Literacy across the curriculum - developing the approach
A brief guide to setting up a whole-school approach to literacy;
- Establish that literacy is really a priority
- Set up appropriate structures
- Create a reading ethos
- Set up effective support systems for students with literacy problems
- Make literacy part of the curriculum
Establishing that literacy is really a priority
List all the priorities for your school and consider how much literacy is central to them. If it does underpin most of your priorities, then it should become your key priority. This will probably mean dropping some other things and focusing time and money on literacy. The implementation of the policy will alter the structure of the school; it is not a one-off action but, if set up properly, will underpin most other initiatives.
Setting up appropriate structures
Consider what conditions and structures will be necessary for deciding the direction of your policy and overseeing its development and evaluation. Your structure should be set up to include SMT support, curriculum area involvement and whole-school involvement. You will need a timescale and targets for development. Remember to be ambitious but realistic at the same time. In terms of evaluation you may want to include a measure of pupils’ enthusiasm for reading and writing or a measure of parental involvement.
Creating a reading ethos
A whole-school approach to literacy is most effective in a school where staff, pupils and parents share a reading ethos. To help all these people see literacy as important and also as something that is enjoyable, the school needs to raise the profile of literacy and actively encourage reading for pleasure. Reading Connects is a National Literacy Project which supports schools to create a reading ethos.
Setting up effective support systems for students with literacy problems
There are several things that you can do. Firstly, ensure effective screening and diagnostic procedures and use information from primary schools. Then organise effective focused support for those who struggle with literacy.
Try to avoid narrow approaches to teaching literacy and provide good quality books for inexperienced readers. Involve parents as much as possible and mobilise other support from, for example, older pupils or outside mentors.
Making literacy a part of the curriculum
First of all, review the literacy curriculum in your school through a whole-school audit. Once you have reflected on this you can plan the literacy curriculum. Decide when skills like scanning, note-taking and research skills are to be taught and practised and also when IT literacy skills, such as redrafting, are to be taught. Involve tutors in this process and try to make reading part of the pastoral curriculum. This might include classes being registered in the library on a rota basis. Finally, encourage curriculum areas to consider how to teach literacy through their subjects. To ensure this is followed through departments should set specific literacy targets for each year. For example, include key words in the delivery of every unit of work or include writing frames in unit planning.
Literacy across the curriculum - main aims
Literacy across the curriculum - a brief history
Literacy across the curriculum - the English framework
Literacy across the curriculum - ingredients for success
Literacy across the curriculum - barriers and solutions
