Literacy

At Heckmondwike Grammar School we take a range of steps to support the development of standard reading skills, as well as promoting wider pleasurable and academic reading in all disciplines. 

• Test the reading age of every student at least once a year to identify those who may need further support to develop their literacy.  
• Then, provide a tailored intervention programme using Lexia PowerUp®. 
• Cultivate and introduce reading behaviours through our carefully planned curriculum, particularly with encouraging wider reading. 
• Provide reading lists for wider reading suggestions, so that students can develop into proficient and confident readers both in their disciplines and more widely.  
• Host fortnightly library lessons for students in KS3 providing an opportunity to visit, and lend from, the library.  

Reading for pleasure is a large part of the student community at Heckmondwike Grammar School with The Library acting as a central hub for the fostering of a love of reading.  

• Run initiatives and competitions to engage students in reading for pleasure, such as The Library Lends and Reviews programme, as well as providing reading awards for those with the most library lends each term. 
• Spend a week promoting World Book Day, including providing book tokens for students to purchase their own copies, fancy dress competitions, book murder mystery events and fireside reading in the hall.  

• Introduced the ‘Word of the Week’ programme to develop vocabulary choices that are deemed to be expected for each year group.  
• Build curriculum opportunities to introduce, develop, discuss and utilise Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary within our learning, spotlighting their significance in the knowledge we teach and develop this as Disciplinary Literacy (EEF, 2023) 
• Provide opportunities to discuss the meanings of inter-disciplinary vocabulary to allow for homographic understanding of terms.  

At Heckmondwike Grammar School we pride ourselves on providing students with the correct tools to be able to effectively construct a piece of written work, across disciplines. Having subject specialists across the school allows a breadth of knowledge to be passed on to our students and to encourage writing success.  

• Regularly model – whether live or pre-produced – to ensure students are aware of effective examples of the end product of their writing.  
• Share examiners reports and mark schemes with students to allow them to understand the requirements in the production of written responses. 
• Encourage the planning process, not just the final product, to ensure that students build resilience in their writing ability.  
• Work closely with the SEND department to ensure that any barriers to learning and development with writing are quickly addressed and writing remains accessible for all.  
• Make use of reading age testing data on ClassCharts to ensure all staff are aware of students who may find the writing process (as well as other literacy areas) more difficult than others.  

Oracy is not something that is innate or natural and therefore students must be provided with a toolkit of talking skills in the same way that their writing and reading skills are developed (Voice 21,  

At Heckmondwike Grammar School, we are currently in the process of developing our oracy strategy, supporting our students to be the individual that stands out from the crowd in their speaking and presentational delivery.  

• Introduced the SHAPE programme to develop the quality of responses within the classroom environment. 
• Create opportunities for students to deliver assemblies across the year, displaying not only their oracy skills but also presentation abilities.   
• Create expectations of talk within the classroom; we provide opportunities to debate, discuss and argue ideas and hypotheses; we probe and provoke further development of ideas and answers; we collaboratively (and verbally) essay plan to draft and edit thoughts before setting in stone.