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Life @ OHA

Improve student literacy

We face huge challenges in encouraging the rising generation to engage positively with reading. Society pays a big price if we get this wrong.

  • Children and young people who do not achieve expected levels of literacy are likely to be from disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • 14% of children in lower income homes rarely or never read books for pleasure.
  • Parents are the most important reading role models for children and young people.
  • Only one in five parents easily find the opportunity to read to their children.
  • 10 to 16 year-olds who read for pleasure do better at school (2013 research by Dr Alice Sullivan and Matt Brown from the Institute of Education).
  • Reading for pleasure is more important for children’s cognitive development than their parents’ level of education (2013 research by Dr Alice Sullivan and Matt Brown from the Institute of Education).

At Ormiston Horizon Academy we promote literacy through a range of activities. Please take the time to review the literacy resources available on this website so that we can all work together to give our children the best opportunity for success.

Reading

At Ormiston Horizon Academy we promote reading at every opportunity because reading is the gateway to success.

  • Every student reads during Personal Tutor time
  • Each Personal Tutor group has access to a book box containing good quality reading materials
  • All Students have access to the academy library
  • All Year 7 students are given a free book as part of the ‘Booked-up’ scheme
  • All Year 7 students are issued with a library card, which enables them to borrow books from libraries across the city
  • Every student reads for 10 minutes each day at the start of period 5
  • All Key Stage 3 students take part in the Accelerated Reader programme

How can you help your child to succeed?

If your child is taking part in the Accelerated Reading programme then they need to read for twenty minutes a day for the programme to be successful.

Reading is set for homework. Students have been issued with a reading log so that they can record how much they read each day.

Want to make an impact? Listen to your child read on a regular basis. Encourage them to read a wide range of books. Check their reading log.

Students at the academy are regularly issued with Scholastic book magazines. Students can purchase books from this publication. You can visit the Scholastic website here.

Writing

The BBC Bitesize website has a range of activities which will help to improve writing.

Additional academy resources

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