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Sixth Form

 

Literacy and Library

 

How do we develop a Reading for Pleasure culture at CTK?

OUR STUNNING, BRIGHT AND SPACIOUS LIBRARY IS AT THE HEART OF THE COLLEGE AND AIMS TO PROVIDE OUR STUDENTS WITH AN OUTSTANDING AREA FOR LEARNING THAT IS FRIENDLY, STIMULATING AND WELL-RESOURCED. SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE ARE WORKING TO DEVELOP A READING FOR PLEASURE CULTURE INCLUDE:

 

  • Online access via Reading cloud: Students can access the library system from their smartphones by downloading the Reading cloud app which gives them access to their previous and current loans, the latest books which have been catalogued, trending books both across the school and the country, nominated authors and even ‘suggested reads’ based on their personal lending history.

 

  • SORA! online reading app: All students can download e-books and audiobooks for free on to smartphones or computers, then read anywhere offline;

 

  • The Day online news: The library subscribes to ‘The Day’, an online newspaper for schools which links news stories to the national curriculum and encourages students to debate and engage with the wider world. This can be accessed for free both in and out of college via computer or smartphone.

 

  • Dedicated library lessons every fortnight (Year 7, 8 and 9): lessons focus on developing reading fluency through whole-class and 1-1 reading – as well as exposing students to a variety of reading for pleasure experiences;

 

  • Library access: Our library is open every break time and most lunch times for reading, changing books and homework on computers, as well as a quiet space for those who enjoy a little solitude;

 

  • Patron of Reading: Award-winning children’s author, Peter J Murray, has become our Patron of Reading for the academic year 2023 - 2024. This role involves Peter coming into college for inspiring talks with students and running competitions. He is currently working with the island’s High Sheriff, Dawn Haig-Thomas, to raise literacy levels across local schools. We are the only school on the island who has been selected for this role!

 

  • Library catalogue: Our beautiful library stocks over 7000 books, including fiction as wide-ranging as: mystery, horror, action and adventure, war, sci-fi, graphic novels, comedy and sport! There are also numerous titles that are dyslexia-friendly as well as titles suited to the more reluctant reader offering shorter stories in an easy-read format, and, of course, no library would be complete without the old favourite ‘classical’ reads! Meanwhile, our non-fiction library offers a huge range of books under the headings of our core subjects, as well as books covering travel and tourism, natural history, law and politics, space, the military and general social and life skills such as meditation and dealing with anxiety. We have also updated our collections to include stories and non-fiction texts that offer diverse and inclusive themes such as gender, sexuality, disability and ethnicity. The library also offers a wide variety of magazines, such as computing, football and how-things-work to photography, fashion and food!

 

  • Book vending machine: Situated in the dining hall, our book vending machine is used as part of our reward system (linked to our new House system), with students able to get a brand-new, free book of their choice.

 

  • Bookbuzz: When students join us in Year 7, we sign them up to Bookbuzz, an initiative run by national charity, BookTrust. This gives students the opportunity to choose a brand new, free book of their choice from a list of sixteen titles.

 

  • Competitions: We run regular in-house and external competitions, e.g. Young Writers and National Reading Champions Quiz.

 

 

How do we support Literacy across the Curriculum at CTK?

AS PART OF OUR CONTINUING EFFORTS TO IMPROVE AND DEVELOP THE LITERACY OUTCOMES OF ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES AND STRATEGIES THAT ARE FULLY EMBEDDED IN OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING PROGRAMMES ACROSS ALL SUBJECTS AND KEY STAGES. THESE INCLUDE:

  • Reading Mastery Pathways Programme: Using NGRT/CATs and other relevant data, students are placed on the correct intervention pathway of our Reading Mastery Pathways Programme - targeted interventions include phonics catch up, paired/group reading, Sixth Form Mentor reading and reading comprehension;

  • Bedrock: This personalised online learning platform supports the development of both vocabulary and grammar skills. In Key Stage 3, students have a fortnightly, timetabled Bedrock lesson, as well as using Bedrock as part of their fortnightly library lesson. Bedrock also makes up the majority of the Independent Learning tasks set as part of the English curriculum.
  • Three Literacy Strands and Three Things Do Now: Our three Literacy strands (Everyone Reads in Class, Think Pair Share and Key Terms) underpin, and are at the forefront of, our Teaching and Learning across all subjects and key stages. In addition to this, all Key Stage 3 and 4 lessons begin with our Three Things Do Now knowledge recall tasks, which support the development of reading, oracy and vocabulary development, as well as providing a consistent, focused start to lessons;

  • Tutor Time Literacy Programme: In KS3, two tutor time sessions a week have a specific focus on areas of literacy (linked to our Three Literacy Strands). These include: Word of the Week, Reading for Progress activities and The Big Debate Club;
  • Literacy Champions: Each department has a Literacy Champion who is dedicated to improving, supporting and developing literacy in their subject area. Half-termly meetings provide an opportunity for cross-curricular sharing of good practice amongst teaching colleagues;
  • Literacy Enrichment calendar: We mark a variety of national/international events and initiatives, e.g. World Book Day, No Pens Day, etc. as well as in-house clubs such as Young Reporter and Creative Writing club.

Curriculum...