All students complete a baseline reading assessment on entry to identify their reading age, fluency, and comprehension level. This data informs targeted intervention, class groupings, and personalised reading pathways.
Students identified as significantly below age-related expectations access Read Write Inc. Fresh Start – a phonics programme designed specifically for older learners. This is delivered in small groups or 1:1 by trained staff, focusing on decoding, fluency, and confidence in reading.
Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) is embedded into our daily timetable to promote a positive reading culture and to support the literacy development of all students. This dedicated time allows students to engage with reading in a calm, structured environment, helping to build concentration, extend vocabulary, and improve overall reading fluency.
At The Sky Academy, DEAR is also used as a key part of our personal development curriculum. Texts are carefully selected to reflect themes such as resilience, relationships, emotional regulation, identity, and making positive choices. By linking reading material with personal development, we offer students meaningful opportunities to explore issues relevant to their own lives in a safe and accessible way.
The books chose for DEAR include contextually relevant and high-interest texts designed to engage our boys and encourage a genuine enjoyment of reading. These may feature relatable characters, real-life challenges, and topics connected to their experiences both inside and outside school. By providing material that resonates with their interests and backgrounds, we aim to increase motivation, build confidence, and foster lifelong reading habits.
Overall, our DEAR sessions support literacy, emotional growth, and cultural understanding, forming an essential part of our whole-school approach to developing well-rounded, reflective, and confident learners.
Dedicated time is built into lessons for reading for pleasure, providing students with the opportunity to explore books without pressure. The classroom is stocked with a wide range of accessible fiction and non-fiction texts, including First News for up-to-date current affairs accessible at an age-appropriate level, that reflect students’ interests and lived experiences. Staff model positive reading behaviours by sharing their current reading material, as well as childhood favourites, and engage students in informal discussions about their reading choices. Students are rewarded with a “Starbooks” stamp every time they participate in independent reading – earning a reward for each completed card.
All classes participate in regular group reading and whole-class reading sessions, where texts are read aloud and discussed collectively. These texts will be a range of fiction and non-fiction texts, prompting topical debates. This approach supports students in accessing more challenging material, encourages peer discussion, and builds listening and comprehension skills in a safe and structured environment, whilst also providing opportunities for speaking and listening.
Being read to is a powerful part of our strategy. Teachers will regularly read aloud to classes, creating shared experiences and exposing students to rhythm, tone, and new vocabulary. This also helps to reduce the pressure for reluctant or lower-level readers while maintaining engagement with age-appropriate content.
Class texts are carefully selected to be age-appropriate in content but stage-appropriate in reading level, ensuring students are not limited by their literacy skills when engaging with mature themes or meaningful narratives. These texts are used to build empathy, provoke thought, and develop critical literacy skills.
The classrooms contain a curated mini library with a range of books tailored to students needs and interests. Additionally, students have access to the school library, which offers a broader selection and supports independent reading habits. Students are regularly given the opportunity to request books that they would like to read.
Reading progress is regularly reviewed through re-assessment, formative teacher feedback, and student voice. Adjustments are made to ensure every student continues to grow in confidence, skill, and enjoyment.
