Literacy and Oracy
Literacy is the foundation of lifelong learning, personal development, and active participation in society.
At Hayle Academy, we are proud to be a reading school, where reading is at the heart of everything we do. Our ambition is for every student to become a confident, fluent reader for life who reads for both pleasure and learning.
By the time students leave Hayle Academy, they will:
- Confidently articulate and discuss a wide range of authors, genres, and complex ideas found within both fiction and non-fiction texts.
- Be exposed to the literary canon, enriching their cultural and intellectual understanding.
- Have embedded lifelong reading habits, ensuring that reading remains a source of enjoyment, growth, and curiosity throughout their lives.
- Write with clarity, creativity, and precision, demonstrating the ability to craft well-structured, purposeful texts across a range of genres and for different audiences.
- Communicate effectively through spoken language, engaging in thoughtful dialogue, presenting ideas persuasively, and listening actively to others.
- Possess the intellectual and interpersonal tools to express themselves confidently, challenge ideas respectfully, and collaborate successfully in diverse contexts—skills that prepare them for further education, employment, and active citizenship.
Reading in Practice
- Key Stage 3: Students read together three times a week during Canon sessions.
- Key Stage 4: Students read twice a week, continuing to build strong habits and a love of reading.
During these sessions, form tutors model excellent reading behaviours and fluency, and students engage with high-quality texts that inspire, challenge, and broaden horizons. Our chosen texts are carefully selected to reflect diverse voices, rich themes, and powerful stories that build cultural capital and connect to our House values: positivity, resilience, kindness, and respect. Through these texts, students develop empathy, critical thinking, and an appreciation of different perspectives.
Disciplinary Reading: ‘Read to Learn’
At Hayle Academy, we recognise that reading is not confined to English lessons—it is fundamental to success across the curriculum. Our Read to Learn approach draws on evidence-based research from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), including our two-year involvement in the EEF Reading in Geography Project. This work has strengthened our practice in disciplinary literacy, ensuring that students develop the skills to read like subject specialists.
Through this approach:
- Students learn strategies to tackle complex texts in every subject, supporting comprehension and critical engagement.
- We explicitly teach Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary, enabling students to access academic language and deepen subject knowledge.
- Each subject sets clear reading goals, helping students understand how reading underpins progress in that discipline.
By embedding disciplinary reading, we empower students to navigate challenging material, build confidence, and achieve success in all areas of learning.
Beyond the Classroom
We encourage daily independent reading through home learning, fostering a lifelong love of books, improving vocabulary, and deepening understanding of the world. Students choose their own texts and record progress in an online reading log, accessed via a simple QR code. Form tutors monitor these logs during Canon sessions to track habits and celebrate progress, making reading a consistent and enjoyable part of daily life.
For those who need additional support, we offer a tiered programme of interventions tailored to individual needs:
- Read Write Inc. Phonics: Builds decoding skills, strengthens spelling, and lays the foundations of reading.
- Lexia PowerUp Literacy: An adaptive, iPad-based programme that closes gaps in comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary through personalised pathways.
- Paired Reading: Peer-to-peer reading that promotes fluency, expression, and confidence through collaboration.
Together, these programmes ensure every student receives the right level of support—whether consolidating phonics, strengthening comprehension, or developing fluency through shared reading. By combining teacher expertise with peer encouragement, we create a nurturing environment where all students grow into confident, independent readers.
Our Library: The Heart of Our School
Our vibrant, well-resourced, and creative library sits at the very heart of Hayle Academy, following its relocation two years ago. It is a space enjoyed by students every day—a hub for reading, research, and imagination. The library offers themed activities, curated collections, and a welcoming environment that celebrates the joy of reading.
Students also benefit from school-provided one-to-one devices, giving them access to BorrowBox, the Cornwall County Library system for e-books and audiobooks. This ensures that reading opportunities extend beyond the physical shelves, making literature accessible anytime, anywhere.
Our Commitment to Oracy
At Hayle Academy, we believe spoken language is as vital as written language for success in school and beyond. Strong oracy skills enable students to express themselves confidently, listen actively, and engage thoughtfully in discussion. Language is integral to learning: students need these skills to access the cognitive demands of all subjects and wider life. Competent communication underpins identity, belonging, and effective learning.
Alongside fostering a love of reading, we prioritise equipping students with the intellectual and interpersonal tools to navigate adult life with confidence, establish the foundations of future success, and ‘disagree agreeably’ in diverse social environments.
We embed oracy through structured strategies, including:
- Talk Buddy – paired discussion to share ideas
- Think, Pair, Share – promoting reflection and collaborative thinking
- Say It Again, Better – refining responses for clarity and precision
- ABC Discussion – using Agree, Build, Challenge to deepen dialogue and critical thinking
These approaches are informed by rigorous training and DfE guidance, led by our Oracy and Writing Lead, ensuring practice is research-based and impactful. By prioritising oracy, we empower students to communicate effectively, build resilience, and respect diverse viewpoints – skills that align with our house values and prepare them for life beyond school.
Targeted Support for Literacy
For students requiring additional support, we provide a tiered programme of targeted interventions and robust access arrangements to ensure equity and inclusion. Alongside reading interventions, we are introducing a Handwriting Programme for those who need it most, helping learners develop legibility, fluency, and confidence. Mrs Skidmore, our Specialist Literacy Tutor and Dyslexia Champion, delivers targeted support for students with dyslexia, complemented by accessibility tools on student devices that allow adjustments to fonts, backgrounds, and other settings – removing any barriers and promoting independence.
Exciting Development
We are delighted to have been selected by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) for their Writing in Science Programme, starting with Year 8 scientists. This initiative strengthens disciplinary literacy and supports precise, high-quality writing across the curriculum.
At Hayle Academy, we put reading for pleasure at the heart of our school and we are delighted to announce that we have the author Alexandra Beaumont joining us and representing our school as our very own Patron of Reading. We feel so privileged to have this incredible opportunity and special link with Alexandra, particularly because her most recent novel ‘Dissonance of Bird Song’ is set in beautiful Cornwall, where her writing style meets both Cornish myths and folklore. We look forward to Alexandra visiting Hayle Academy and working closely with us as a school.
