Preston School’s Literacy Strategy is available here.
Preston School’s Literacy Strategy is available here.
The Preston Reading Canon is a carefully curated collection of recommended books designed to broaden students’ horizons and enrich their cultural capital. With a bespoke reading list for every year group from Year 7 to Year 11, the canon introduces students to a diverse range of authors, cultures, historical periods and perspectives.
The collection encourages students to explore voices, experiences and ideas that they may not encounter in their everyday lives, helping them to develop empathy, curiosity and a deeper understanding of the world around them.
By engaging with the Preston Reading Canon, students not only strengthen their literacy skills but also discover the enjoyment of reading for pleasure while developing the knowledge and confidence to become thoughtful, informed readers.
We believe that literacy is the gateway to success in every discipline, which is why we champion a ‘reading across the curriculum’ approach at Preston School Academy. To support this, our Heads of Department have collaborated to create a bespoke reading booklet filled with carefully selected texts tailored to each subject. Whether a student wants to dive into historical fiction, explore cutting-edge science articles, or read biographies of famous artists, this resource connects their reading habits directly to their classroom learning. By encouraging students to read widely, we help them deepen their subject knowledge, expand their vocabulary, and discover that every topic has a fascinating story to tell.
At the heart of Preston School, our library is a welcoming and vibrant space where students can study, read, or enjoy board games with friends during break and lunchtime. We are proud to provide an environment that promotes both academic achievement and a love of reading.
The library offers a wide range of resources, including college prospectuses, revision guides, non-fiction texts and an extensive collection of fiction for students of all interests and abilities.
Every fortnight, Year 7 students take part in a dedicated library lesson, where they engage in guided reading and collaborative learning activities designed to develop reading confidence, comprehension and a lifelong enjoyment of books.
At Preston School Academy, we believe that bringing stories to life outside the classroom is vital for inspiring a lifelong love of literacy. We regularly welcome acclaimed authors to our school to share their creative journeys and insights; most recently, our Year 8 students had the incredible opportunity to meet Annabelle Pitcher, the author of My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, a core text in our Year 8 curriculum. To further ignite our students’ imaginations, we also organize engaging, literacy-based trips, including an unforgettable visit to the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studios in London, where students see firsthand how world-building translates from the page to the screen. Through these immersive experiences, we don’t just teach reading and writing—we connect our students directly to the magic of storytelling.
All new students complete a reading assessment to determine their reading age. The new Year 7 intake sits this assessment during the July induction day, with a follow-up assessment in February (Spring Term) to monitor progress.
Students in Years 8 and 9 are assessed annually in July, while those identified as Tier 3 and Tier 4 readers are reassessed in February to track the impact of targeted interventions.
In Year 10, students whose reading age remains below their chronological age continue to be assessed twice a year, ensuring that appropriate support is maintained and progress is closely monitored.
At Preston School, we are committed to ensuring that every student develops the reading skills they need to access the curriculum and succeed. Students identified as Tier 3 and Tier 4 readers receive targeted reading interventions during the school day, tailored to their individual needs.
Our interventions include:
These interventions are carefully monitored to ensure students make strong progress and develop the confidence and skills needed to become successful, lifelong readers.
All students at Preston School have a fortnightly Enterprise lesson, during which they develop their reading skills using Sparx Reader.
Sparx Reader is a digital reading platform that helps improve students’ reading ages by matching them with books that are carefully selected to suit their reading ability. A wide range of engaging, high-quality e-books is combined with regular comprehension checks to ensure that students not only read the text but also understand what they have read.
The platform provides teachers with clear, real-time information about students’ reading progress, comprehension and reading habits, enabling targeted support where needed. By embedding Sparx Reader into the curriculum, we aim to improve reading fluency, build confidence across all subjects and foster a lifelong enjoyment of reading.