Schools
We want to partner with all Ipswich schools, particularly those in challenging areas so that we can help them to ensure that every one of their pupils/students learns to be an effective reader before leaving school.
We understand that schools work hard on literacy improvement, but somehow, many pupils still manage to get through the primary system without reaching the Required Standard in Reading at SATs. That may be as high as 50% in some primary schools.
Secondary schools inherit these weak readers in Year 7 and many of them are too far behind with reading skills to successfully access the GCSE curriculum: where most of the important words in every subject will be unreadable to them.
So it's no good for any of us to be satisfied with 70% or 85% or 95% of pupils becoming effective readers, we need to get very close to 100%.
If you want to understand the impact on someone who gets through the entire education system without being able to read go to our Adult Literacy page.
We also recognise that some children may suffer from one of many conditions which will act as barriers to reading; to see our thoughts and plans on overcoming these, see our Barriers to Reading page
School's Pledge
In order to focus the whole school on Reading, we invite all schools to sign our Reading Pledge.
For Primary Schools
this covers 4 commitments:
1. All our children will leave this school as confident and enthusiastic readers ready to take their next steps
2. We will place reading and literacy at the heart of our school so our children can grow a life-long love of reading
3. We will offer books and activities to support and encourage parents and carers to read every day with their children
4. We will grow our partnerships in the community so we can support parents and carers to become more confident readers themselves
We would also like each primary schools to:
- appoint a Literacy Lead for the school to oversee interventions which ensures that all pupils become effective readers
- appoint a Governor to be engaged in Literacy Improvement and to monitor plans for all struggling readers
- work with colleagues in other local schools, libraries and Let's Talk Reading to raise the profile of reading, and develop and distribute best practice.
For Secondary Schools
this covers 4 commitments:
1. All our young people will leave this school as confident and enthusiastic readers ready to take their next steps
2. We will create time and space to read, placing reading and literacy at the heart of our school
3. We will offer books and activities to encourage parents and carers to support and strengthen young people's reading
4. We will grow our partnerships in the community so we can support parents and carers to become more confident readers themselves
We would also like each secondary schools to:
- appoint a Literacy Lead for the school to oversee interventions which ensures that all pupils become effective readers
- appoint a Governor to be engaged in Literacy Improvement and to monitor plans for all struggling readers
- work with colleagues in other local schools, libraries and Let's Talk Reading to raise the profile of reading, and develop and distribute best practice.
