Literacy encompasses the skills of speaking, reading, writing: each grounded in vocabulary development.
At Burnham Grammar School, we know that literacy underpins students’ ability to access, understand and communicate knowledge, providing the foundation for success across the curriculum and beyond the classroom.
Literacy is a whole-school responsibility. Every subject plays a vital role in developing students’ ability to read, write, speak and listen with confidence, precision and increasing sophistication. Our whole-school literacy provision is championed by our Literacy Coordinator, Ms Siggins, who works collaboratively with colleagues across the school to promote and develop literacy.
Whole-school literacy marking codes are used consistently across the school when providing feedback on written work. These help students to recognise, understand and respond to common literacy errors across different subjects. This shared approach reinforces key literacy skills and encourages students to take increasing responsibility for the accuracy of their written work.
Our whole-school literacy marking codes are linked below:
Whole School Literacy Marking Codes
Oracy is an integral part of our approach to literacy. Across the curriculum, students are given regular opportunities to develop their confidence and competence in speaking and listening, learning to articulate ideas clearly, listen attentively and respond thoughtfully to others.
Teachers explicitly model and teach academic vocabulary, discussion skills and purposeful talk, enabling students to explore ideas collaboratively and communicate with increasing precision and sophistication.
Students have regular opportunities to develop their oracy skills through classroom discussion, debate, presentations, group work and collaborative learning across the curriculum. These experiences help students to articulate their ideas clearly, listen and respond thoughtfully, and communicate with confidence.
The Library
We are fortunate to have a welcoming and well-resourced library, providing students with a dedicated space to engage in reading. The library stocks a wide selection of fiction and non-fiction, offering students the opportunity to discover new authors, explore different genres and develop their interests beyond the classroom.
Our Library Prefects play an important role in supporting the running of the library, while our Reading Ambassadors help to foster a reading culture by organising events and activities that celebrate and encourage reading across the school.
Tutor-Time Reading
Reading is embedded within the weekly routines of school life through dedicated tutor time reading sessions, which take place once each week. These sessions provide students with regular opportunities to read for pleasure, broaden their reading experiences and develop positive reading habits.
KS3 Library Lessons
All Key Stage 3 English lessons begin with ten minutes of reading, providing students with regular, protected time to read for pleasure. This consistent routine helps students to develop reading stamina, broaden their experience of literature and discover new authors, genres and ideas.
Once a fortnight, students in Year 7 and 8 engage in a dedicated reading and literacy lesson in the library, further supporting wider reading and fostering a strong reading culture.
Students are expected to read for a minimum of one hour each week outside the school day, helping them to develop regular and sustained reading habits. Students record and reflect on their reading using their individual reading logs.
KS4 Class Readers
This year, we have launched our KS4 Class Reader programme, giving every Year 9 class the opportunity to experience a wider range of literature. Each half term, classes borrow a different class reader, introducing students to a variety of authors, genres and perspectives.
These texts are not formally studied; instead, students are encouraged to enjoy the books, share their responses and reflect on their reading through informal, book-club-style conversations. The programme aims to broaden students’ reading experiences, encourage curiosity and develop a strong and lasting culture of reading.
The BGS Reading Scholar Programme
This year, we have launched our BGS Reading Scholars Programme, designed to encourage students to read a broader and more diverse range of fiction and non-fiction. Each Key Stage has its own curated reading list, introducing students to a rich variety of authors, genres, perspectives and ideas, while fostering qualities such as curiosity, imagination, justice, identity, leadership, courage, openness and insight.
Students are encouraged to challenge themselves as readers and can work towards Reading Scholars awards in recognition of their reading achievements and commitment.
The reading lists for the BGS Reading Scholar Programme are linked below:
Across Years 7–9, students engage with Bedrock Grammar and Vocabulary each week through the English curriculum. This online platform supports students in strengthening their grammatical knowledge and developing a rich and varied vocabulary. This regular, structured practice strengthens students’ command of English and supports them in reading with greater precision and writing with increasing accuracy, sophistication and control.
High-quality teaching is the primary means of improving students’ literacy. Across the curriculum, teachers explicitly model and teach the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills students need to access and communicate increasingly complex ideas.
For students identified as requiring further support, additional targeted literacy interventions are provided to address specific needs and help students make progress. These interventions complement high-quality classroom teaching and are tailored to the individual needs of students.
Reading Mentors
Students in Year 7 who require additional support with reading take part in our Reading Mentors programme, where they are paired with a Year 12 student mentor. Through regular one-to-one sessions, mentors support students in developing key reading skills, including fluency, comprehension and confidence, while encouraging positive and sustained reading habits.
Spellzone
Spellzone is used as a targeted intervention for students identified as having additional spelling needs. The programme provides structured, personalised practice to help students develop their spelling accuracy and confidence.
Continued Vocabulary Support
For students who would benefit from further vocabulary development, Bedrock Grammar and Vocabulary can continue beyond Year 9. This provides additional opportunities for students to consolidate and extend their vocabulary knowledge and strengthen their confidence in using language accurately and effectively.
Small Group Support
Intervention leads provide targeted small-group support, tailored to students’ specific literacy needs.