Literacy at BSCA

Literacy 

At BSCA, we believe that reading is the foundation of success—not just in education, but in life. Strong reading skills open doors to every subject, every career path and every future opportunity.

Nationally, there is growing concern about declining reading ages, particularly in the wake of disrupted learning over recent years. We are committed to reversing this trend. Reading is at the heart of our curriculum, and we take decisive action to ensure every pupil becomes a confident, fluent reader.

For those who need extra support, including pupils who face barriers to learning, we provide targeted literacy interventions that close gaps and build lasting confidence.

Our goal is simple: to ensure that all students, regardless of background, leave us with the reading skills they need to succeed—in school and beyond.

To achieve this, we have developed a robust, three-tiered approach to reading and literacy support—designed to meet the needs of all learners and address any gaps with precision and care.

Tier 1: Our Universal Offer

All pupils benefit from a high-quality, whole-school approach to reading. This includes:

• Regular read-aloud sessions during form time to model fluency, expose students to rich vocabulary, and foster a love of reading. Here is our current read aloud curriculum:

• Explicit vocabulary instruction to help pupils access and learn academic language across all subjects.

• Disciplinary reading, which ensures pupils experience the curriculum through a range of challenging, subject specific texts and teachers consistently model effective reading strategies.

Regular reading assessments are built into this tier to ensure progress is monitored and pupils who may require further support are quickly identified.

Tier 2: Targeted Support

For pupils who are not yet meeting age-related expectations, we provide targeted, time-limited interventions aimed at narrowing gaps. This includes the use of:

• Lexonik Advance, a structured programme proven to rapidly improve reading accuracy, vocabulary knowledge and comprehension.
• This wave of support is data-informed, responsive and designed to accelerate progress.

Tier 3: Intensive Intervention

This tier offers tailored support for pupils who need more focused intervention to build reading confidence and fluency. This includes:

• Fresh Start by Read Write Inc., a phonics-based programme tailored for older pupils who are still developing foundational reading skills.
• Bespoke support focused on key literacy barriers, including fluency, handwriting and spelling.

These interventions are delivered by trained staff in small-group or one-to-one settings, ensuring support is highly personalised.