Accelerated Reader Programme Progress

Posted at 1:59 pm on 22nd November, 2017

Wellacre celebrates impact of reading programme

At Wellacre, we are passionate about developing and encouraging an environment in which students read for pleasure.

Reading forms the basis of all of our English lessons and we also have a dedicated fortnightly lesson for students to access the school library.  The library stocks an up-to-date range of the latest fiction and non-fiction books for students to take home.

Our aim is to nurture the love of learning and reading from primary to secondary school and students are actively encouraged to read independently and to each other; we also encourage parents and carers to listen to their children read at home on a daily basis.

In the last year, over 30 million words were read by students across Key Stage Three and over 8500 assessments were taken on books that they had read, which resulted in a  huge increase in reading ages throughout the year.

Students have communicated how they are making progress through the use of the programme with (Accelerated Reader Pupil Voice survey 2017):

*  More than 75% of pupils feel they have made improvements in literacy and/or numeracy through Accelerated Reader and 10QQ (Quick Questions).

*  More than 75% stated Accelerated Reader has helped improve their vocabulary in English.

The impact of the ongoing focus on standards of literacy are evidenced by the outcomes at GCSE, as students perform above National expectations.  Boys at Wellacre outperformed those across the country by 23% for levels 4-9 in English in 2017 and by 15% for levels 5-9.

Rob Chisnall, Wellacre’s Director of English and Whole School Literacy, said:

“ Participation in the Accelerated Reader Programme is vital in how it supports the students in developing a love for reading and also in how it helps us track their progress and level of interaction with a variety of texts.  This is especially important considering the amount of reading that the new qualifications in English and many other subjects now demand of students.”

He adds:

“Our ongoing commitment to raising the levels of literacy is one of the highest priorities at Wellacre; not only within the English faculty, but across the wider school.  We strive to equip our young people with the reading, writing and skills of oracy required of them as they move into a fast-paced and ever changing future.  The Accelerated Reader Programme is an essential element of this process.”

Wellacre organises events linked to literacy to celebrate and further extend skills.  These include expert support and visits from specialists, for example, Year 8 students worked on guided writing recently, based on the poem ‘The Highwayman’, and last year a visit from a graphic novelist helped create interest around that style of literature.