Literacy Strategy

“A book is a dream that you hold in your hands.” – Neil Gaiman 

Following a complete redesign and refurbishment, our pupils have access to a modern, bright and welcoming learning environment.  The Library is an inspirational room that not only encourages pupils to pick up a book and read, but also features a spacious ICT zone and study area.  The clusters of comfortable soft seating create a relaxed environment for pupils to sit quietly and read, which is also the perfect setting for our pupils in Year 7, 8 and 9 who take part in the Accelerated Reader programme. 

The library is extremely popular and is open to pupils at break, lunch and after school.  There are shelving areas dedicated to the theme of the month, health and wellbeing and careers.  We are proud to stock a generous selection of books aimed at meeting various needs, such as Hi-Lo titles to engage struggling readers and dyslexia friendly titles.  We always endeavour to fulfil pupil requests and have recently invested in a new magazine shelf stocked with a wide range of popular magazines to help pupils embrace reading for pleasure. 

‘The library has a great selection of books, it is calm and the Librarian is kind.’ James, Year 10
‘The library is a lovely place to relax, read and unwind.’ Euan, Year 9
‘The library isn’t just a room full of books, it’s a safe space.’ Shelby-Jayne, Year 8 

Holy Cross helps to support our new Year 7 starters to embrace reading for pleasure by taking part in the Bookbuzz reading programme.  All Year 7 pupils are able to choose a free book in September to help start them on their reading journey.  We think this is a great way to inspire a love of reading. 

At Holy Cross we celebrate our love of reading with various events that pupils can participate in throughout the year: 

• Scholastic Book Fairs hosted twice yearly. 

• We celebrate World Book Day with a range of whole school activities and competitions for all pupils to get involved with. 

• We host visits from popular authors which feature talks, creative workshops and Q and A sessions. 

We always welcome pupils who want to help in the library.  There are currently 18 pupil librarians who have taken on a duty at lunch times to provide support and to learn the roles and responsibilities involved in running an efficient library.  These experiences help pupils to develop lifelong skills; such as communication, organisation and ICT skills. 

Within these lessons, pupils read independently or as a class and complete Accelerated Reader quizzes to monitor their engagement and understanding of the texts they have read. Pupils engage enthusiastically with the programme and are routinely rewarded for their engaged time and quizzes that have been passed; pupils can choose stationery, books and magazines as a reward for their efforts. Pupils who read one million words are awarded ‘Word Millionaire’ status with pupils often reading millions of words in a year. Word Millionaires receive a badge to recognise their dedication and engagement alongside a book – they also participate in a rewards afternoon in the summer where a book to screen movie adaptation is screened complete popcorn and cinema snacks. 

Word Millionaires:

Oracy is also prioritised throughout school where pupils are coached to read with the correct tone, intonation and flair. Many pupils also engage with public speaking and debate competitions throughout the year. Our debating club is a hive of intellectual conversation and challenging rebuttals related to engaging topics which the pupils select.  

Oracy in Action 

Enrichment opportunities are embedded across KS3 and KS4 under the leadership of our Oracy Co-ordinator, Miss Cowgill.  A plethora of competitive and non-competitive opportunities encompassing interdisciplinary learning develops oracy skills including: 

• The English Speaking Union’s Mace Debating Competition 
• The English Speaking Union’s Performing Shakespeare Competition (successfully proceeded to the regional final in 2026)
• Year 9 public speaking workshop led by The English Speaking Union in advance of the GCSE English Language Spoken English endorsement  
• A regular debate club 
• Interview preparation for KS4 pupils applying for work related learning courses at Preston College 
• Lancashire County Council’s The Great Lancashire Debate (runners up in the 2026 final and recipient of the ‘Best Speaker’ award in 2026) 
• Archdiocese of Liverpool Public Speaking Competitions 
• COP 30 and COP 31 Mock Student Events at Liverpool World Centre 
• Parallel Histories Debating Conference  
• Informal debate practice with other local schools 

Foundational Knowledge

Pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 complete Bedrock Vocabulary as part of their English study. This is also set as weekly homework. Bedrock Vocabulary supports development of pupils’ tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary. Rewards are given for the highest number of points achieved on a weekly and termly basis.  

Before pupils begin their time at Holy Cross in Year 7, they are provided with a copy of Gill Lewis’ novel Sky Hawk alongside a work booklet and competition. Our feeder primary schools also receive a unit of work related to the novel that can be delivered in the summer term to support pupils’ independent reading. 

The transition project bridges the gap between primary and secondary English lessons by focusing on reading comprehension, analytical writing and transactional writing. Within Year 7 English lessons, the first unit of work then builds on this learning to strengthen pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the text. Pupils’ work based on Sky Hawk culminates with a well-established day of interdisciplinary learning linked to the novel. We are fortunate to host Gill Lewis each year for an author talk and creative writing workshop. A range of curriculum areas also deliver lessons based on key themes and ideas in the novel: 

• English: descriptive writing
• Geography: osprey habitats (The Gambia and Scotland) 
• Maths: estimating wingspan, reading a table on migration and drawing a graph 
• Food and Nutrition: baking Sky Hawk biscuits 
• Science: adaptations of birds (Darwinism) 
• Art: colour and shading 
• Product Design: designing and creating a keyring 
• RE: human dignity – identifying people’s ‘true colours’ 
• French: Le secret d’Iona’ 
• PE: orienteering 
• Drama: physical theatre 

The Patricia Evans Spelling Bee invites Year 5 pupils from our feeder primary schools to take part in a spelling bee competition. The competition was founded in 2018 to acknowledge Mrs Patricia Evans who retired after 39 years of dedicated service as an English teacher and Head of Year.  

Previous winners have been: