Reading & Library

At Glenmoor and Winton, we recognise that- for all pupils to lead happy and successful lives with a broad range of opportunities -they must be literate and enjoy the processes of reading for enjoyment and education. However, we acknowledge that literacy is not simply the ‘ability to read and write’; it goes much further. Literacy encompasses the cultural references pupil need to read widely, the resilience needed to meet the demands of challenging texts, alongside a vast vocabulary to decode texts and express themselves.  

Subject leaders and teachers are responsible for reading in their subjects and their lessons. Students gain knowledge about their subjects through reading about them, and reading content is part of all lessons.  This includes teachers frequently reading aloud to their classes, supporting students to read aloud, facilitating independent reading, using strategies to support comprehension, supporting decoding and pronunciation, and vocabulary instruction. We ensure that staff are regularly trained to ensure that they deliver these strategies effectively.

We pride ourselves in our belief that reading is a vital life skill that all our students should be able to access and enjoy independently. We would love our students to be passionate about reading- both in school and out of it.   

Our reading programme is delivered during tutor time where students are given access to a range of genres and texts which are designed to be accessible for their year group. The books we read are carefully chosen to ensure both challenge and engagement with reading.  

Our books are read aloud by tutors and students are regularly invited to partake in questions and discussions around their reading, focusing heavily on reciprocal reading strategies that develop key skills used across the curriculum. We provide opportunities each session to enable the students to comment and engage with the book their tutor group is reading.   

The school library is open to students at lunch and break. We stock over 4000 titles which cater to a wide range of interests and reading ages. Our library walls feature ‘face-out’ displays which enable students to see the book cover and engage with a wider range of genres and topics.   

We run a book club every Wednesday lunchtime where students can bring a book from home or read a title from our library. We encourage students to share which books they enjoyed reading and to act as ambassadors for reading in the community.