Literacy, Reading & Oracy at Kinver High School

 

At Kinver High School, we believe that the ability to read fluently, write confidently, and speak articulately are essential life skills. These skills empower our students to succeed academically, express themselves creatively, and engage meaningfully with the world around them. We strive to create an enriching culture where students, regardless of their starting points or barriers, enjoy reading, writing, and speaking articulately, and leave school equipped with the behaviours, acumen and skills to achieve success. Our approach is rooted in our school dictum -Engage, Succeed, Aspire to Lead -and is embedded across the curriculum, supported by a rich programme of dedicated lessons, enrichment opportunities, and whole-school initiatives.

 

At Kinver, all teaching staff and teaching assistants are responsible for literacy and developing students into proficient readers, writers, and orators, so they are equipped for academic success, lifelong learning, and are successful in society and the work place.

​

Aims:

​

•    To equip students with the acumen to read challenging texts which will prepare them for further study and life beyond an educational environment

•    To create fluent readers who are able to confidently and quickly decode familiar and unfamiliar words

•    To support our disadvantaged and emerging readers to gain a better grasp of the demands of the curriculum

•    To create more confident and motivated readers

•    To encourage students to engage in different texts

•    To build empathy and an awareness of the wider world

•    To communicate effectively in all discipline areas so they can achieve or exceed their potential

•    To develop vocabulary that can be used to aid their comprehension, expression and articulation

​

📚 Literacy

​

Literacy is a whole-school priority at Kinver. We ensure that students develop strong written and verbal communication skills across all subjects.

​

• Vocabulary acquisition and retention: Learning new vocabulary is paramount in all subjects across the school. Teachers know the difference between tier 1 (basic, familiar words that are commonly used in everyday conversation), tier 2 (words that are high-frequency and can be encountered across different subjects), and tier 3 vocabulary (low-frequency subject specific words) in order to expand and strengthen their learner’s vocabulary allowing them to successfully access the demands of the curriculum. When introducing new words, staff will use a Frayer model and regularly ask students to retrieve the meaning of the word. Staff will also embed strategies like choral repetition and call and response in order to ensure students use the word correctly in context.

• Ambitious Vocabulary Programme: Each half term, students are introduced to a curated list of challenging vocabulary, which they are encouraged to use across subjects. Words like catalyst, hierarchy, and tyranny are now commonplace in student work.

• Cross-Curricular Literacy: Students understand that literacy is not confined to English lessons -it’s a vital skill for all subjects and life beyond school. Teachers use common pedagogical approaches to ensure students are able to read, write, and speak through a subject specific lens, such as popcorn speaking, track the speaker, and encouraging students to build, challenge, and probe each other’s ideas in lessons.

• Literacy Champions: Students take on leadership roles to promote literacy across the school, including supporting peers and contributing to the school newsletter.

​

📖 Reading

​

We believe that reading is one of the most vital skills a young person can master and enjoy. At Kinver High, we place a significant emphasis on developing students’ literacy and reading skills, while nurturing a genuine love for literature. Our three strands for reading can be seen below:

​

 

Reading Support for Struggling Readers

​

• Reading proficiency: We ensure all students throughout the year are tested at least twice for their reading age, with year 7 and year 8 being tested 4 times throughout the academic year. This reading data allows us to identify which students across all year groups are below their expected level and allow for further diagnostic tests to be put into place. These tests include assessment of fluency rates, word reading accuracy and efficiency, comprehension, and phonic knowledge. This analytical approach means that we are able to design teaching and intervention programmes to meet the student’s specific reading needs.

• Interventions: Working in synergy with the SEN department, we are able to put a series of reading interventions into place to support the student’s needs. These interventions are available to all students who need the support.  We offer a tailored process for each individual student to improve their reading. Our interventions are not static, instead they adapt to meet the needs of the students. Here are some examples of reading and literacy interventions that have been previously run:

• Ruth Miskin phonics

• Lexia

• Fluency and comprehension

• Literacy skills- SPaG

• Handwriting practice

• Functional aspects of English

• English literature and language skills

• Paired Peer Reading / Reading aloud with the Guinea Pigs- SEMH

 

Reading for Purpose

​

Being able to read for purpose is imperative to the development of our students. At Kinver, we require all students to approach reading through a subject-specific lens, developing an understanding of the nuances involved in interpreting and engaging with challenging texts across different disciplinary areas of the school curriculum. This multidisciplinary approach will prepare students for all texts they will encounter beyond a school environment. Disciplinary reading is crucial in developing our students with the ability to comprehend and analyse complex texts across all academic subjects. This approach encompasses general reading strategies, and subject-specific reading techniques. General reading strategies allow students to learn skills such as identifying main ideas, making inferences, summarising, and asking questions about a text. These strategies are transferable across subjects and empower students to navigate texts independently and effectively. As aforementioned, staff will also employ subject specific reading strategies which are relevant to that subject's context.

​

• Teachers and teaching assistants are trained to support struggling readers and challenge our aspirational readers to ensure that our learners are reaching their potential.

• All departments have curated a reading list for their subject and for each year group. This enables students to explore a diverse range of texts related to different subjects and promotes the connection of ideas and concepts across disciplines, enhancing students' ability to see the bigger picture and recognise the interconnectedness of reading and knowledge.

