Literacy

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Literacy at Whitstone

At Whitstone School, literacy is at the heart of everything we do. We believe all students should leave Whitstone as fluent readers, confident writers and articulate speakers. Literacy underpins learning across all subjects and equips students with the skills to succeed academically, socially and in later life.

We are committed to ensuring that no student leaves Whitstone with a reading age below their chronological age and that literacy is never a barrier to achievement. Our approach is guided by the Education Endowment Foundation’s evidence-based recommendations and supported through high-quality teaching, consistent classroom practice and ongoing staff training.

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has identified seven key recommendations for improving literacy, which guide our work:

  1. Prioritise literacy across the curriculum – all subjects contribute to developing reading, writing and communication.
  2. Provide targeted vocabulary instruction in every subject.
  3. Develop students’ ability to read complex academic texts through modelling and supported practice.
  4. Break down complex writing tasks into manageable steps.
  5. Combine writing instruction with reading across subjects.
  6. Provide opportunities for structured talk to build confidence and communication skills.
  7. Provide high-quality literacy interventions for students who are struggling.

These recommendations ensure literacy teaching is coherent, research-informed and effective across all areas of school life.

Staff Training

To ensure consistent, high-quality literacy teaching, all Whitstone staff receive ongoing professional development in:

  • Effective literacy strategies across all subjects
  • Explicit teaching of vocabulary and academic language
  • Supporting reading comprehension and complex texts
  • Scaffolding writing and structured talk
  • Using assessment to inform targeted literacy support

This training ensures that literacy is championed by every teacher and embedded throughout the school day, creating a coherent, research-informed literacy culture.