As an academy, we are passionate about the power of the written word and the importance of reading to enrich our lives. Literacy is a key element of learning and is used in every subject within education. Furthermore, literacy is an important aspect in everyday life, whether reading fiction for pleasure or for more practical reasons such as current news, manuals, recipes, and so forth.
Encouraging young people to read for enjoyment and fostering a love for books is vital as teachers and parents navigate today’s challenging environment. Finding effective ways to inspire more reading in young people is key not only for learning but also for their wellbeing. While the role of books in enhancing reading and language abilities is well-known, their value goes far beyond that, especially in these difficult times.
Books expose young readers to fresh ideas and perspectives, transporting them to imaginative worlds and stirring a wide range of emotions. They can challenge thought processes, strengthen empathy, and enhance social and critical thinking skills.
Our experience shows that books provide students with a chance to unwind, relate to characters in a story, laugh, and escape—things that have become increasingly important given the pandemic’s significant impact on mental health. Additionally, books offer opportunities for students to follow their passions and explore new knowledge. Research also shows that reading increases intelligence and improves academic performance. There has never been a better time to read!
Students can relax with a good book in our well-stocked, luxurious library. We have a wide range of books in all genres and levels. There are always at least two student librarians on duty to help students find the right book for them.
The library is available for reading, borrowing and returning books every day at the following times.
All students (and staff) have access to hundreds of e-books which can be read from phones, tablets, laptops or computers. This means that no child needs to be without a book. We have selected books from a wide range of genres and interests and also a wide range of abilities from low reading ability all the way up to A Level recommended reads.
All students in Key Stage 3 will complete the New Group Reading Test (NGRT) in order to assess their reading skills. This assessment provides students with a Standardised Age Score (SAS) which compares students to the national average.
The SAS is the most important piece of information derived from the NGRT. The SAS is based on the number of questions a student has answered correctly; the score is adjusted for age and placed on a scale that makes a comparison with a nationally representative sample of students of the same age across the UK. The average score is 100. The SAS is key to benchmarking and tracking progress and is the fairest way to compare the performance of different students within a year group or across year groups.
We use the scores from the NGRT to track and monitor reading skills on an individual-level, class-level and to guide our whole-school approach to literacy. This enables us to implement effective literacy strategies at each level.
At Nunthorpe Academy, we really are all teachers of literacy. We have a new programme aimed at rapidly improving literacy and promoting reading across the academy. From Year 7 to Year 13, our aim is to ensure all students have the literacy skills to succeed in their next steps.
We want students to read fluently, write articulately, speak confidently and listen carefully – so they are ready to write their own chapters.
