Reading

At Oldershaw School, we believe that reading is the foundation of learning, opportunity, and lifelong success. As a proud reading school, our intent is to ensure that every student becomes a confident, fluent, and engaged reader, capable of accessing the full breadth of our ambitious curriculum and the wider world beyond the classroom.

Reading is not confined to English lessons — it is embedded across all subjects, key stages, and areas of school life. From Year 7 onwards, all students are provided with a personally selected reading book to promote ownership and choice. At Key Stage 3 and 4, students engage with a rich variety of academic texts within curriculum subjects, helping to build subject-specific vocabulary and deepen disciplinary knowledge.

Our approach to reading is informed by regular, rigorous assessment. We track students’ reading ages through standardised testing to identify needs, monitor progress, and inform timely, targeted interventions. These interventions include structured programmes such as Fresh Start, small-group support, and one-to-one reading with HLTAs — ensuring no learner is left behind.

Reading is also nurtured through whole-school culture. Initiatives like Book Buzz, Debate Mate, World Book Day, and the Summer Reading Challenge enrich our students’ cultural capital and foster a love of literature. Our well-resourced library offers a wide selection of fiction and non-fiction texts to engage even the most reluctant readers.

We are a community of readers — from our teachers to our support staff — modelling a love of reading and promoting literacy in every interaction. Our aim is for all students to leave Oldershaw not only as capable readers, but as lifelong readers — equipped with the literacy skills to succeed academically, socially, and in their future careers.