The Library, Reading and Literacy

“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratization, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity…Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.”
Kofi Annan

Fundamental to every student’s future success is the acquisition of effective literacy skills. This belief underpins the development of literacy at The Crypt School.  By focusing on the subject specific literacy skills needed to succeed, students are able to access and comprehend all parts of the curriculum. This disciplinary literacy also ensures that our students are able to articulate their understanding using communication methods appropriate to each subject.  Consequently, our students are fully prepared for the challenges of higher education and employment in their futures.

Literacy encompasses reading, writing, speaking, listening and vocabulary development across the curriculum. How we read, write or speak in science compared to history compared to French is very different. Therefore, we aim to equip students with the knowledge and skills to flourish in each academic area.  Recent foci have included the promotion of challenging fiction and non-fiction texts in lessons, the compilation of subject-specific key word lists (in conjunction with SEND priorities) and improving the quality of independent writing with an emphasis on sentence construction.

Reading is such a vital tool for learning that students in years 7 and 8 benefit from a dedicated reading lesson.  With access to a huge variety of books, either paper back or via our e-book site, students can self-select books of interest to keep them progressing. 

Elsewhere in the curriculum, students are introduced to a range of texts appropriate for each subject area and are shown the strategies needed to unlock those texts. This may include exploring the origins and structures of specialist, academic vocabulary; identifying the type of text; predicting the content of a text; clarifying its meaning or summarising the content after close reading. Students are encouraged to read aloud in lessons in order to develop their fluency when reading.

Oracy has been a key focus for a number of years with students frequently participating in discussions within lessons in order to practise articulating their ideas prior to completing written work.High expectations are set with academic language being used and responses being phrased in full sentences. Delivering extended contributions is also encouraged as part of the whole school curriculum and students construct speeches and presentations regularly as part of their studies.

Literacy is also being developed through the morning tutor sessions. Activities have enabled students to expand their vocabulary through exposure to new words as well as exploring associated words. Regular tutor reading has recently been introduced across Years 7 and 8. The texts are read with students so that they can discuss the language used and the issues raised whilst building enjoyment and reading for pleasure. Year 9 have dedicated reading time allocated as part of the tutorial programme - again, to promote reading for enjoyment. Year 10 are currently embarking on a programme looking at Literacy in Life and how literacy skills are an essential part of their career pathway.

Students are also encouraged to develop their literacy through our merit system in which they can earn specific merits for demonstrating good literacy.

Literacy Interventions

We offer additional support to students to help them improve their literacy in Y7, Y8 and Y9.  The need of the individual determines the type of support they receive, but would usually include punctuation, grammar and other writing skills.

Academic Reading Lists

In order to support students' reading skills and their wider academic studies, each subject area has compiled a list of texts related to the curriculum for each key stage. Some of these books will be introduced in lessons whilst others provide an opportunity for students to explore a particular topic in greater depth. Students are encouraged to read texts from a couple of subjects each year. For each subject page, there is also an indication of whether the books are available to borrow from the relevant department.

• Key Stage 3
• Key Stage 4
• Key Stage 5

“Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the work and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life”
Sidney Sheldon (1917-2997 American writer & producer)

We understand the benefits of regular reading for pleasure and how this contributes to literacy, bringing the benefits of increased academic achievement, job choice and satisfaction, positive professional and personal relationships, and better health and happiness. We provide a wide range of fiction suitable for the whole student body, and an increasing number of non-fiction texts to support wider reading for our GCSE and A Level English Language groups.

We have been having a major move around with our libraries. The balcony is now the Sixth Form library for year 12 to 13. Our second library is at the end of the English corridor for year 7 to 11, which has a wide choice of genres and non-fiction for our students.

“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955 Theoretical Physicist)

We are continuously looking to invest in contemporary fiction, and there is a collection of new African-American, African-British and Asian-British literature.

We have an Amazon Wish List which is regularly updated with books we are looking for in the main library and if you have one of these books collecting dust, we would love to give it a new home, or if you would like to buy a book in honour of someone special in your life, we have bookplates to make sure their name is immortalised in The Crypt School library. We are very grateful for the contributions we have already received this year -so thank you.

However, our library is far more than a collection of books. Many events are held in the library to encourage reading and other literacy activities. These include author visits for World Book Day in March; Read Aloud Day in February; Storytelling Week, when pupils share their own work. Throughout the school year quizzes and themed events are held both fiction and non-fiction themed including Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, Science and Languages. All students receive merits for taking part. On Fridays we hold a games lunchtime for students to play card games like UNO and board games like chess.

The library also links to many events celebrated across the entire school such as Black History Month to promote ethnic writers and protagonists; National Women’s Day to promote women’s writers and protagonists, and LGBTQ+ and Pride month in June. We also take part in the YEARLY Yoto Carnegie book awards. Every week we have a ‘Word of the Week’ which challenges the students to use the word in a piece of work and show The library also offers many students a “safe space” when they’re outside lessons, with some choosing to come and read quietly at lunchtime or in our afterschool homework club. The library provides leadership opportunities for students so they can learn library skills and work with our librarian to ensure the smooth running of the facility. For some this can contribute towards their Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Library/Balcony Opening Times

We have a self-issue system for students which is used when the librarian is not available in the sixth form library.

Both libraries are open from every Breaktime and Lunchtime Monday to Friday.

As John Lubbock, archivist, and author, said, “We can sit in a library and yet be in all quarters of the earth.”