AMBITION – CARE – COURAGE Children doing science

Curriculum

null

World Book Day 2026

null

Parent Reading Support Toolkit

null

JOG Book Bites #1 - #50

null

JOG Book Bites #51 - #103

Literacy and Communication

At John O’Gaunt, we are determined to give our students the very best education possible, via a broad and balanced curriculum, to enable them to realise their potential and take their place in a rapidly changing society.

A core focus on developing writing skills, reading for comprehension and pleasure, and oracy are vital in preparing students for the wider world of work and further study and these aspects form the bedrock of our Curriculum offer at John O’Gaunt. We want every student to gain the skills they need to lead successful and fulfilling lives, whatever their interests and whatever their starting point.

On this page you will find some resources that will help YOU to help US support your child’s literacy and communication skills.

JOG Approach to Student Literacy

JOG Approach to Student Literacy

null

Disciplinary Literacy Approach JOG

JOG Approach to Vocabulary and Spelling

null

JOG Approach to Vocabulary

null

JOG Tiered Approach to Reading

null

Vocabulary Book Mark

null

Common Spelling Errors

null

Glossary of Exam Terms

JOG Approach to Reading 

At John O’Gaunt, we value and promote reading as an essential life skill which is intrinsically linked to your child’s overall success. We test reading ages on an annual basis and communicate progress with you. Every teacher is a teacher of reading: we work to support and develop disciplinary literacy within lessons; we foster a love of reading within our tutor reading programme and dedicated library lessons. We use our state of the art library facilities to ensure student interests are catered for and horizons are broadened. 

Identification of reading need
All students are tested on entry in Year 7 using the NGRT paper based reading test. This gives us a reading age. Students are then flagged as red, amber or green and we use this to do further assessments for potential interventions linked to phonics (Fresh Start), reading fluency and comprehension (Peer Reading). We then support in school using our tiered approach to reading, in conjunction with a requirement for parental support at home where required. All years are tested annually during Term 6 as well- this is to inform interventions that will start again in Term 1 of the following year.
You will be sent a reading report informing you of your child’s reading age, with advice and guidance of what you can do to support at home as well. Here is an example of a reading report.
You will receive a ‘Reading Together’ bookmark which offers further support and guidance.
Disciplinary Reading Charters by subject:
null

Art

null

Comp Sci

null

Drama

null

DT

null

English

null

Geography

null

History

null

Maths

null

Media

null

MFL

null

Music

null

RS

null

Science

null

Sport

Reading interventions
Fresh Start Phonics
We recognise that not all students at John O’Gaunt are fluent readers. This is impacting their ability to access the curriculum. To address this clear need, we are invested in Fresh Start- a carefully levelled phonics programme that is proven to get results. Fresh Start provides intensive, targeted support to address specific gaps in student’s reading.

This intervention is for identified students only following robust assessments.  Parents will be contacted if our Fresh Start intervention will benefit their child.

 

Peer Reading Mentoring Scheme

When students have graduated from Fresh Start, or where they have not hit the threshold for this intervention but where their reading age is still significantly below their chronological age, we have our Peer Mentoring Reading Scheme. This intervention supports a range of reading needs, identified on an individual basis. They will receive support with reading stamina, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary linked to our VIPERS reading code approach as well as reciprocal reading strategies – predict, question, clarify, summarise. All peer mentors are trained and their support is used in conjunction with support at home from parents.
Parental Support with Reading
There is extensive research to suggest that parental support at home is a deciding factor in improving both reading skill and reading will and all of our contextual data also supports this. Just as children are encouraged to read every day and read out loud at primary school, it is no different at secondary school. For advice and guidance of supporting your child with reading at home, and the power of parents, please see these links:
Support from home is vital. Our parent toolkit can also help with strategies.

Tutorial Reading Programme 

We have a Tutorial Reading Programme that is underpinned by research that suggests that reading aloud high quality, engaging texts to students can support reading skill and reading will. Teachers read aloud to their Tutor Groups once a week for 20 minutes and help students with understanding and engagement via questioning linked to VIPERS (which are strategies good readers use when reading).

We use the slide below to help support Tutorial Reading and as a parent, it might help you too!
null

Tutorial Reading

Vipers

null

Vipers Reading

Poster

null

Read with TRUST

null

JOG Approach to Active Reading

The Library and Access to Books
We are lucky to get support from the Hampshire School’s Library Service who help with keeping our physical library stock up to date. Our Librarian oversees our Peer Mentoring Reading Programme, small group and 1:1 support within library lessons, key reading events such as World Book Day, and an increasing range of enrichment opportunities such as the Hampshire Book Awards.
All students have a library lesson per fortnight as part of the English curriculum and all subjects are encouraged to make use of the library on a regular basis.
Students also have access to a range of audio books that can be accessed from their MS365 home page using the Sora tile.
We are extremely proud of our library in a time in a time when many school libraries have been repurposed or closed. It is an inclusive, safe space for everyone. At lunchtime we use the library as a hub for clubs, reading and support for quiet revision. Our reading interventions also all take place in the Library.
Read Easy Adult Reading Support
If a barrier to supporting your child with reading is your own reading skill, consider accessing this support from Read Easy – a local charity which offers free, 1:1, confidential coaching and instruction.