Develop students’ skills and enjoyment of reading to support academic progress, well-being and social mobility with our secondary school conference in Greater Manchester. Hear from leading professionals in their field about supporting the learning of children from all backgrounds.
Conference details
- 9.30am - 3.30pm, Thursday 30 June 2022
- In person at Buile Hill Park Hall, Salford, Greater Manchester
Book now with our early-bird ticket price: £70. Full-price tickets: £100
Who should attend?
Our secondary school conference is open to all leaders and practitioners based in secondary schools across the UK.
The conference will:
- Focus on how developing reading skills within all areas of the curriculum can drive academic achievement, support well-being and promote social mobility
- Explore how reading skills support access to the curriculum, particularly for disadvantaged students
- Provide an opportunity to learn from a range of academics, practitioners and writers
Keynotes
Every teacher is a teacher of reading
Sarah Green, National Literacy Content Manager, Education Endowment Foundation
This session will explore some of the common barriers faced by literacy leaders when developing disciplinary reading across departments, and how they can ensure all pupils are supported to read complex, academic texts with motivation, fluency and good comprehension.
Understanding narratives in the wider curriculum
Jeffrey Boakye, Author and Educator
This keynote will explore how a nuanced understanding of narrative can act as an intervention towards helping develop empathy towards marginalised groups. It will also consider how educators can place themselves within wider historical narratives, with a focus on the potential for different subject specialisms to address emerging themes.
Guest speakers
Reading and social mobility: Insights from Stories of Care
Oliver Sykes, Lead Artist at Stories of Care, Libby Hall, writer
Stories of Care is a Manchester-based outreach programme dedicated to working with aspiring writers from low income, care-experienced and non-traditional families. Stories of Care Lead Artist, Oliver Sykes and aspiring writer and Stories of Care participant Libby Hall will give an interactive insight into how to show not-yet-reached readers the route to reading.
Inventive Reading through Sound
Trevor Cox, Professor of Acoustic Engineering, University of Salford. He will be joined by poet, writer, teacher and contributor to the Inventive Podcast, Tania Hershman.
Professor Cox will explore the use of podcasts to engage students through multimodal reading and how the Inventive Podcast mixes non-fiction and fiction to tell stories about engineering.
Workshops
A community-based approach to reading
National Literacy Trust’s ‘Read Manchester’ hub team
Facilitated by our Read Manchester hub managers, who are strategic leads in the Manchester Libraries service, this workshop will look at how schools can work in partnership with parents, volunteers, library services, businesses and other local organisations to take a community-based approach to improving literacy levels.
Developing Reading for Pleasure
Dan Nicholls. English and Literacy lead. The Westleigh School, Wigan
A takeaway of impactful Reading for Pleasure strategies, initiatives and resources that encourage a positive reading ethos and close gaps post-Covid.
Leading Improvements in a Whole-School Literacy Strategy
Matt Hallam, Secondary School Literacy Leader, Literacy SLE and Evidence Lead in Education for the Research School Network
This workshop will explore how to improve a whole-school disciplinary literacy and reading culture, drawing on evidence-informed practice and Ofsted advice.
Inventive Podcast – Using engineering-inspired fiction in the classroom
Dr Carol Davenport, Associate Professor, Northumbria University and Director of NUSTEM.
Delivering Academic Transition Skills in Year 7
Tori Thompson-Boyle: Deputy Headteacher for quality of education and welfare, NASENCo and SLE at the Blue Coat School, Oldham (Cranmer Education Trust)
Emma Bezer: Literacy Lead and History teacher at the Brian Clarke CofE Academy and ECF Facilitator (Cranmer Education Trust)
Participants will hear about the intent behind Cranmer Education Trusts' Academic Transition Skills curriculum, how it has been implemented with a year 7 cohort and the impact it has had on developing students' cross-curricular literacy skills, including reading for challenge.
Child Poverty Action Group: Cost of the school day
Georgina Burt, England Development Manager for the UK Cost of the School Day project at Child Poverty Action.
Participants will be encouraged to reflect on policies and practices in their own schools to identify barriers that students from low-income families face in being able to learn and fully participate in all that schools have to offer e.g. activities for World Book Day.
Supporting literacy: creating and using podcasts
Adam Fowler: Co-Director of Overtone Productions and lecturer in Creative Audio at the university of Salford.
A hands-on session exploring how podcasts can promote active listening, reading and thinking skills. Participants will have the opportunity to work in teams to create their own mini-podcast.
Register now:
For all enquiries or queries please email Kate Warde.