Key Stage Three

 Accelerated Reader

Students in Key Stage 3 follow the Accelerated Reader programme. A Star Reading test works out their reading age and ZPD (zone of proximal development).

Students then aim to read and quiz on two books within their range per term, aiming to meet their point target, which renews each term.

Students can log in at https://ukhosted141.renlearn.co.uk/6660138/ to see their profile and quiz on their books.

Tips

• Students should check their book’s ZPD before they start reading it
• Students should aim to read for at least 20 minutes per day
• Students should take a quiz within 24 hours of finishing a book

Accelerated Reader encourages students to become self-directed learners. Successful students are aware of their ZPD and their points target, and choose books accordingly.

How do we help?

• Designated ‘Drop Everything and Read’ time in school
• Extended library opening hours, including before and after school
• Expansion of the school library, with hundreds of new books purchased this year

Rewards

Points target met → A stationery prize 

Word Millionaire → A gold blazer star badge

Dedicated reader → An invitation to a DEAR celebration breakfast

How to support your child with reading at home

Key Stage Four

Successful students in Key Stage 4 move away from Accelerated Reader, but keep the skills they have learnt from the programme by:

●      Choosing suitable books

●      Reading regularly

Students in Key Stage 4 are still expected to read for both pleasure and study, and we continue to reward Year 10 and Year 11 students with invitations to the DEAR celebration breakfasts.

This is a time when students struggle more to fit in private reading, but even a small target of a few pages a day can make a big difference.

Key Stage Five

What does reading at Key Stage 5 look like?

Students in Key Stage 5 are invited to use the library for study and research. We stock a range of subject specific magazines and textbooks, as well as a developing Sixth Form fiction section.

Why Should Students Read?

Reading is a neurobiological process that works brain muscles. Reading can help to slow down cognitive decline and even decrease the rate at which memory fades as well as improving their concentration.

Reading improves communication skills by improving vocabulary and increasing verbal fluency. Reading builds knowledge and can empower students to speak to more people from different backgrounds and experiences.

Reading has also been proven to lower stress as it increases relaxation. When the brain is fully focused on a single task, like reading, the reader benefits from meditative qualities that reduce stress levels

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Students who read gain a deeper understanding of their world. They develop empathy for others and learn about issues and ideas that come from outside of their immediate lives.

A Book Trust study found that whilst being a reader does not in itself carry a promise of greater positive social mobility, it seems that, without a capacity to understand and challenge power, social mobility is less likely. Clear links are identified between success in employment choice and reading abilities.

Useful Links:

To read more about the importance of reading: https://youngreadersfoundation.org/importance-of-reading/

For advice on reading skills: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zcv8dp3

For tips on getting your teenager to read: https://www.adlit.org/topics/parent-tips/how-parents-can-encourage-teens-read

For a list of 100 must-read books: https://time.com/collection/100-best-ya-books/

To look for books on Accelerated Reader: https://www.arbookfind.co.uk/

Highsted Grammar School library catalogue: https://uk.accessit.online/hgh03/#!dashboard

Book Trust recommendations: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/bookfinder/

Scholastic book shop and recommendations: https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/

School Reading List recommendations by school year: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/

Kent Library Catalogue: https://kent.spydus.co.uk/