The National Literacy Trust’s 2011 report Literacy: A route to addressing child poverty states that: “Literacy skills do not just enable educational attainment; they underpin strong family relationships, better health choices and an individual’s capacity (and confidence) to gain employment.”
Reading this at the beginning of my first year on the Future Leaders programme at The Oldham Academy North, I understood the importance of raising standards of literacy at a school where
96 per cent of students have English as an additional language, and 57 per cent are eligible for free school meals (FSM).
Student attainment on entry to the academy is significantly below average — 56 per cent of year 7 students enter with a reading age under 9.6 years. The reading ages of almost all of our students are also low, with all year groups having at least 70 per cent of students below their chronological reading age. Students were struggling to access the curriculum, and as a result, progress was limited and student engagement was an issue across the majority of subjects.
Register now, read forever
Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.
What's included:
-
Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast
-
New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday
Already have an account? Sign in here