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Reading at SEACA
At Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy, we understand how powerful and important reading, writing, oracy and handwriting are for empowering and inspiring our pupils. We strive to ensure that our pupils love reading and derive a real sense of joy from what they read, whilst developing the skills and confidence to communicate and write effectively.
Big investment, even bigger impact!
As a result of our significant investment in and commitment to foundational literacy in all areas of our academy, 85% of all pupils improved their reading age last year between September and July. 25% of these pupils improved their reading age by 36 months whilst 45% of pupils improved their reading age by 25 months. Importantly, boys improved their reading age at a comparable rate to girls and we have seen an overall 20% uplift in pupils now reading in line with their chronological age or above.
Reading is at the heart of our curriculum...
At SEACA reading is a fundamental part of curriculum design and implementation in every subject area. In addition to this, our onsite library is well stocked with books that support curriculum implementation and every subject has a reading list that pupils can access in our library. The library is open before, during and after school for pupils' enjoyment and/or to support their studies. Pupils on the Synthetic Phonics Programme also have access to a dedicated set of books matched to their current stage, ensuring they are always reading at the right level.
Whole-school reading homework is set through Sparx Reader, which gives every pupil access to a personalised, curated library. Books are matched to each student's reading ability — accessible yet appropriately challenging — helping to build stamina, fluency and enjoyment outside the classroom.
Staff have undertaken professional development focused on pre-teaching vocabulary, giving every lesson a stronger reading foundation and helping all pupils access challenging texts with confidence.
Oracy in the classroom...
A strong and consistent oracy offer has been developed across the school through dedicated staff CPD focusing on think, pair, share, questioning and verbal participation. Three strategies are now embedded as universal practice in every classroom:
- Think, pair, share — structured collaborative talk
- Sentence stems — scaffolding academic language
- Dialogic teaching — purposeful exploratory dialogue
This universal classroom offer is helping all pupils to improve, not just those receiving targeted support. The improving foundation in oracy is now informing the school's developing approach to writing.
Writing development...
Building alongside the developing oracy programme, SEACA is now turning its attention to developing writing quality across the curriculum. This will be a key CPD focus next academic year, supported by Trust input, continuing the model of whole-staff development that has driven improvements in reading and oracy.
Handwriting support...
Pupils who need support with handwriting access targeted provision through the Evolve Room, where skilled staff help develop fluency, letter formation and confidence on the page. Good handwriting underpins pupils' ability to express themselves effectively in all written work.
Love of Reading...
To support our pupils in developing a love of reading they engage with a form time reading curriculum which is rooted in SEACA's personal development offer. Please see the link below for further information.
Additionally, all Year 7 and Year 8 pupils are provided with a free book of their choice each year which is sourced through the Book Trust's Book Buzz Scheme. Furthermore, several of our co-curricular clubs such as 'The Dungeons and Dragons Club' and the 'Carnegie Shadowing Reading Club' provide further opportunities to engage with and develop a love of reading whilst a strong partnership with the Shakespeare North Playhouse is developing the inner thespian in all of our pupils: every pupil at SEACA was offered a trip to the SNP theatre as part of our wider curriculum offer.
Closing the Literacy Gap at SEACA:
We increasingly see pupils arriving to us at SEACA having not made age-related progress with their reading at primary school and we are quick to react to this through our suite of interventions offered by our skilled inclusion team in The Reading Area. Interventions are targeted to individual pupil needs including improving phonics, decoding, word recognition and comprehension. Our successful synthetic phonics programme (Lexonik Leap) gives pupils the foundational decoding skills they need. Foundational literacy interventions are also delivered at Trust level, ensuring access to the highest-quality specialist support. At SEACA we have a graduated range of interventions including Lexonic LEAP, Lexonic Advance, Read Write Inc, and IDL to ensure that literacy gaps are closed rapidly using the right approach for every pupil.
Assessment for exam access arrangements ensures that pupils with identified literacy needs receive appropriate support in formal assessments — recognising and removing barriers so every pupil can demonstrate their true ability.
Reading Challenge
Parents, please encourage your son or daughter to pick up one of these wonderful books from our reading challenge list. They can be found in our library.