English is one of our school specialisms, and literacy is a skill that supports everything else we do, both within school and beyond. So we have created a culture that encourages and celebrates reading for pleasure, and brings our students together to share and enjoy a wide range of books.
Underpinning this culture is a literacy strategy aimed at giving our students confidence and fluency with reading, as well as opening their minds, broadening their horizons and boosting their empathy and resilience. This begins before they join us, with a Year 6 transition project, and continues throughout their time at school.
We have a well-stocked library, headed by a librarian, at both Upper School and Lower School. If you would like to contact them, please email [email protected]
The Phantom Tollbooth
Our Year 6 literacy project, based on The Phantom Tollbooth, is a key part of our transition programme.
Working with a number of core local primaries, Archer teachers and students deliver workshops and materials to Year 6s, to support the reading of this classic text.
We then study the book in more depth in English lessons at the beginning of Year 7, to help our new students get off to a flying start.
The Archer Bookcase
All Archer Academy students are supported to read and own a range of books during their time with us. Our aim is to help them build their own bookcase of stories and non-fiction, to enrich their lives, spark their imagination and inspire a life-long love of reading.
In addition to their term-time reading, each year group is assigned a book to read during the summer holidays. Here are some of the books our students read over the summer.
Pastoral Reading
During morning tutor group time, Archer Academy students enjoy reading books together. The purpose is to create an enjoyable shared experience and a culture of reading for pleasure. Form tutors stimulate discussion to support the students’ understanding of the narrative and explore key themes, concepts, and links to contemporary news stories. Here are some of the books that students read during their pastoral reading sessions in tutor time:
