Reading at Hurstmere School

Reading is not only an essential life skill which impacts attainment in an educational setting, it can have a profound impact on a person's mental health, confidence and employability. 

Hurstmere School is committed to making sure that all of our pupils become proficient, confident readers. The Early Years Settings and Primary School play an important role in teaching pupils how to read and decode. This is the beginning of understanding and enjoyment. However, pupils need to continue to build fluency, make meaning and strengthen their enjoyment of reading throughout their time at Secondary School. 

There are a number of ways Hurstmere supports your child with this:

Reading Ages: Reading ages are used firstly to inform classroom teachers on the reading ability of their classroom. This allows teachers to plan lessons, scaffold resources and model accordingly to the needs of the pupil in the classroom. High quality teaching is one of the most effective ways in school to support pupils in their reading and the comprehension of what they are reading. 

Knowledge Organisers: A tool designed to clarify information, summarise and streamline the key facts of a particular subject. Knowledge Organisers are provided for all subjects and for all units. Your child will have access to a knowledge organiser in every lesson and for every homework. They are essential revision tools for Knowledge Tests, Key Pieces, Pre-Public Examinations and GCSEs. 

DEAL: Drop Everything And Listen. This is Hurstmere's scheduled literacy activity which takes place once a week during tutor time. The purpose is to encourage a passion and an appreciation of literature. In tutor time, the form tutor and the tutor group collectively read a common text over the course of the academic year. This allows your child to develop their 8 essential skills for reading success. 

Accelerated Reader: AR is a computer programme that helps teachers manage and monitor your child's independent reading practice. Your child picks a book at their own level and reads it at their own pace. When finished, your child takes a short quiz on the computer - passing the quiz is an indication that your child has understood what has been read. AR gives both children and teachers feedback based on the quiz results which the teacher then uses to help the child set targets and ongoing reading practice.

Bedrock: a programme designed to teach a range of new vocabulary through a variety of non-fiction lessons and tasks. Through learning and acquiring new words, your child will be able to unlock a wider range of texts.