Reading Curriculum at CHS

Reading is a core skill for educational progress. It is not limited by subject area. It is a life skill we all must nurture, as we work as a school to create students who are global citizens, ready to face the challenges of the modern world. Students are encouraged to read for pleasure and as an academic discipline which will support and further their educational chances.

All students will read in all subject areas, from both fiction and non fiction sources as part of the formal curriculum. They are also taught the specific reading skills needed to support each specific subject.

As of January 2024, CHS uses ‘Sparx Reader’ as its reading development programme for students and we are currently phasing out the use of the Accelerated Reader platform. 

Both Sparx Reader and Accelerated Reader can be accessed via the ‘quick links’ section in the top right hand corner of the main school website.

Students access Sparx using their School Google Log in & Password and can find the log-in page here.

They complete an ‘onboarding’ test which assesses individual reading age and also strategically limits the books offered to an appropriate selection. Students then read a text online, accruing comprehension points as they read, or more fluent readers may read a book of choice and log the time spent reading to earn their points.

KS3 Students have a fortnightly reading lesson where they undertake reading as a ‘deliberate practice’ using the Sparx platform. During this lesson, students examine the skills involved in becoming a fluent and capable reader and individual reading needs are addressed and supported.

All KS3 students will use Sparx Reader to track and improve reading progress. This will be used during a weekly English lesson based in the Library and as a fortnightly homework task to be completed at home, where they must achieve at least 300 SRP.

Students collect Sparx Reader Points (SRP) as they read successfully. Frequency and fluency of reading are awarded with higher points. Students can then exchange these points for rewards based on the tariff below.

Reading Intervention Groups are supported by a staff member and run during the tutor time slot for targeted individuals based on need and/or lack of engagement with the Sparx Reader platform and timetabled slots are offered by our SEN department, where Read, Write INC. (Phonics) is taught to those with the appropriate level of need, based on standardised testing at the start and end of each academic year.

Students also spend time reading during tutor time twice each week. In Year 7 and 8 Tutors are provided with a class set of half termly ‘quick reads’, all of which are dyslexia friendly and linked to the wider PSHRE Curriculum. (some examples are shown below)

Year 9 and 10 make use of ‘The Day’ twice a week, during tutor time. This offers them topical non fiction sources to discuss, often drawn from the current news media.Parents are also able to access ‘The Day’ for free. (Linked below)

Chichester High School has a reading culture which is continually growing. Reading statistics over recent years show that the majority of our students make reading progress in line with or above their chronological age.Our student body also performs well as readers within the TKAT family of schools, with statistics showing high levels of engagement and understanding with reading tasks. 

Students enjoy the opportunity to use the library space to read at break or lunchtimes and are offered a range of trips and visits linked to reading throughout the academic year.

Recent Visiting Authors include Paul Dowswell, Alex Wheatle, Nicola Garrard and Joseph Eliott.

We also offer a yearly trip to The British Library for Year 7 and 8, to attend a writing workshop and visit the rare texts and antiquities gallery.