OUR
COMMITMENT
TO LITERACY
OUR COMMITMENT TO LITERACY
OUR
COMMITMENT
TO LITERACY
Welcome
At the heart of the school, our Learning Resources Centre, or Library, has an important role to play in developing the literacy of the whole school. I have the dual role of LRC Manager and Literacy Leader, so naturally our Library is involved in the majority of the literacy initiatives in place.
In years 7 & 8, every student has a one-hour lesson in the LRC which is split between Accelerated Reading (AR) and English. The AR programme encourages Reading for Pleasure and tracks student progress across the two years, providing valuable data for reading interventions.
We provide a wide variety of reading and literacy interventions throughout the school and aim to catch any difficulties as early as possible. In year 7, we run Lexia club, an online literacy programme that develops reading comprehension, spelling and grammar skills. Years 8 & 9 are offered small group personalised interventions. Our English team focus on the literacy skills required for GCSE in years 10-11.
Within the Library we run many special events, including author and poet visits, our World Book Week, followed quickly by the Festival of Reading. These are complemented by our termly reading promotions: Breakfast With Boys; Ladies That Lunch; and Bring Your Teacher to Breakfast. Weekly reading clubs for all abilities and interests also help to maintain the value of reading and literacy at Beauchamps High School.
Sally Perkins
Literacy Leader / LRC Manager
Meet the Team
Mrs Perkins
Mrs Butler
Book of the Month
Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann
From the blurb:
I am restless, my feet need to fly. Amber is trapped – by her father’s rules, by his expectations, by her own fears. Now she’s ready to fight – for her mother, for her sister, for herself. Freedom always comes at a price.
This verse novel was a firm favourite with the members of our Bookbusters book club, who championed it whilst shadowing the Carnegie Medal last Summer. It went on to win the Shadowers’ Choice Award, so plenty of other young people must have agreed with them.
It tells the story of Amber, a talented sprinter of South Asian heritage who must fight against the traditions of her family and community to enable her to compete for her school… and maybe her country. At times hard-hitting, but always hopeful, this is great empathy-inducing novel for teens.
What our students think:
“This book is awesome. It is based on a young Asian girl who is trapped by her father and is experiencing intense emotions. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about other cultures.” George M. yr8
“I would recommend this book because it is about a side of society that you probably don’t know much about. It’s about 500 pages, but as it’s a verse novel, that’s more like 200 pages.” Riley W. yr8
What are the students reading?
1. Crater Lake
by Jennifer Killick
2. The Crossover
by Kwame Alexander
3. The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
4. Heartstopper
by Alice Oseman
5. The Recruit
by Robert Muchamore
What are the staff reading?
Miss Hunt
The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish
Mr Bracher
The Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman
Mrs Tweedie
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Mr Tuhill
The Hollow Crown by Dan Jones
Events
Some of our favourite events in our Library have not taken place for a very long time. We are so looking forward to hosting our popular Breakfast With Boys, Bring Your Teacher to Breakfast and Ladies That Lunch events again (and update the photographs).
Links and Apps
Extra Curricular Activities
As well as a range of targeted interventions, to which specific students will be invited, we also run a range of literacy-based activities throughout the week, as shown on the LRC timetable. Please note that for lunchtime activities, students may eat their lunch in the Library.
Tuesday KS3 Lunch – Topical Talk
This is a news and current affairs discussion club. Any student in years 7-9 who is interested in what is going on in the world, should come along and join us for a lively discussion over lunch. Topics discussed recently include: do animals have feelings?; sport and mental health; vaccine passports; gaming regulations. Learn how to express your opinions, whilst listening carefully to others.
Wednesday KS3 Lunch – Manga & Anime
Join like-minded fans of this phenomenon of Japanese publishing to share your favourites, create artwork and experience other elements of Japanese culture and crafts. A very popular club, so make sure you arrive early!
Friday KS3 Lunch – Bookbusters Reading Club
Come along for a lively lunch where you will have the chance to share your favourite reads and discover new authors and titles. We take part in shadowing various book awards including The Carnegie Medal, The Information Book Award and The Royal Society Young Person’s Book Award (Science). This year we will be launching our own Beauchamps Teen Book Award, so be instrumental in starting this new venture.