We ❤️ Reading

At Broughton Hall we are passionate about promoting the value of reading. Reading is a gift, it broadens our vocabulary, exercises our imaginations and helps us discover more about ourselves and others.

Research shows... that students who read, are consistently found to be higher performers in school - especially those who read from a young age.

"Students who read independently have greater reading comprehension, verbal fluency and general knowledge than those who do not. They become better readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content knowledge than their non-reading peers." Australian Christian College

"Reading has been shown to increase our understanding of human behaviour and help us to empathize with others" Sam Houston State University.

Click on the links below to find out more about how we promote reading in school and what you can do to support your daughter at home.

Reading Development Lessons

In KS3, each student will have a 1-hour lesson each week dedicated to Reading Development. Setting in these lessons will be based on pupil reading age, gathered from the New Group Reading Tests completed at various stages throughout each year. Pupils designated as 'Green Readers', testing at or above their actual age for reading, will follow our Green Reader programme, which is detailed below.

Our Amber and Red readers will complete a series of lessons following a School Improvement Liverpool scheme of work which will enable them to develop key elements of reading such as decoding vocabulary and confidence with high utility words. In addition to this programme, our Red readers will receive additional reading intervention (additional information on our reading intervention strategies can be found below).

Green Reader Programme

Year 7


Year 8


Year 9

Pupil feedback

Year 7 have loved reading 'Trash':

"This book is about a group of boys who are really poor. They live on a dumpsite and they have to search through rubbish. They find money in the trash along with a handbag and a key and a map. They use the clues to go to the train station where they find a locker which opens with the key. This is only the beginning of the adventure. I recommend this book because it has made me learn about other people and what they go through."

"They go through many dangerous adventures to find the treasure and in the end they give it to who needs it. It is a very good book and made me realise what life really is like."

"I would recommend the book because you need to know what conditions people live in and how you can help them. You need help the people in need and the poor."

"I would recommend this book because if you like adventure this is the book for you. There is a lot of adventure and mysterious stuff in this. I recommend between the ages 7-15yrs for this book. I give this book 5 stars but if I could, I would give it more."

"Trash is about three friends Raphael, Gardo and Rat. Who are living on heaps of trash and one day they find something extraordinary. A deadly secret. The boys are chased from the streets dirty gutters to wealthy avenues. They can't run forever. They need a miracle..."

Reading Pledge

At Broughton, we have prioritised reading in the curriculum, as reading no doubt ignites the imagination and opens the door of opportunity. All subjects, for every key stage, set a reading homework no longer than 500 words which will enhance students' subject knowledge and broaden horizons.

Reading will take the form of extracts from articles, magazines, novels, and textbooks. Pupils are then given a quiz the following lesson to check understanding.

Bedrock Reading

Bedrock reading is an online reading and vocabulary programme for KS3; designed to immerse students in academic vocabulary, whilst ensuring learners read interesting fiction and non-fiction texts. A short test at the start of each learner's journey with us ensures their learning is tailored to their needs.

Each pupil has their own individual login and should be completing no less than two tasks per week as homework.

Rewards are given each week for top scorers.

Click here to access bedrock

Our Reading Intervention Programmes

At Broughton Hall we want the best for every pupil; that is why our intervention programme is designed to support the needs of each individual.

Read Write Inc.

Phonics

Phonics is not the only way to teach reading, but it is recognised as the best way to teach reading for most children. At Broughton Hall we are following the Read, Write Inc. (RWI) Fresh Start scheme to teach phonics to students who have a reading age below 8 years old and have been identified as needing phonics support. RWI is taught three times per week in small groups or individually dependent upon individual starting modules.

Read, Write, Inc. - How does it work?

Children are assessed and grouped according to their reading level. Each student is allocated a starting module. There are 33 modules in total. They work in small groups with a teacher or a teaching assistant who has been fully trained in the RWI programme. They learn the sounds that they need to know and practise blending and segmenting skills for reading and writing.

At the end of each half term pupils are reassessed to check progress. They will then be re-grouped if necessary to ensure that they are being sufficiently challenged and supported.

Our RWI sessions begin with learning phonics speed sounds. RWI books are used which match children's phonic knowledge. Within these lessons children will also engage in writing activities to develop Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG) skills along with activities that develop reading comprehension.

