Literacy Vision

Why literacy matters

Reading ability shapes a child’s experience of school more than almost anything else. When pupils can move confidently through a text, follow an explanation and unpack complex ideas, they learn more and feel more successful. The EEF’s Literacy Guidance Report highlights this link clearly: stronger reading leads to stronger attainment across subjects.

Knowing our starting points

Every Year 7 pupil completes a baseline reading assessment so we have an accurate picture from the outset. This prevents gaps from being missed and gives teachers the information they need to pitch lessons appropriately. The approach mirrors the EEF’s guidance on the importance of diagnostic assessment

What literacy looks like in daily practice

Our literacy vision isn’t theoretical. It shows up in everyday routines:

1. SHAPE helps pupils speak with clarity and confidence. Strong oral responses make written responses more secure.
2. Literacy marking is kept simple and direct. A small prompt—sp for spelling or c for missing capitals—helps pupils correct errors quickly without overloading them.
3. Vocabulary is taught explicitly. Teachers model definitions, pupils practise choral response, and then apply the word in context.
4. Many pupils read with a ruler to support focus and accuracy. It keeps attention anchored to the line and improves fluency for struggling readers.
5. Departments select rich, subject-specific texts so that pupils encounter ambitious writing, not only in English but across the curriculum. Exposure to disciplinary language matters; Shanahan’s work on disciplinary literacy explains why.

These routines help pupils internalise the habits of confident readers and articulate thinkers.

Our ambition: every child reading at chronological age by Year 9

We want all pupils to reach their chronological reading age by the end of Year 9. That milestone ensures they enter Key Stage 4 ready to access challenging exam texts, instructions and extended writing without unnecessary barriers. OECD research shows that adolescent reading confidence remains a strong predictor of later educational and economic outcomes.

Targeted intervention where it is needed

When a pupil falls significantly behind, we act quickly. Interventions range from one-to-one phonics through Toe-by-Toe, to small-group reading programmes, to structured digital support through Lexia. Each option is matched to a pupil’s assessed need, and progress is reviewed through regular retesting. The principles are well established in the National Reading Panel’s evidence base 

Literacy woven into our wider culture

Our Politeness Focus of the Week includes a Word of the Week, shared across assemblies, tutor time and line-ups. Staff use it in conversations and reward pupils who adopt it accurately. This reinforces both vocabulary growth and the calm, courteous culture we want pupils to experience every day.

Keeping an eye on impact

Attendance to interventions remains high, and retesting shows clear movement for many pupils. We monitor closely so that support doesn’t drift. The adjust-and-respond cycle we follow is consistent with the SEND Code of Practice’s graduated approach.

A reading culture that supports achievement

At Haggerston, literacy isn’t a separate strand. It is part of how we teach, how pupils communicate and how we open doors to future learning. When every child reaches their reading age by Year 9, they gain access to the full curriculum and the confidence to tackle what comes next.

That is the vision we are working towards - lesson by lesson, habit by habit.