Tutor Time Reading Programme (TTRP)

Reading at Oakbank School

At Oakbank School, we believe that reading is the foundation of academic success and lifelong learning. Through our Tutor Time Reading Programme (TTRP), students are exposed to a rich and diverse range of high-quality texts that broaden their knowledge, develop their vocabulary and foster a lifelong love of reading.

Reading is a central part of our school culture and reflects our core values of Work Hard. Be Kind. Every student participates in TTRP during tutor time, where tutors read aloud to their classes whilst students follow the text independently. This shared reading experience develops reading fluency, comprehension, cultural awareness and confidence, whilst ensuring that all students have access to ambitious and challenging literature.

Through reading, students encounter a wide range of experiences, perspectives and ideas that help them develop empathy, understanding and respect for others. They learn to persevere with challenging texts, think critically about the world around them and engage thoughtfully with different viewpoints.

Our reading programme reflects Oakbank's commitment to high expectations for every student and supports our wider curriculum by introducing students to significant themes, ideas, historical events and perspectives from across the world.

Our Intent

At Oakbank School, we believe that reading is the gateway to learning and one of the most powerful tools for improving life chances. Our reading curriculum is designed to ensure that all students become fluent, confident and enthusiastic readers who can access the full curriculum, engage critically with the world around them and develop a lifelong love of reading.

Through our value of Work Hard. Be Kind, we encourage students to persevere with challenging texts, broaden their perspectives and develop empathy through exposure to diverse voices, experiences and ideas.

Our reading provision is designed to:

• Develop fluent, confident readers who can access ambitious academic texts.

• Build students' vocabulary and communication skills.

• Foster a love of reading and intellectual curiosity.

• Improve students' cultural capital through exposure to a broad range of literature and non-fiction.

• Support students in becoming thoughtful, informed and compassionate members of society.

• Ensure that every student, regardless of their starting point, can succeed across the curriculum.

Why Do We Read?

At Oakbank, we believe that reading unlocks opportunity. Strong reading skills enable students to access the full curriculum, develop their understanding of the world and become successful lifelong learners.

The Tutor Time Reading Programme is designed to:

• Develop reading fluency and comprehension.

• Expand students' vocabulary and understanding of language.

• Build cultural capital through exposure to diverse voices, experiences and perspectives.

• Encourage reading for pleasure and independent reading habits.

• Support academic achievement across all subjects.

• Promote empathy, curiosity and critical thinking.

• Encourage resilience and perseverance when encountering challenging ideas and texts.

• Provide all students with access to high-quality literature regardless of background or prior reading experience.

By reading together regularly, students encounter texts they may not otherwise choose independently, helping them become confident, knowledgeable and reflective readers who embody our values of Work Hard. Be Kind.

Cultural Capital Through Reading

The reading canon has been deliberately designed to broaden students' cultural capital by exposing them to significant authors, historical periods, cultures, beliefs and perspectives that they may not otherwise encounter.

Students read texts from a diverse range of genres, countries, time periods and viewpoints. Through these experiences, they develop a deeper understanding of the world, challenge assumptions, explore different perspectives and gain the background knowledge needed to thrive both academically and socially.

What Happens During TTRP?

During tutor time, students participate in a structured reading session designed to develop fluency, comprehension and vocabulary.

During each session:

• Tutors read aloud with expression and fluency, modelling expert reading.

• Every student follows the text using their own copy of the book.

• Students track the text using a ruler to support concentration, reading fluency and active engagement with the text.

• Key vocabulary is explicitly taught and discussed throughout the reading.

• Tutors support vocabulary acquisition by providing synonyms, concise explanations and contextual meanings for unfamiliar or ambitious vocabulary, mirroring the whole-school approach to vocabulary instruction used across all subjects.

• Students are encouraged to use newly encountered vocabulary in discussion and across their wider learning.

• Tutors provide context about authors, historical events and cultural references to support understanding.

• Students engage with themes, ideas and characters through discussion and reflection.

• Reading stamina, confidence and enjoyment are developed through regular exposure to high-quality texts.

This consistent approach encourages students to work hard by engaging with ambitious texts and to be kind through developing empathy, understanding and appreciation of different experiences and perspectives.

Our Reading Canon

Our reading canon has been carefully selected to expose students to a diverse range of authors, genres, cultures and perspectives. The texts have been chosen to develop students' vocabulary, cultural capital, empathy and understanding of the wider world whilst fostering a love of reading.

Year 7

• Wonder – R.J. Palacio

• You Are a Champion – Marcus Rashford

• The Boy Who Fell From the Sky – Benjamin Dean

• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis

• Journey to the River Sea – Eva Ibbotson

• In the Sea There Are Crocodiles – Fabio Geda

• Boy – Roald Dahl

• The Girl of Ink and Stars – Kiran Millwood Hargrave

• Blame My Brain: The Amazing Teenage Brain Revealed – Nicola Morgan

Year 8

• Private Peaceful – Michael Morpurgo

• You Are Awesome – Matthew Syed

• Chinese Cinderella – Adeline Yen Mah

• I Am Malala – Malala Yousafzai

• What Happens Online – Nathanael Lessore

• Noughts and Crosses – Malorie Blackman

• Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan

• Am I Normal Yet? – Holly Bourne

• Sherlock Holmes Short Stories – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• The Maze Runner – James Dashner