Children begin to learn the letter sounds (phonemes) and how to blend them together to read. Children will learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter/letter groups using simple picture prompts and a rhyme/saying. First, children need to be able to 'orally blend' (listening to and saying the sounds and blending them into words, not reading them). You can help your child to orally blend by saying out loud the letters "p-r-e-s-e-n-t" and children should respond by blending the sounds into the word and saying the whole word "present". Children then learn to read words by blending the letter/sounds that are in the Speed Sound sets. In phonics we use pure sounds. (This means removing the 'uh' from the sounds). These sounds can be stretchy sounds (e.g. ay as in the words spray) or bouncy sounds (e.g. oo as in the word look).

Once understanding of single letter phonemes is secure students move on to learn the phonemes (letter sounds) which are represented by 2 letters (digraphs) or 3 letters (trigraphs). In the RWI programme these are known as 'Best Friends'. As children move through the scheme they will be taught that some sounds can be written in different ways.

Throughout the scheme they are also taught to read and write 'Common Exception' or 'Tricky words' that cannot be sounded out. These are known as 'Red Words' in RWI.

We use the 'Complex Speed Sound Chart' below within our lessons to remind children of the different ways sounds can be written.

You can support your child by regularly practising phonics and reading with them at home. Please find support sheets below.

Click here to view the Complex speed sounds chart

Click here to view Guided Reading Support sheet

Please contact Miss. L Wilson (wilsonl@broughtonhall.com) if you need any additional support or guidance.

Reciprocal Reading

It can often seem as though children are good readers because they are fluent and can read at pace. However, it is paramount that children show a good understanding of what they have read. We use the reciprocal reading strategies to help our students develop their comprehension (understanding of what they've read).

Sessions take place in small groups. The teacher models reading skills and strategies including: Prediction, Clarifying vocabulary, Questioning the text and Summarising.

Click here for Reciprocal reading support sheet

Click here for Question stems support sheet

Reading @Home

Reading at home is the most valuable experience you can provide your child; reading with them, in front of them and to them - we are never too old to enjoy being read to.

We recognise that encouraging teens to read is not always easy. As children get older, with lots of other activities competing for their time, how can you encourage them to make time for reading? Fear not, we have complied a list of practical tips and strategies to help you foster a love of reading at home.

1. Make time to read together if you don't already. 10 minutes each day is a great start. Let your daughter choose what to read, rather than choosing what you think she should read.

2. Encourage your daughter to read magazines, comics, newspapers and the Internet as well as books.

3. Read yourself! It doesn't matter what it is - pick up a newspaper or magazine, take a look at a cookery book, read a computer manual, enjoy some poetry or dive into a romance or detective novel. Whenever possible, encourage your daughter to join in - if you're cooking, ask her to read the recipe; if you're deciding what to watch on TV, ask her to read out the listings. Menus, bus timetables, instructions, TV guides, post, leaflets, signs - encourage all forms of reading.

4. Talk to your daughter about books or magazines you have enjoyed, share your teen favourites.

5. Visit the local library together. It's always fun choosing new books to read, and keep an eye out for special author events at the library or local bookshops Encourage children to carry a book at all times. That way, they'll never be bored (this is something you can do, too!)

6. Buy books or book vouchers as presents.

7. Make visiting a book store part of a birthday or Christmas gift.

8. Found a book they love? - Watch TV and film tie-ins and books about any other interests such as music.

9. Encourage your daughter to swap books with friends and family - it'll give them a chance to read new stories, and get them talking about what they're reading.

10. Have a family bookshelf.

11. Keep reading together. Just because your children are older, it doesn't mean you have to stop sharing stories - perhaps you could try a book you've always wanted to read but never got around to it like the Harry Potter series or A Series of Unfortunate Events.

12. Don't panic if your child reads the same book over and over again. Let's be honest - we've all done it!

13. Try some skimming and scanning together. Skimming is when you read through a piece of text quickly to find out what the main idea is; scanning is glancing through a piece of text to find a specific piece of information.

14. Help your child to work out what an unfamiliar word means by getting them to read the rest of the sentence and look for clues.

15. Help by testing your child when they have spellings to learn, and by encouraging them to look up words they don't know in a dictionary.

16. Build up the number of words your child knows (their vocabulary). Learn a new word every day! Learn your new word together as a family. To help them learn these words, you could ask your child to explain to you what they mean.

17. Register for free to access a range of ebooks, audiobooks and magazines offered by Liverpool City Council by clicking here. https://www.readliverpool.co.uk/

18. Try some of the activities offered by the charity 'World Book Day' available here.

Reluctant reader?

Suggestions for reluctant readers:
https://www.lovereading4schools.co.uk/lists/1604/KS3-11-14-yrs-Reluctant-Readers

Reading recommendations @ Broughton Hall

Not sure what to read next? Check out our reading recommendations here.