Literacy

At Belfast Boys’ Model School, we believe that pupils’ literacy skills are the key to educational progress, to social integration and to personal development and happiness.  

 Why are literacy skills so important? 

The Facts 

• 10-16 year olds who read for pleasure, do better at school  

• Parents are the most important reading role models for children and young people.  

• Having books in the home is associated with both reading enjoyment and confidence. 

• Children who read books often at age 10 and more than once a week at age 16 gain higher results in maths, vocabulary and spelling tests at age 16 than those who read less regularly (Reading Agency)

 Literacy Support 

Literacy support targets the pupils who are struggling with their reading and writing skills. 

Our Literacy Intervention has a focus on reading and vocabulary. Pupils are identified for literacy support through testing. Pupils attend a withdrawal support session, once a week for 6-8 weeks.  

The aim is to improve the pupils’ knowledge of words (prefixes, suffixes, root words) and in doing so, improve their understanding and broaden their vocabulary.  

Reading 

Research shows that reading for pleasure can promote better health and wellbeing, aids in building social connections and relationships with others and is associated with a range of factors that help increase the chances of social mobility. 

Reading for pleasure can help not only with academic progress, but also mental health. It can lead to higher levels of self-esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations. 

Numeracy