Literacy / School Library

Reading at Halewood Academy

At Halewood Academy, we believe that reading is the gateway to the world around us and an important part of reducing stress, improving our wellbeing and an excellent form of escapism. From fiction to newspapers, audiobooks to graphic novels, we believe our students should be immersed in the array of Literature which exists in our world. Reading is still reading, no matter the format.

To support this, we believe that all of our students should read as much as possible and that includes reading at home. Students can loan books from our school library for 2 weeks before either returning or renewing their loan. We have a wide range of genres including Non-fiction, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Dystopia, Mystery, Contemporary, Middle Grade, Romance, Diversity, Horror, Manga and Graphic Novels.

Library Opening Times

If in doubt about what to read, students can speak to Miss Towers, our Reading Support Coordinator who will be happy to recommend something to suit their interests.

In addition to this, we have iPads in the library where students can access a variety of apps related to reading which gives them the opportunity to read in different formats such as eBooks and audiobooks. Here at Halewood Academy, we have invested in a Marvel Unlimited subscription which gives students access to 30,000 comics and is updated with thousands of new editions weekly. We also make use of Knowsley’s library service,Borrowbox,where we can loan ebooks and audiobooks. This app can also be accessed at home using a library card and Borrowbox login. For more information about how to do this, please visit your local library. Further to this, we have another app called Goodreads which is a database filled with information about books, reading lists, reviews and much more.

Peer Reading between KS3/KS4

A small group of Y7 children benefit from peer reading every Wednesday during form-time. They read alongside a Y10 partner who not only supports their reading but is an exceptional role model for our younger cohort. This is a similar scheme to ‘Reading Buddies’ within primary schools and is a nice transition into secondary school life and expectations. It is also our way to combat the decline in daily reading for pleasure over the last 10 years. Research from the National Literacy Trust shows that:

• Only 1 in 5 children read something daily in their spare time, which is the lowest levels since 2005.
• Children and young people who read daily had a higher average reading score than those who didn’t.

World Book Day

Every year, we celebrate World Book Day by planning different events within the library and across school. In 2024, we hosted a Carnival event that included Hook-A-Book, Limbooks, Darts for your district, Caricatures and a craft stall selling knitted booksleeves. In 2025, we created a ‘Masked Reader’ video that was shown during form time. Students had to guess which staff member was reading from a book whilst hiding their faces. Alongside this, we held a ‘Teacher Hunt’, where students had to list all of the staff members who had dressed up and collect as many as possible to win a National Book Token! Events like this create a huge buzz around reading and makes memories that our students will never forget.

Additional Library Activities

• Scholastic Book Fair every September.
• Form Time Literacy activities.
• Debate Mate enrichment programme.
• Library Lessons for KS3

R​eading at Home

Data shared from the National Literacy Trust shows that shared reading between parents or carers and their children can prove invaluable when it comes to developing both a love of reading and also improving ability.

Shared reading is proven to provide:

• A connection between parent and child from the very early days and helps build strong family ties.
• Lines from favourite stories to enter the family lexicon.
• More opportunities for discussion, developing empathy and attachment.
• The opportunity to be the best they can be: children who read for pleasure achieve in a wide range of subjects at school and it also positively impacts children’s wellbeing

Thank you for supporting and encouraging your child’s reading journey!