Developing confident readers who enjoy reading for pleasure is a core aim at Westfield Academy.

Once a week in Form time students actively read a text of their choosing. This is carefully monitored by their Form Tutor. Students record their daily reading, alongside a glossary of interesting words and new vocabulary, in their planners. This enables parents and carers to see their child’s reading journey and we encourage regular conversations about the books they are reading at home.

We aim for students to read one book roughly every two weeks and students are rewarded for their reading progress throughout the year.

Reading occurs in every lesson across the curriculum and each subject area has developed a disciplinary approach to reading instruction.

All students have autonomy over the books they choose to read and we encourage them to read widely and often, including genres of fiction and non-fiction throughout the year. Our library is well stocked with over 20,000 texts and magazines. The school librarian is available to guide students in their reading choices and all Year 7 and Year 8 classes have a lesson in the library once per fortnight. At year 7 students use the Accelerated Reader program.

We regularly test students’ reading ages and provide reading support according to need. Our small group and one to one programmes are designed to help those with the greatest need make rapid progress. Our Reading Buddies scheme pairs a Year 12 student with Year 7 and Year 8 students weekly.

Adults in our school are also a part of our reading culture. ‘I am reading…’ signs on every classroom and office door advertise what each member of staff is currently reading, showing students that the adults around them value reading and encourage reading for pleasure.