Literacy at Chadwick High School
Limited literacy skills are a major barrier to learning and success within and beyond school, therefore we feel it important to have a cross curricular approach that is used by all staff to support students to develop their literacy skills.
Disciplinary Literacy
We have a focus on disciplinary literacy and recognise that literacy skills are both general and subject specific. We place great value on supporting teachers across the curriculum to teach students how to read, write and communicate effectively in their subjects. Our literacy strategy is based upon research-based evidence and key recommendations related to vocabulary development, reading, writing and talk and we take the lead from research, such as Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools (EEF).
To ensure consistency across every subject and make clear to students that the accuracy and quality of their written work is important, all teachers use the same literacy marking practices, encouraging students to reflect on and improve the accuracy and quality of their work.
Students arrive at Chadwick High School with a range of reading abilities. Some arrive reading on or above their chronological reading age, but many arrive reading below, in need of additional support to access the full curriculum and fully flourish. We encourage reading for: pleasure, to widen students’ cultural capital and for academic development.
Reading Weeks
Reading is at the heart of the main curriculum plan in English and across the school in other subject areas. We have reading weeks every half term in all subjects, where students are explicitly taught reading of a text relevant to the curriculum area. This allows students to develop a deeper understanding of how to read and interpret texts in different contexts.
Explicit reading instruction across subjects helps students build a toolkit of strategies (like skimming, scanning, summarising, and note-taking) that can be applied to any reading material. This broadens their ability to engage with content in all areas of the curriculum and make connections between different subject areas. Moreover, reading a wide range of texts exposes students to diverse vocabulary.
‘The Day’ Online Newspaper
We subscribe to ‘The Day’, which is an educational news platform designed for schools. It delivers current news articles in a way that is accessible and engaging for our students, incorporating discussion questions, quizzes, and learning resources. The articles are differentiated to engage differing reading abilities and to allow struggling readers to access the content. It covers a wide range of topics, from politics and science to culture and sports, presenting them in a balanced and educational way.
‘The Day’ is used in form times and across the curriculum to support learning and helps students stay informed about global events, while enhancing their critical thinking, reading comprehension, discussion and debating, and media literacy skills.
Reading for Pleasure
We understand that some students do not have the opportunity to develop a love of reading at home and aim for this to be encouraged in school. All students have access to a range of reading materials in every form room, covering a range of reading levels, with a particular focus on low ability and high interest texts to support struggling readers.
Staff at Chadwick High School model and share their reading behaviours to foster a positive reading culture, encouraging literacy development, and motivating students to see books as valuable resources for knowledge, entertainment and personal growth. Our aim is that the effect of staff as role models can lead to a more engaged, literate student body and contribute to long-term academic and personal success.
Reading Challenges
To motivate students to read more often and to foster a positive reading culture, we hold termly whole school reading challenges, where students are rewarded with prizes for reading regularly for pleasure. This offers numerous benefits, both for students’ academic development and their personal growth: it improves literacy skills and creates a sense of excitement and achievement. We hope that these competitions can help students develop a lifelong love for reading, improve their social skills, and build a strong school community focused on the joy of books.
Lancashire Book of the Year
To promote a love of reading at Key Stage 3, last academic year our students participated in the Lancashire Book of the Year 2024 Award, which is the longest running young people’s regional book award in the country, where the young people themselves are solely responsible for choosing both the shortlist and the overall winning book.
Written by Alex Scott (English Teacher)
Our students have taken part in the Lancashire Book of the Year Award. They have taken on the role of student judges, by reading a variety of nominated books to vote for their favourites to win the competition. Votes were placed in early June and on July 5th we had the opportunity to attend a celebration event where the winner was announced. Eight of our students attended the event, which was held at The University of Central Lancashire. The morning session started with representatives from the award introducing the five authors of some of the books that made it to the final shortlist. This was followed by videos from the other shortlisted authors, and the authors in attendance giving short talks about the books they had written. The authors then held a Q&A session with the students, answering questions about their lives as authors. The winner was then announced: The Midnight Game by Cynthia Murphy, the third year in a row that Cynthia has won the award. After a short dinner break, the authors spent the afternoon signing books. Our students were very excited to be meeting the authors of the books they had been reading; they got their books signed and kept them as mementos to remember their time taking part in the award. A great day was had by all, and the students were very appreciative of the chance to be involved throughout the year.
In 2025 we have been selected to be part of the Lancashire Book of the Year 2025 Award shadowing scheme, where participating schools come on board once the shortlist has been announced in March. Our students will be reading the shortlisted books over the Summer Term and will be able to vote for the winning book. Some students will be attending a celebration event in July, where they will be able to meet the shortlisted authors.
World Book Day
World Book Day 2025 was a fun and creative celebration at our school, where students and staff embraced the theme by dressing up as their favourite book characters. Prizes were awarded for the best costumes, sparking a sense of imagination and literary enthusiasm across the school. In English lessons, students took part in a unique activity where they crafted book characters using potatoes, showcasing their creativity and literary knowledge. The best potato characters were also recognised with prizes, adding to the joy of the day.
Support for Struggling Readers
The school supports struggling readers by utilising programmes like IDL and IXL to address gaps in reading, spelling, phonics, and comprehension that can hinder progress. These computer-based platforms provide personalised support, helping students improve their literacy skills at their own pace.
Key Stage 3 students benefit from targeted literacy intervention programmes, such as Represent, Empower, and Words that Count, from the National Literacy Trust, which are highly engaging and evaluated programmes designed specifically for students in alternative provision. They offer tailored instruction to boost reading, writing and oracy skills, ensuring that students receive the support they need to succeed academically.
Explicit teaching of reading strategies in all subjects during reading weeks provides additional support for struggling readers. The cross-curricular approach offers them more opportunities to practise and improve their reading in varied contexts, reinforcing their learning and helping them overcome challenges.
Vocabulary
Building a rich vocabulary is essential for effective communication and comprehension. We therefore focus on providing targeted vocabulary instruction in every subject, helping students acquire new vocabulary and supporting them to use it confidently in both academic and real-world contexts. All departments select which tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary is important to teach in their subject areas. They use Freyer models; show students the etymology of words; study how words work in different contexts; explore synonyms and antonyms; use examples or analogies to explain the meaning of words; display the words in classrooms; provide opportunities to revisit and revise the key words as needed throughout the year or key stage.
Word of The Week
At Chadwick High School, the “Word of the Week” initiative is an exciting way to enhance students’ vocabulary, focusing on tier 2 words that are both academic and meaningful. New words are introduced in form time and displayed throughout the school, encouraging students to use them in context. As part of our school’s reward system, students earn merits for incorporating these words into their communications in lessons and around the school. Recently, our focus has been on words that reflect British values, helping students develop a deeper understanding of cultural and societal concepts. This initiative not only strengthens vocabulary but also fosters a sense of pride in using language meaningfully.
Prefix Practice
At Chadwick High School, the “Prefix Practice” initiative plays a crucial role in helping students understand the structure of the English language. There are about 100 prefixes, but they are present in over half of the words in English, making them an essential area of focus for improving students’ language skills. Like the “Word of the Week,” prefixes are introduced in form time and displayed throughout the school to encourage students to engage with them regularly. Students earn rewards for completing activities related to their understanding of the prefixes, reinforcing their ability to decode and comprehend more complex words. By developing understanding of prefixes, students improve both their vocabulary and their ability to navigate the complexities of language.