Intent
At Lostock Hall Academy, reading is at the heart of learning. We recognise that reading is the gateway to accessing the curriculum, achieving academic success and participating fully in life beyond school. In line with our vision of inspiring aspirations for all, we are committed to ensuring that every student develops the knowledge, skills and confidence required to become a fluent, thoughtful and independent reader.
We believe that all students can succeed as readers. Through a culture of high expectations, targeted support and appropriate challenge, we enable every learner, including those with SEND, those who are vulnerable and those who are disadvantaged to make strong progress from their individual starting points.
Alongside developing reading proficiency, we seek to nurture a lifelong love of reading. We want students to experience the enjoyment, wellbeing and personal growth that come from engaging with a wide range of texts, authors and viewpoints. Through reading, students broaden their cultural knowledge, deepen their understanding of the world and develop the resilience, curiosity and ambition needed to thrive both academically and personally.
Implementation
Reading development begins with a careful assessment of each student's prior attainment and individual needs. Key Stage 2 Reading SATs outcomes, alongside national benchmark assessments assessment and professional judgement, help us identify the most appropriate level of support and challenge for every learner.
Our Key Stage 3 reading intervention programme provides a structured and inclusive pathway that enables students to strengthen foundational reading skills, improve fluency and comprehension, and develop reading confidence. Programmes are tailored to meet individual needs and are regularly reviewed to ensure students receive the right level of intervention, support and stretch.
Students Requiring Intensive Reading Support
Students who enter the Academy significantly below age-related expectations receive personalised intervention designed to address specific barriers to reading. Reading fluency is assessed through teacher and teaching assistant observations and, where appropriate, phonics screening is employed.
Students identified as needing phonics instruction receive targeted teaching through Fresh Start Phonics. This evidence-informed support is delivered through intervention lessons, tutor time and additional small-group or individual sessions where required. The aim is to ensure that students rapidly develop the decoding, fluency and confidence necessary to access the wider curriculum successfully.
Students Developing Reading Fluency
Students whose reading skills are below expected standards receive focused support through
Reading Plus and targeted reading activities. Reading fluency is assessed and monitored carefully, enabling staff to provide interventions that address individual needs.
Support may include guided reading, reading buddy opportunities, fluency practice and structured comprehension activities. These approaches help students develop stamina, accuracy, confidence and understanding while fostering positive reading habits.
Secure Readers
Students who enter the Academy as secure readers continue to develop higher-level comprehension, vocabulary and critical thinking skills through Reading Plus and other adaptive learning programmes.
Students are encouraged to read widely and independently, utilising the Learning Resource Centre and online library resources. Additional support and challenge are provided where appropriate, ensuring that all students, including disadvantaged learners, continue to make progress and extend their reading experience.
Through engagement with a broad range of fiction, non-fiction and literary texts, students develop cultural capital, deepen their understanding of language and strengthen their ability to interpret, analyse and evaluate what they read.
Confident and Highly Competent Readers
Students who demonstrate strong reading skills are provided with opportunities to extend and deepen their reading. Through dedicated reading lessons and enrichment opportunities, students are challenged to engage with increasingly complex vocabulary, themes and literary styles.
Highly able readers are encouraged to explore a wide range of ambitious texts, including classic literature and challenging contemporary works. This approach ensures that strong readers continue to grow as analytical, reflective and enthusiastic readers while developing the academic language required for success across the curriculum.
Reading for Pleasure
Reading for pleasure is a central part of life at Lostock Hall Academy. Through our Ready to Thrive programme, tutor time activities, library provision and wider reading initiatives, students are encouraged to explore texts that reflect their interests, experiences and aspirations.
We believe that creating enthusiastic readers is just as important as developing skilled readers. By promoting reading across the Academy, we foster curiosity, empathy, creativity and personal wellbeing.
Reading Across the Curriculum
Reading is the responsibility of every member of staff. All teachers are trained in effective reading instruction and understand the specific literacy demands of their subjects. Using principles such as Scarborough's Reading Rope, staff support students to develop the vocabulary, background knowledge, disciplinary literacy and comprehension skills needed to succeed across the curriculum.
Teachers provide appropriate scaffolding for students who require additional support while ensuring that all learners, including our most able readers, are challenged through high-quality texts and ambitious academic language. Through excellent teaching and high expectations, every classroom contributes to the development of confident, capable and engaged readers who are equipped to thrive both now and in the future.
All teachers are also role models for reading for pleasure, making subject reading recommendations and drawing students' attention to The Day (our daily newspaper) on a daily basis.
Impact
The impact of our reading curriculum is seen in students who read with increasing fluency, confidence and understanding. Students are able to access the full curriculum, engage successfully with challenging texts and communicate their ideas effectively.
Through a combination of targeted intervention, inclusive classroom practice and a strong culture of reading, students develop the knowledge, resilience and ambition to thrive academically and personally. They leave Lostock Hall Academy as confident readers who value reading as both a tool for learning and a source of enjoyment throughout their lives.