Reading
At Wilson’s, reading is regarded as central to academic excellence, intellectual curiosity and personal development. Pupils arrive as strong, committed readers, and the school builds on this foundation through a carefully planned approach.
A structured and long-standing programme spanning Years 7 to 13 fosters a strong culture of reading. In Key Stage 3, the English Department delivers a curated reading programme, monitored by class teachers, which ensures that all pupils engage regularly with a broad range of high-quality texts. This establishes strong habits of reading and discussion early in pupils’ time at the school and extends beyond the curriculum itself.
At Key Stage 4, reading is further developed through the Elizabethan Reading Programme, which offers pupils access to a wide range of texts beyond the examined curriculum and encourages continued reading for both interest and enrichment.
At Key Stage 5, a rich super-curricular offer, curated by individual departments, supports pupils in developing sophisticated disciplinary knowledge through reading, preparing them for higher education and future ambitions.
Across the school, pupils are supported to engage critically with a range of texts and sources, including through opportunities within the Global Politics enrichment curriculum, where they develop research and referencing skills and engage with contemporary issues.
Building Strong Reading Habits
Developing strong readers is rooted in consistent, well-established habits. At Key Stage 3, all pupils have a reading book, enabling regular reading during form time. This sits within a carefully designed reading programme, overseen by the English Department, which ensures that pupils are exposed to a broad range of high-quality and appropriately challenging texts. Reading habits are reinforced by form tutors, English teachers and the Librarian, who guide pupils in their choices.
Wilson’s Reading Together
Wilson’s Reading Together is a whole-school initiative that promotes reading as a shared, everyday habit. Each week, pupils engage with a short story during tutor time.
Texts are carefully selected to expose pupils to a wide range of themes, perspectives and styles. Recordings by staff from across the school model reading for pleasure and reinforce the importance of reading within the Wilson’s community.
Access to High-Quality Reading
Library
The Library sits at the centre of reading at Wilson’s, offering a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and academic texts. Supported by the Librarian, pupils are guided towards ambitious and engaging reading, while the space itself provides a calm environment for independent study and reflection.
Digital Resources
All pupils have access to Sora, providing e-books, audiobooks and The Week. In addition, The Day supports engagement with current affairs. These resources strengthen media literacy and support pupils in evaluating information critically.
Reading as Enrichment
The Elizabethan Programme provides pupils with access to a curated range of influential texts beyond the core curriculum. These works introduce key ideas across disciplines, encouraging discussion, critical thinking and intellectual curiosity.
Reading Across the Curriculum
Reading is embedded across all subjects and underpins disciplinary understanding.
- In Global Politics, pupils engage with articles and media sources, developing political literacy and research skills.
- In the Humanities, pupils analyse sources to evaluate evidence and construct arguments.
- In Science and Mathematics, pupils develop fluency with technical and disciplinary language.
Across the curriculum, pupils are expected to read critically, assess reliability and form evidence-based conclusions.