We promote literacy across the school. Each week, pupils across KS3 listen and read along to an extract from a novel. Pupils are then given the opportunity to discuss what they have read. This reading is designed to expose students to texts with diverse characters and themes.

Word of the Week introduces students to a range of new vocabulary that can be used across all subjects. Vocabulary is tied to the local context so that it is meaningful and builds cultural capital.

Reading

At Hull Trinity House Academy, we place reading at the front and centre of our curriculum. We want our pupils to be able to access the full curriculum offer by developing a reading programme that focuses on accuracy, automaticity (speed, fluency), prosody (expression, emphasis and tone) and a love of reading.

The English secondary reading strategy is delivered via both English lessons and 121 interventions, where all pupils are given access to a range of fiction and non-fiction texts. Pupils read and reread texts to find layers of meaning and increase understanding. Each text also focuses on a key theme to encourage our pupils’ personal development.

All pupils in Years 7 and 8 are assessed using GL Assessment’s reading test https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/products/new-group-reading-test-ngrt .The assessment helps highlight which pupils require support with their reading. This support is provided in different ways depending on the need of each pupil. This could include reading support in the library, phonics lessons and sound training intervention. Some pupils also receive an extra timetabled English lesson, focusing on key literacy skills and comprehension.

In addition, all pupils in Years 7 and 8 access the Accelerated Reader programme https://www.renaissance.com/products/accelerated-reader.  Accelerated Reader is a programme designed to encourage a love of reading, using reading levels to suggest appropriate books for each pupil and testing for comprehension along the way. Pupils visit the library for 1 hour per week, as well as reading at the beginning of every English lesson. As part of that your child will take a STAR Reader Test every term. This identifies a suitable reading range. He will select a book in that range. Every time he completes a book he can complete a quiz. Quizzes will lead to points and of course PRIZES!

We are also excited to begin trialling a different reading program within the Academy called Reading Plus Reading Plus – Adaptive Literacy Intervention for Grades 3-12. This aims to develop comprehension and efficiency in reading and adapts to offer support and texts that are appropriate for the reading level of each individual learner.

If your child reads for 20 minutes a day they will be exposed to 1.8 million words per year.

Reading develops their:

In addition to Accelerated Reader the following initiatives are used to ensure all students leave with strong and fluent literacy skills:

Reading Routes

Delta Academies Trust believes that reading is central to the development of our students and has implemented ‘Reading Routes’ for all its secondary academies to encourage as many students as possible to read for pleasure.  A key aim of our ‘Reading Routes’ initiative is to foster a love of reading for leisure and pleasure whilst widening the cultural experiences of our students and ultimately broadening their learning beyond the core curriculum.

Academies and students have reacted with excitement at the launch of ‘Reading Routes’ and have already started to enjoy the books on our routes. In addition, students have embraced the programme as they immerse themselves into a variety of different books that they previously might not have envisioned themselves reading. Whilst helping to improve their confidence and self-esteem through developing their reading skills. Reading Routes has also strengthened the school community through a shared reading experience.

As part of the nine main reading routes, students will be exposed to a range of genres:

In addition, we have several specialised optional routes for our students to explore:

Not only do our book choices encourage students to engage with genres they might not usually find themselves reading, but they will also be exposed to unfamiliar topics to broaden their understanding of the world around them. It is important that our books choices, in the form of both fiction and non-fiction books, reflect the range and interest of our students.

As part of the Reading Routes programme, there is a route map, based on the London Tube Map, which consists of 14 different routes (genres), with around 74 books in total along the routes. Each route interconnects and travels through the local area to meet with other Delta secondary academies.

Across each half term, students see the launch of a different route genre with 6 specified book titles which students will chose from. Concurrently, staff are also reading a book from each route to further encourage discussions and build a sense of community based around reading.  The act of collaborative reading has created further engagement for our students as they find a network of staff and students who are also reading the same book. This collaboration has allowed us to explore the titles in detail through form leaning time, assemblies and by making a connection with our books’ authors.

As a further reward, students are given personalised certificates for every 5 books they read, and each route they complete.  If they achieve a magnificent 50 books, they receive a tablet device. Currently, there are several students well on course to achieve this in the coming months!

We use numeracy every day in all areas of our lives. Our confidence and ability with numbers impacts us financially, socially, and professionally. It even affects our health and wellbeing. 

Some examples of the ways we use numeracy every day include:

Poor numeracy can affect people’s confidence and self-esteem and creates barriers in their lives. At Trinity we work to instil good numeracy for all students. In addition to excellent core Maths lessons this is done using Hegarty Maths as an online tutoring programme that all students can access 24/7. Students also receive catch up lessons in maths delivered outside of their main lessons.

We also offer Complete Maths to enable early intervention with our low attaining year 7 students.

A series of competitions and rewards are run throughout the year to encourage students to improve their numeracy so they can leave as confident and capable young adults.