• Teachers are equipped with common pedagogical strategies to facilitate their instruction and effective delivery of reading in their classroom environment.

• All KS3 and KS4 students are encouraged to read with a reading ruler. This is a simple yet effective tool which enhances reading comprehension and focus. This reading ruler is used around the school during all opportunities to read in every subject. By using a reading ruler consistently across all subjects and tasks, students experience an improved focus as it reduces distractions by isolating the text being read, and helps them to maintain a steady reading pace.

• Disciplinary reading: departments across the school have curated reading material in their curriculum to support learning. These texts not only aid students’ understanding of subject content but also highlight the distinctive features of reading within each discipline- for example, variations in grammatical structures, vocabulary, and style.

• Curriculum Integration: Across Key Stages 3 to 5, students study a wide range of texts -from Dickens and Shakespeare to contemporary novels like Ghost Boys -exploring themes of identity, injustice, and relationships. Students are also exposed to non-fiction texts

 

Reading for Pleasure

​

Reading for pleasure is pivotal to our school and is our moral imperative, as we believe it creates lifelong readers. At Kinver, we devote curriculum time to ensure that reading is appreciated and understood as a key driver in all students making significant progress.

​

• Guided Reading Programme: Twice a week during morning registration, all students take part in whole-form guided reading sessions. Each form group reads a set novel together with their tutor, encouraging exploration, discussion and enjoyment. Importantly, the texts are selected annually through student voice, ensuring relevance, engagement and ownership. This programme promotes reading for pleasure, builds confidence in reading aloud, and sparks meaningful conversations. In these sessions, senior leaders and the pastoral team join form groups to read aloud with students. Their involvement demonstrates a whole-school commitment to reading, while also giving students the opportunity to hear challenging texts read with accuracy, fluency, and expression. This collaborative approach helps students to develop stronger comprehension skills and contributes to building a positive reading culture across the school.

• Reading Rewards & Book Vending Machine: Our innovative Reading Rewards programme allows students to track their reading progress, see what staff are reading, and complete challenges for points and prizes. Students can redeem their points - or spend special golden tokens awarded for exceptional achievement or progress - at our book vending machine, a popular feature that celebrates reading and rewards effort.

• Library and Quiet Reading Spaces: The library is the heart of the school and the reading strategy. The library regularly runs competitions to engage students in reading and writing, such as poetry competitions. The library is run by students who are a part of the librarian student leadership. Every year the library introduces 100s of new titles to keep up to date with new young adult fiction and non-fiction. We provide designated quiet reading areas and a well-stocked school library, both available at break and lunchtimes, to encourage independent reading and exploration.

• Enrichment Opportunities: As part of our enhanced curriculum, students can join our Reading Club and Young Journalists’ Group, both of which contribute to the termly school newsletter and promote reading and writing beyond the classroom.

• Accelerated Reader: Students in Year 7 and Year 8 are enrolled in the Accelerated Reader programme, which enables them to select engaging books tailored to their individual reading levels. This ensures that texts are neither too easy nor excessively challenging, thereby supporting steady progression in reading proficiency. In addition, students participate in a dedicated reading lesson within English on a biweekly basis.

• World Book Day: Every year, the school community comes together to celebrate our love of reading. The event has previously included a variety of activities such as author visits, book fair, doughnut and samosa sales, character dress-up, book treasure hunts, shared reading in lessons, book exchanges, and many other creative opportunities to inspire a passion for reading.

• Making reading visible: We are creating a school environment where reading for pleasure is valued and purposeful. We have invested in making the importance of reading visible around school through reading vinyl art work, creating reading zones, running regular competitions.

​

🗣️ Oracy (Forensic Reading)

​

Our Forensic Reading programme is a cornerstone of Kinver’s commitment to developing articulate, confident and thoughtful communicators. It is a contemporary, inclusive and dynamic strand of our curriculum that prepares students to engage with the world around them.

​

• Dedicated Lessons: Forensic Reading is taught weekly at KS3 and termly at KS4. These sessions focus on oracy, vocabulary development, public speaking, and debate - helping students articulate their thoughts clearly and confidently.

• Contemporary Themes: Students explore a wide range of relevant and thought-provoking topics such as Power and Influence, Ethical Dilemmas, Deconstructing Masculinity, Cancel Culture, and Diversity in Britain. These themes are drawn from real-world issues and encourage students to form informed opinions and engage in respectful discussion.

• Multimedia Stimuli: Lessons incorporate diverse reading resources -including articles, extracts, videos and speeches -to build cultural capital and stimulate critical thinking.

• Oracy Skills Framework: Students are explicitly taught physical, linguistic, cognitive and social-emotional speaking skills. This includes voice projection, rhetorical techniques, reasoning, audience awareness, and collaborative discussion.

• Personal Development: Through a range of text sources and structured activities, students develop their confidence, enunciation, vocabulary, intrapersonal skills and emotional intelligence.

• Assessment Opportunities: Students participate in group presentations, debates, and speech writing, culminating in the GCSE Spoken Language endorsement. These experiences build confidence, resilience and emotional intelligence.

• Relationships, Sex, and Health Education: written and visual texts have been curated to support our RSHE curriculum, with the curriculum mapped to build on content which is taught across the school in other curriculum areas.

​

Here is an example of the Year 7 Forensic Reading curriculum:

 

​

​