- Give plenty of opportunities to write. Writing is just as important as reading when it comes to English literacy. You could combine the two and encourage children to write about what they read.
- Teaching vocabulary is part of teaching English literacy. Try introducing new vocabulary words each week to help build up a great collection of vocabulary terms that they can bring into their writing lessons.
- Try peer learning. Students at different ability levels and/or different English language proficiency levels should be assigned to work together on structured academic tasks.
Overall, practice is the most important factor for achieving English literacy – by offering morning Literacy sessions, Hammersmith Academy ensures students have plenty of time to master these vital skills which will enable them to successfully learn and achieve their full potential.