Key Information and Documents

BBEC CURRICULUM INTENT:

• To provide an all round education that delivers excellent outcomes in terms of academic success, improved cultural capital and increased ambition in order to counter social disadvantage.

• To secure high levels of literacy and oracy to enable students to fully participate in their acquisition of knowledge at BBEC and beyond.

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AIMS OF THE BBEC READING STRATEGY

Through students’ time at BBEC we are committed to ensuring that all students are able to read with fluency and comprehension in order to be able to thrive academically and socially in their life beyond BBEC. We hope to inspire students to know the value and pleasure of reading and to be curious about the words they encounter.

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STRAND ONE: 

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In the Classroom

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The Approach:

We aim to develop students’ reading ability through quality first teaching for all students that is rich in reading and vocabulary development across all subjects. Subject curriculum plans and schemes of learning identify reading materials, including complex academic texts and teachers are trained in a range of strategies to support students’ reading of these including control the game and layered reading strategies.

Subject planning also identifies key tier two and three vocabulary that will be explicitly taught across the curriculum and teachers are trained in strategies such as SEAC (Select, Explore, Apply, Consolidate) and using knowledge of morphology and phonology in order to support vocabulary instruction.

Students’ oracy is also supported through the school’s ‘cold calling’ and ‘say it again better’ approaches to questioning.

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The Impact: 

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The breadth of students’ vocabulary is increased allowing them access to examination papers and providing them with the vocabulary to express their ideas. Reading data reflects improvements in reading.

 

STRAND TWO:

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Reading for Pleasure

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The Approach:

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Students in year 7, 8 and 9 follow the BBEC Reads Tutor Time Reading Programme. Tutors model fluent reading to students Monday to Thursday from books from the BBEC Canon which both support the diversity and inclusion work of the school and aim to expose students to books and ideas they may not otherwise come across. All students have a copy of the book and are expected to follow the reading.

In Year 7 all students have a weekly library lesson where they complete the Reading Plus Programme. This online programme supports their comprehension, speed of reading and vocabulary development. All Year 7 students take part in the Book Trust Book Buzz Programme where each Y7 student is gifted a book.

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The Impact:

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Students’ vocabulary is increased allowing them access to the curriculum and more complex ideas. They are exposed to complex sentence structures and their cultural capital is increased as they are exposed to a world beyond their own.

 

STRAND THREE:

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Support for Struggling Readers

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The Approach:

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Students who struggle with reading and typically have standardised scores below 85 or reading ages below 9 years old on entry in year 7 receive targeted reading support through the Literacy Oasis. In the Oasis they are taught by specialist TAs using a range of approaches including: Nessy (a phonic based programme); Rapid Plus (a phonically controlled reading series) and additional Reading Plus. Students will leave the Oasis when they have improved their standardised score and are able to better access the curriculum without additional reading support. This is decided on an individual basis.

New to English students are assessed and supported through the above approaches along with NASSEA (Northern Association of Support Services For Equality and Achievement) assessments. A specialist NTE TA supports these students.

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The Impact:

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Students make rapid gains in reading ages and are able to access the curriculum without additional reading support.

 

All teachers are supported to improve their knowledge and teaching or reading and vocabulary. Strategies and CPD are underpinned by research including: Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools (EEF), Reading Reconsidered (Doug Lemov), Closing the Vocabulary Gap  and Closing the Reading Gap (Alex Quigley)