Important notice:Congratulations to our new Year 7 cohort in securing your place for September 2026. We look forward to welcoming you. Please email rhian.speight@elawnswood.co.uk to accept your place as soon as possible.
Embed confidence; fuel ambition.
View navigation
The Curriculum
At Lawnswood School, we believe that strong reading, literacy and communication skills are the foundation for success at school and beyond. They open doors to future education, employment and lifelong opportunities, while also developing confidence, wellbeing and cultural understanding. Every student deserves to become a fluent, confident reader who can think critically, communicate effectively and enjoy reading for pleasure.
Developing literacy is a whole-school responsibility. Through our WORDS Strategy, every subject contributes to improving students' reading, vocabulary, writing and spoken communication. Whether students are analysing historical sources, interpreting scientific texts or discussing ideas in English, they are continually developing the literacy skills needed to succeed across the curriculum.
Reading is at the heart of our approach. Students take part in regular tutor reading sessions, exploring a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and current affairs. These carefully selected texts expose students to new ideas, perspectives and vocabulary, while encouraging them to discover books they may not otherwise choose. Year 7 students also enjoy dedicated library lessons where they can read for pleasure, explore new authors and develop positive reading habits. Our library is open before school, at break, lunchtime and after school, providing a welcoming space for reading, study and independent learning.
A rich vocabulary is essential for academic success. Across every subject, teachers explicitly teach ambitious subject-specific vocabulary, using evidence-informed approaches such as Frayer models and exploring the origins of words to deepen understanding. Students are encouraged to communicate using subject-specific language and are supported to speak like a subject expert.
Our curriculum is carefully designed to embed literacy throughout every subject. Challenging reading materials, retrieval activities, structured writing support through our TOWER model and regular opportunities for discussion ensure that students continually develop the reading, writing and communication skills needed for academic success. Alongside this, assemblies, classroom displays and tutor activities promote the wider benefits of reading, including improved mental wellbeing, empathy and cultural awareness.
Reading extends well beyond the classroom. Throughout the year students enjoy a wide range of enrichment opportunities, including World Book Week, author and poet visits, theatre performances, creative writing activities, reading and writing clubs, Non-Fiction November and National Poetry Day. One of the highlights of the year is our Community Read, where every student in Years 7–10 shares in a reading of the same novel, and each lesson begins with the next chapter. This creates a wonderful community-based reading experience across the whole school and encourages meaningful discussion between students and staff.
We recognise that every student is unique. Reading ability is assessed regularly using the New Group Reading Test (NGRT), allowing us to identify students who would benefit from additional support. Targeted interventions include reciprocal reading, paired reading with sixth form students, phonics programmes, dyslexia support and specialist provision for students learning English as an additional language. Progress is carefully monitored so that every student receives the support they need to become a successful reader.
Our commitment to reading and literacy is reflected in the excellent progress our students make throughout their time at Lawnswood. More importantly, we aim to foster a lifelong love of reading that equips every young person with the confidence, curiosity and communication skills to thrive in school and beyond.
Each year all students also engage in the Community Read. We choose a book and every lesson for a week starts with a chapter from the same book. It is a wonderful journey to witness a whole school work through a story together. Over the last three years we have read:
