Reading and Literacy

The Albion Academy’s approach to Literacy is multi-layered and incredibly effective. Year on year, students at the Albion make progress in leaps and bounds with their reading, writing and oracy skills. Typically, students join our academy with reading and writing ages below national average, however our robust whole-school literacy policy supports students to reach and even exceed their potential. 

Our Form Time Reading Programme is very well established at The Albion Academy. This programme aims to promote the enjoyment of reading as well as having proven results in increasing students’ reading ages. 

Each September, students sit a baseline Reading Age test to determine an appropriate ‘reading pathway’ for them, and to guide which form group they should enter. Students then follow our directed reading programme twice per week with their Form Tutors, who model expressive reading of an appropriately ambitious text, and complete summary and vocabulary learning tasks with students. 

The books chosen for the programme have been selected to allow students access to a rich variety of diverse literature. Titles include the following: 

Not only are these texts appropriately challenging and wonderful resources to learn new and ambitious vocabulary, but they all also reflect and explore the academy’s core values of Ambition, Respect and Resilience. 

Based on our baseline testing, students who would benefit from additional support with their literacy development may be placed onto at least one of our literacy interventions, including: 

• Lexia interventions with our literacy specialists to improve reading comprehension 
• Lexonik interventions with our literacy specialists to improve phonics 
• Reading and/or writing interventions with trained tutors 
• EAL interventions with specialists from Salford’s Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS)

All our students also benefit from a fully stocked library with over 3000 books – they can visit before school, after school, and at social times. Our wonderful librarian is able to help students choose books that are appropriately challenging and explore the wonders of the world through our variety of reading material. 

At the end of each term, students and parents/guardians are also provided with a recommended reading list, which advises them on interesting books they may want to buy or borrow from their local library over the holidays.