Welcome to Our Reading & Literacy Portal

At Sanders Draper, we believe that reading is the single most powerful key to unlocking academic success, personal growth, and lifelong learning. Our goal is to foster a vibrant reading culture where every student leaves us as a confident, fluent, and critical reader.

Why Reading Matters: The Evidence

Reading is not just an "English" skill—it is the foundation for success in every subject across our curriculum. Research consistently demonstrates the transformative impact of regular reading:

1. Academic Success Across All Subjects (EEF Evidence)

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) highlights that reading comprehension and a strong command of academic vocabulary are essential for success across the secondary curriculum—a concept known as disciplinary literacy.

• Students face increasingly complex textbooks and exam papers in Science, History, Maths, and Geography.

• Explicit reading practice expands students’ Tier 2 (academic) and Tier 3 (subject-specific) vocabulary, enabling them to understand and answer exam questions with confidence.

2. The Power of Reading for Pleasure (DfE Evidence)

Research published by the Department for Education (DfE) and international studies (PISA / PIRLS) demonstrates that:

• Reading for pleasure is a stronger predictor of a child's educational success at age 16 than their parents' educational attainment.

• Students who read regularly for enjoyment achieve higher marks not only in English, but also in Mathematics, Science, and general problem-solving.

• Beyond academics, regular reading improves concentration, reduces stress, builds empathy, and enhances emotional well-being.

"Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child's future life chances."

— OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)

How Parents Can Support Reading at Home

Secondary school students still need encouragement and structure from home to maintain good reading habits. Here are practical ways you can support your child:

1. Establish a Daily 15-Minute Reading Routine
   Encourage your child to read for just 15–20 minutes every evening before screen time or bed. Consistency is far more effective than occasional long sessions.

2. Talk About What They Are Reading
   Ask open-ended questions about their book:

   • "What’s happened in the story so far?"

   • "Why do you think that character made that decision?"

   • "Have you learned any interesting facts today?"

3. Encourage Variety
   Reading isn't limited to fiction novels. Graphic novels, high-quality news articles, biographies, science journals, and audiobooks all count toward building strong comprehension skills.

4. Check Their Sparx Reader Homework
   Log in regularly to check your child’s weekly Sparx Reader progress and ensure they are hitting their weekly points target.

5. Be a Reading Role Model
   Let your child see you reading books, newspapers, or magazines. When young people see adults reading, they are far more likely to value reading themselves.

Recommended Reading Lists

Our English and Literacy team has curated age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction titles for each year group to inspire and challenge students.

Year 7

• Fiction:

  • Ghost by Jason Reynolds

  • A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll

  • Skellig by David Almond

  • Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

  • The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

• Non-Fiction:

  • You Are Awesome by Matthew Syed

  • Kay’s Anatomy by Adam Kay

  • Horrible Histories: The Terrible Tudors by Terry Deary

Year 8

• Fiction:

  • When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle

  • The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon

  • Now or Never: A Victoria Cross Victoria Story by Bali Rai

  • Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman

  • High Rise Mystery by Sharna Jackson

• Non-Fiction:

  • I Am Malala (Young Reader's Edition) by Malala Yousafzai

  • Black and British: A Short, Essential History by David Olusoga

  • No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg

Year 9

• Fiction:

  • The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

  • Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

  • One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

  • Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman

• Non-Fiction:

  • Becoming (Adapted for Young Readers) by Michelle Obama

  • Sapiens: A Graphic History by Yuval Noah Harari

  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

Key Stage 4 (Years 10 & 11)

• Fiction:

  • 1984 by George Orwell

  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

  • Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

  • Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

  • The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

• Non-Fiction:

  • Prisoners of Geography (Youth Edition) by Tim Marshall

  • Factfulness by Hans Rosling

  • Educated by Tara Westover

  • Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

Sparx Reader: How We Track & Boost Reading Ages

At Sanders Draper, all Key Stage 3 students use Sparx Reader, an intelligent online platform designed to build reading stamina, improve comprehension, and raise reading ages.

How Sparx Reader Works

1. Initial Adaptive Reading Assessment
   When students first log in, they complete an adaptive assessment that accurately identifies their current reading level and reading speed.

2. Personalised Book Choices
   Sparx Reader recommends e-books precisely matched to the student's reading ability—ensuring texts are challenging enough to make progress without being so difficult that they cause frustration.

3. Active Comprehension Checks
   As students read through their chosen book, Sparx breaks the text into manageable chunks. Periodically, short, low-stakes comprehension questions pop up. These ensure the student is actively reading and understanding the text rather than skimming.

4. Earning Sparx Reader Points (SRP)
   Students earn points based on the time spent reading carefully and answering questions correctly. Homework is set weekly, with a standard target of 200 Sparx Reader Points (approx. 30 minutes of careful reading per week).

How Sparx Reader Improves Reading Ages

• Continuous Tracking: The system constantly re-evaluates reading speed and accuracy, adjusting text difficulty as a student's skills grow.

• Targeted Interventions: Teachers receive real-time data on reading habits, allowing us to quickly identify students who need additional support or higher-level challenges.

• Measurable Progress: By ensuring students read regularly at their specific "instructional zone," Sparx Reader helps students accelerate their reading ages by months—and often years—over the course of an academic year.

Recommended Reading for Parents & Carers

Supporting a secondary school student through their teenage years brings unique rewards and challenges. To help you navigate topics such as adolescent brain development, building resilience, digital wellness, and supporting learning at home, our team recommends the following insightful reads for parents and carers:

1. Understanding the Teenage Brain & Adolescent Development

• Blame My Brain: The Amazing Teenage Brain Revealed by Nicola Morgan
  A highly accessible, engaging guide that demystifies adolescent brain development, explaining why teens experience sudden shifts in mood, motivation, sleep, and executive functioning.

• The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide by Frances E. Jensen
  Written by a neuroscientist and mother, this book translates complex brain science into practical strategies for helping adolescents make wise decisions and build effective learning habits.

• Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegel
  Explores how understanding the changes in a young person's brain can turn family friction into opportunities for connection and mutual empathy.

2. Building Resilience, Mindset & Academic Success

• The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed by Jessica Lahey
  An essential read for parents looking to foster intrinsic motivation, independence, and problem-solving skills when homework and school pressures feel overwhelming.

• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
  Examines how encouraging a "growth mindset" empowers children to embrace academic challenges rather than fear making mistakes.

• Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice by Matthew Syed
  A compelling look at how deliberate practice, mindset, and environment shape high performance—great for inspiring conversations with your child about learning.

3. Screen Time, Focus & Reading Habits in the Digital Age

• The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
  An eye-opening analysis of how smartphones, social media, and screen culture have impacted attention spans, sleep, and mental health—offering practical steps for restoring focus and reading habits at home.

• Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention by Johann Hari
  Explores why deep reading and sustained focus have become increasingly difficult for both adults and young people, offering actionable ideas for reclaiming concentration.

• The Tech Diet for Your Child & Teen by Brad Marshall
  Provides a clear, practical framework to help families establish healthy boundaries around gaming, social media, and homework screen time without unnecessary conflict.