- Curriculum
- Homework
- Reading at Highsted: a whole school commitment
- Knowledge Organisers: KS3 Terms 1 & 2
- Knowledge Organisers: KS3 Terms 3 & 4
- Knowledge Organisers: KS3 Terms 5 & 6
- Knowledge Organisers: KS4 Terms 1 & 2
- Knowledge Organisers: KS4 Terms 3 & 4
- Knowledge Organisers: KS4 Terms 5 & 6
- Pastoral Curriculum
- Education for Life
- Remote Education Provision
- Where Learning is Fun!
- STEM - Making Learning Fun!
- British Science Week 2022
- STEM Research Lecture Series 2019
- Wider Curriculum
- Citizenship Service Award
- Citizenship & Enterprise 2019
- Citizenship & Enterprise 2018
- Citizenship & Enterprise 2017
- Citizenship & Enterprise Photo Gallery
- 2021 A-level & GCSE Results
- Examination Results
- Enrichment Activities
- Ofsted Reports
- Pupil Premium
- Fundamental British Values
Reading at Highsted: a whole school commitment
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
.
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/