Reading
READING AT HUTTON
The reading of fiction and non-fiction, within and beyond the classroom, supports and enhances a pupil’s progress, expanding their minds and vocabularies, allowing them access to their studies and a greater understanding of the world around them. We are proud of the reading culture we have at Hutton. This is fostered in numerous ways across the year groups and subjects.
Our librarian, Mrs Wade and our English Department lead the way in promoting READING FICTION FOR PLEASURE. We have a well-stocked school library which opens every lunchtime to our students. Mrs Wade, Mrs Bates and our school librarians are keen to support students in sourcing, recommending and reserving books as well as offering a space at lunchtime to read, play chess or complete homework.
Pupils in years 7, 8 and 9 benefit from spending one hour a week in the library as part of the English curriculum. In these lessons pupils are encouraged to read a range of genres and to discover writers and styles that not only interest them, but expose them to age-appropriate ideas and vocabulary. Our popular Revolutionary Readers award encourages pupils to reflect on their reading and share their reviews with others. Each year our year 7 students participate in the Book Buzz scheme and time is given at the start of English lessons across Key Stage 3 to simply read. Every pupil is encouraged to have a reading book with them and book boxes are available in English classrooms.
We regularly welcome authors and touring theatre companies to our school to inspire our students, the most recent being Andy Briggs who spent the afternoon with year 9 in January.
Our Art department collaborates with English to encourage the reading of fiction through two fiction-related topics within yr7, considering Jan Pienkowski fairy tale silhouettes and Quentin Blake’s illustrative style in the novels of Roald Dahl.
We involve staff and pupils across all subjects to share their love of reading through our World Book Day activities and competitions which have included the decorating of doors as book covers, book swaps, book lucky dips, Book in a Jar, Drop Everything and Read and, of course, staff fancy dress.
We have a small 6th form fiction library available to our Key Stage 5 students and another small staff library for our teachers.
The promotion of READING OF NON-FICTION features large across the school with departments ensuring access to challenging and quality non-fiction materials through a range of strategies.
Many build wider reading and research into their curriculum. Year 7 pupils are taken to the library to explore the non-fiction section for research tasks and projects set by their Science and French teachers, for example, and the History department introduces independent projects inclusive of bibliographies to help develop wider reading and research skills in years 7 and 8.
Wider reading is encouraged throughout the 6th form to enhance A level study and the completion of the EPQ by all year 12 students necessitates research for all. Students are supported in this through our links with UCLan and Lancaster University.
Teachers regularly refer to current and topical news and magazine items in their teaching, setting reading homework and providing links to material of interest. Displays inside and outside of classrooms recommend subject-specific texts to pupils, for example the ‘Starbooks Board’ of the Business, Economics and Politics department; RS provide an RS bookcase to support those interested in reading beyond their lessons and Science display the etymology of their subject-specific vocabulary.
Fortnightly form time literacy activities also contribute to the word level understanding of our pupils.
Reading ages are assessed using the GRT tests at the start of year 7 and again towards the end of year 9. There are a number of READING INTERVENTIONS for those who struggle to access the curriculum including a small English set in each year of KS3 taught by our SENDCO: small intervention groups in years 7, 8 and 9 who follow the Rainbow Readers scheme; we have a TA trained in the Ruth Miskin Phonics course; we offer IDL sessions before school and during form time for selected pupils as well as paired reading with some 6th form volunteers.
Please join us in encouraging your son/daughter to read: the rewards really are boundless.