Local news

Raynes Park High School - February 2014

Literacy

This term is a momentous one for literacy at Raynes Park High School as it heralds the official launch of the Raynes Park Magic Ten.  The Raynes Park Magic Ten is a project we are running which aims to get every student reading – at home – for ten minutes each day. 

Over the course of a fortnight, English teachers will give students a Magic Ten log in which to record their reading, including the title of the text, the pages they have read and any thoughts about their reading.  The log needs to be signed by a witness – an adult who has seen or even heard this reading happen. Indeed, listening to your child read at secondary school is just as valuable as it was at primary school. 

As well as taking pleasure in a story together, you can also talk about words and their meanings, even using a dictionary (on your phone, computer or even a good old fashioned book format!) to look up words together. In  terms of what students should be reading, the possibilities are endless. 

Of course, you can’t go wrong with a novel but students may also want to read a graphic novel, a blog or a non-fiction text, such as a biography. The act of reading for pleasure is not only enjoyable but it can improve the memory, expand your vocabulary and support the development of problem solving skills. All of this will, in turn, impact positively on students’ achievement in all subjects, not just English. We hope you will support this very important project. 

Another momentous event has occurred in the literacy team this term. We welcome Hana Abdilahi as our new higher level teaching assistant. Hana will be working with students in Years 9, 10, 11 and 12 for whom English is an additional language (EAL). Ms Abdilahi has already made an impressive start, supporting Year 11s to improve their coursework. Hana, of course, joins Anne Marie Cook, our established EAL higher level teaching assistant. Miss Cook’s impact has already been considerable so far this year. As well as being a key point of contact for all EAL students, Miss Cook’s tutor time scheme and Year 7 immersion group have fast-tacked many students’ language acquisition and achievement. 

Ms Hutchinson - English Teacher and Literacy Co-ordinator