Reading & literacy
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At Lift Richmond Park we believe that reading is the key to a successful future. Our library is the heart of reading in our school. We are proud of our reading culture at the centre of which is our library of over 10,000 books along with newspapers, magazines, games, brainteasers, and computers. The library is available to students every day between 8.00am and 4.00pm.
The library has a large selection of fiction books with all the students’ favourite authors and series. There is a well stocked classics section as well as new books from a diverse selection of contemporary writers.
In addition, students will find a plentiful non-fiction section with the resources students need to supplement their learning and support their homework. The librarian is always available to assist students in finding the books they need.
Every student at Lift Richmond Park is automatically a member of our library and welcome to borrow books. Students are introduced to the library during a lesson and encouraged to visit during break times or before and after school. Students may borrow books for two weeks and we ask that books are looked after and returned on time or renewed as required.
At Lift Richmond Park, we use the Accelerated Reader (AR) programme. AR is tailored to each individual student and provides valuable feedback about a student's reading and vocabulary progress. Students earn house points for each quiz and can earn termly awards for books they complete in the AR program.
For our more voracious readers we have the Classics Challenge and the 47 book Staircase Challenge. Students read books from the Challenge List and complete projects, ranging from posters to podcasts, that encapsulate their reading experience.
House competitions, displays, and student recommendations are regularly updated around the library. The highlight of the year is World Book Day and staff are not frightened to join students in dressing up!
Encouraging the Joy of Reading - Home Reading Logs
Every student in Key Stage 3 is required to read a minimum of 30 pages every two weeks and complete their reading log for that date. Parents and students should reflect together on the reading completed and sign off the home reading log for each assignment.
To ensure a successful home reading experience:
Reading in School - Tutor Reading and Drop Everything and Read
Every student in Key Stage 3 has an independent reading book with them at all times. At the start of core subject lessons, students will DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) for 10 minutes. This independent reading book can then be quizzed using Accelerated Reader or completed as a part of the Classics or Staircase Challenges.
Key Stage 3 students will read a book from our carefully curated reading cannons during Tutor Reading. They are books that will challenge our readers, introduce them to a new genre, be a contemporary award winner or a classic ‘must read’. Teachers read the novels aloud while students follow along with reading rulers. As the year progresses, students will also be invited to read aloud. While reading, the teacher will highlight and define key vocabulary and point out important features of the story to build students’ comprehension and cultural capital. Students will read 2-4 books during tutor time over the course of the year.
Support for Reading
All students are assessed on their reading age at regular intervals throughout the year. These assessments are used to identify any students who require additional support with vocabulary, comprehension, or phonics. We use Lexia Power Up Literacy, a program endorsed by the Educational Endowment Fund. For more information about Lexia please visit their website here.
Another reading intervention available to Year 7 students is Paired Reading. Once a week, 6th form students are buddied up with Year 7s to read together in the Library. This highly successful program’s main aim is to create a shared reading experience and build students’ confidence in reading aloud.
"It has helped me a lot. I can read better now and it helps with my other lessons when reading texts in class."
"It has helped be because if I get stuck on a word they can help me say it so when there word is there again I know how to say it straight away."
Battle of the Books
In the summer term, a Year 8 team of exceptional readers enters into the Borough’s ‘Battle of the Books’. This is a really enjoyable event where secondary schools come together for a friendly competition and listen to an inspiring talk from a visiting author.
Here at Lift Richmond Park, we use the Accelerated Reader programme. We are thrilled to have the world’s most widely used reading software that helps raise literacy standards by motivating and supporting students of all levels and abilities.
Accelerated Reader (AR) is a reading programme tailored to each individual student, designed to increase the love of reading and in turn, levels of achievement. Scientifically-based research shows that students using AR perform better in all academic areas than students who do not use the software.
It’s very simple for the children to use. All the books in the library (and we have more than 10,000) have an AR level according to the difficulty of sentence structure and vocabulary. A short test at the beginning of Year 7 gives every child his/her precise AR reading level so we know which books are suitable in terms of challenge and stretch for the individual student. Once the student has read a book, they take a quick computer-based quiz. The quizzes are fun and encourage motivation and enjoyment. Crucially, they give us data which allows us, as staff, to monitor the patterns and progress of a child’s reading and to encourage them to explore different texts and genres.
The online quiz provides instant feedback as the program automatically prints out a report showing how well the student has performed.
At Lift Richmond Park, the librarians meet the children regularly to check progress, encourage and keep motivation going to read more and more. Students have a fortnightly English lesson in the library to guarantee time choosing books and addressing any problems.
The benefits of Accelerated Reader that we are excited about are -
What can students and parents be doing to make the most of Accelerated Reader?
Every child will be given a reading zone which shows them which books to choose from the library. This zone guides them to a book at the correct level - not too easy, not too hard. Parents can check that their child is reading the correct book for their ability.
We give children 15 minutes of reading time at school every day so it is vital that they bring their reading book with them every day. We also ask the children to read for 15 minutes at home each day as a minimum and request that parents encourage this as part of a child’s homework.
Once a child has finished their book, they will need to take a short quiz at school. Asking your child what they have quizzed, looking at the certificate they get each time and having a conversation about reading will all encourage children to read more, quiz more and ultimately increase their reading ages. We have seen huge improvements in reading ages of students who have joined in most with the scheme.
Who is our reading scheme aimed at?
Recent Successes
We set children targets to read a certain amount in each half term. This target is reached by earning points of book quizzes the child takes. Each half term every student is given a new target to try and reach and earn rewards for doing so.
Millionaire Club
We also encourage students to read a million words over the whole school year and join our word millionaire board in the library.
Lift Richmond Park
Park Avenue
East Sheen
London SW14 8RG
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