Literacy

Reading at Aureus

At Aureus, we know that reading is an essential part of students being able to make excellent progress, maintain good wellbeing and interact confidently with the world around them. With this in mind, reading plays a significant role in school life and is at the heart of our commitment to developing successful, lifelong learners.

All students take part in DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) sessions three times each week. This protected reading time is invaluable in helping students develop reading fluency, expand their vocabulary and build the confidence needed to access an increasingly challenging curriculum. Regular independent reading also fosters a love of literature and enables students to experience the enjoyment and benefits that reading can bring throughout their lives.

In addition, all students in Years 7 and 8 have a dedicated library lesson on their timetable. These lessons help students to develop their reading habits, discover new authors and genres, strengthen their information literacy skills and become confident, independent users of the library. Through these lessons, students are encouraged to view reading as both an academic skill and a source of personal enjoyment.

We ask families to support our reading culture by encouraging their child to read for at least 20 minutes each day at home. Regular reading outside of school has a significant impact on literacy development and academic success. If you would like support in choosing books that are suitable for your child, please contact our school librarian, who will be delighted to offer advice and recommendations.

The school library is open daily before school, during social times and after school, providing all students with access to a welcoming space where they can read, study, explore new books and receive support with their reading journey.

At Aureus, we are proud to promote a culture where reading is valued, celebrated and embedded across all aspects of school life, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to develop into a confident and enthusiastic reader.

Key Features of Reading at Aureus

• DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) sessions three times per week for all students.
• Dedicated library lessons for Years 7 and 8.
• Daily access to the school library before school, during social times and after school.
• Support and guidance from the school librarian.
• A whole-school commitment to developing confident, independent and enthusiastic readers.
• Encouragement for all students to read for at least 20 minutes each day at home.

Literacy in lessons

• At Aureus, students are supported to read and understand challenging texts that help them improve their reading as they gather knowledge.
   
• Students are supported to improve their writing skills in lessons across the curriculum, with activities that break the writing process into stages, and that helps students learn new vocabulary.

Support for Literacy

• Students reading ages are assessed 3 times a year. This helps us identify any students who need extra support with their literacy. Identified students are given appropriate, short term interventions to support reading skills and enable them to improve. We use a range of techniques and resources to help students improve their reading writing, and give students the specific support that helps them overcome their barriers to good literacy.