Literacy Across the Curriculum: Staff Strengthen Skills Through Research‑Led Training

This week, our Deputy Headteacher (Quality of Education Lead) delivered an engaging whole‑staff CPD session focused on Literacy Across the Curriculum. The training supported staff to further strengthen how we pitch literacy in every subject, ensuring learning is both accessible and challenging for all our pupils.

The session explored practical strategies for adapting reading and writing demands so that all students, regardless of starting points, can access lesson content confidently. Staff revisited how to use reading ages effectively when planning and were introduced to new approaches for scaffolding vocabulary and independent reading.

Our training was firmly grounded in research, including:

• Ohio State University studies demonstrating the long term power of reading in shaping vocabulary growth, academic achievement and life chances.
• Nelson Cowan’s work on working memory and chunking, highlighting why breaking information into small, meaningful steps helps learners remember more and become more successful.
• Insights from the National Literacy Trust on how strong literacy skills significantly increase opportunities for young people—socially, academically and in future employment.

To bring the research to life, staff took part in a series of fun quizzes and memory challenges designed to model how pupils experience learning in the classroom. These activities helped consolidate key messages on chunking information, teaching vocabulary systematically, and making reading a shared responsibility in every subject area.

We are excited to see our staff team applying this training across the curriculum. By combining high quality teaching with a clear understanding of pupils’ reading ages, we will continue to strengthen our whole school literacy offer and enhance the learning experience for all our young people.