Year 9

• Starseeker – Tim Bowler

• Lord of the Flies – William Golding

• Crossing the Line – Tia Fisher

• Skulduggery Pleasant – Derek Landy

• The Giver – Lois Lowry

• What Happens Online – Nathanael Lessore

• To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

• Things a Bright Girl Can Do – Sally Nicholls

• Furia – Yamile Saied Méndez

• Persuasion – Jane Austen

• The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

Year 10

• The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo

• The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson

• The Fault in Our Stars – John Green

• Hidden Figures – Margot Lee Shetterly

• Life of Pi – Yann Martel

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon

• Guards! Guards! – Terry Pratchett

• Little Bang – Kelly McCaughrain

• The Light a Candle Society – Ruth Hogan

• The Maze Runner – James Dashner

• Starseeker – Tim Bowler

Year 11

Year 11 students do not participate in the Tutor Time Reading Programme. Instead, students attend Period 0 Core Subject sessions, providing additional curriculum time and targeted support in preparation for GCSE examinations.

Students are encouraged to continue reading widely and independently through access to the school library and the Sora digital library platform.

Assessing Reading

At Oakbank School, reading development is carefully monitored throughout a student's journey with us.

We use the New Group Reading Test (NGRT) to assess students' reading ability and reading age. NGRT assessments are conducted twice each academic year, enabling us to identify students who may require additional support and to monitor the progress of all learners over time.

The information gained from NGRT assessments helps us to:

• Identify students requiring targeted reading intervention.

• Measure reading age and reading comprehension development.

• Track progress over time.

• Inform teaching and support strategies.

• Evaluate the impact of literacy interventions.

• Ensure students can access the full curriculum successfully.

NGRT assessment data is used to identify students who may benefit from targeted intervention, ensuring that support is timely, responsive and tailored to individual need.

Reading Intervention and Support

Reading is a priority at Oakbank School. Students identified through NGRT assessments, transition information or teacher referrals as requiring additional support may access targeted literacy interventions.

Read Write Inc. Fresh Start

Students requiring additional support with reading may participate in the Read Write Inc. Fresh Start programme.

This structured and evidence-informed intervention is designed specifically for older students who need support in developing reading accuracy, fluency and confidence.

The programme supports students to:

• Develop secure phonics knowledge.

• Improve reading fluency and accuracy.

• Expand vocabulary.

• Strengthen comprehension skills.

• Build confidence and independence as readers.

Progress is monitored carefully to ensure students make sustained improvements and can successfully access the wider curriculum.

Reading Beyond the Classroom

Reading extends far beyond tutor time at Oakbank School.

Students have access to our school library, which is open every lunchtime and provides a welcoming space for students to read, study and explore new texts.

The library plays a central role in promoting reading for pleasure and fostering a community of readers. Students are encouraged to discuss books, share recommendations and develop their own reading interests.

Our student Book Club meets regularly to discuss and review books, helping students to develop their critical thinking skills whilst promoting a love of reading throughout the school community.

While the Tutor Time Reading Programme develops reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, it also aims to foster genuine enjoyment of reading. Students are encouraged to explore authors, genres and texts that interest them through the school library, Book Club and Sora platform.

Sora Digital Library

Oakbank School subscribes to Sora, a digital reading platform that provides students with access to thousands of eBooks and audiobooks anytime and anywhere.

Through Sora, students can:

• Borrow eBooks and audiobooks free of charge.

• Read on a laptop, tablet or mobile device.

• Access texts both in school and at home.

• Discover new authors and genres.

• Continue their reading independently beyond the school day.

Students can access Sora using their Oakbank school credentials.

Supporting Reading at Home

Parents and carers play an important role in supporting reading development.

We encourage families to:

• Discuss books and reading experiences at home.

• Encourage regular independent reading.

• Make use of the Sora digital library platform.

• Talk about new vocabulary and ideas encountered through reading.

• Celebrate reading as a valuable lifelong skill.

Working together helps students develop positive reading habits and a lifelong appreciation of books and learning.

Literacy Across the Curriculum

At Oakbank School, we recognise that literacy is the responsibility of all staff and underpins success across every subject area.

Vocabulary development is a key priority at Oakbank School. Through Tutor Time Reading, explicit vocabulary instruction and disciplinary literacy across subjects, students are supported to understand, use and apply increasingly ambitious language in both their academic studies and everyday communication.

As part of our whole-school literacy strategy, every subject explicitly teaches key vocabulary relevant to the discipline being studied. Teachers introduce and explain key terminology, provide definitions, synonyms and contextual examples, and then reinforce understanding through choral repetition, allowing all students to hear, practise and confidently use subject-specific language.

This consistent approach helps students embed new vocabulary in their long-term memory and supports their ability to communicate effectively across the curriculum.

Impact

Through our reading strategy, students:

• Develop increased reading fluency and confidence.

• Expand their vocabulary and academic language.

• Improve their ability to access challenging curriculum texts.

• Read a broad range of literature, non-fiction and contemporary texts.

• Develop empathy, resilience and cultural understanding.

• Become increasingly independent readers.

• Build the knowledge and confidence required for success across the curriculum.

Ultimately, we aim for every student to leave Oakbank School as a confident, articulate and knowledgeable young person, equipped with the literacy skills needed for further education, employment and life beyond school.

Through reading, students develop the knowledge, vocabulary and character needed to thrive in school and beyond, living out Oakbank School values every day:

Work Hard. Be Kind.