Library
At John Port Spencer Academy, we have always valued the importance of reading widely and encourage all of our students to read widely and regularly. We are lucky to have a well stocked library which students can access a range of fiction and non-fiction texts from. Research has shown that sustained reading every day can improve a child’s reading age, concentration and reduce stress. Through reading, we hope to enhance student learning throughout the school and give students a lifelong love of books and literature. We aim to give students a wide range of opportunities to gain pleasure, confidence and fluency in reading through our curriculum and through our school reading strategy.
Students can access the library before school from 8:00am, during breaks and lunchtimes and after school until 4:00pm. Students can borrow books for up to three weeks. They need to use their ID card to borrow books. We also run a click and collect service so students can order books they wish to borrow. The library click and collect service can be accessed using this link library.johnportspencer.org.uk. Books can be requested using the service, and then can be easily collected from the library.
Sparx Reader – Year 7 – 11
Students in Year 7-11 will be using Sparx Reader to practice and assess reading.
Sparx Reader is an engaging and supportive platform in which pupils can develop their reading and literacy skills… with the options to change text and background colours, enlarge the text and check the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary.
By developing these skills, we can ensure our pupils develop the necessary life skills to function and be successful adults.
Homework will be set on Arbor.
Students need to log in to Sparx on the website using their school username and password:
NGRT Reading Tests
The NGRT (New Group Reading Test) is an adaptive, standardized reading assessment for students aged 6 to 16 that helps identify reading skill levels, monitor progress, and determine if interventions are needed. It assesses both sentence completion and passage comprehension, providing a Standard Age Score (SAS) that is compared to the national average. Scores below 88 indicate below-average ability, while scores above 112 indicate above-average ability. The test is a formative assessment, meaning it is used to inform teaching and support rather than for a final grade.
Students take this test twice a year – October and March. Reading ages, SAS scores and Reading Stanines will be published in Report Cards.
Reading age
The reading age score gives you a chronological reading age for the learner, in years and months. For example, a learner with a score of 13:02 has the reading ability of a learner aged 13 years and 2 months. This measurement is based on the national sample.
Standard Age Score (SAS)
This is the most important piece of information derived from NGRT. The SAS is based on the number of questions a student has answered correctly; the score is adjusted for age and placed on a scale that makes a comparison with a nationally representative sample of students of the same age across the UK. The average score is 100. The SAS is key to benchmarking and tracking progress and is the fairest way to compare the performance of different students within a year group or across year groups.
The Standard Age Score indicates the degree to which an individual’s score deviates from the average of pupils of the same age. The scale is based on the ‘normal’ distribution of scores that would be expected within the population and is calculated on the basis that the overall mean (average) standard age score is 100 and the standard deviation is 15, so that about 68% of people will score between 85 and 115.
Stanines
Stanine stands for ‘standard nine,’ and can be a useful way to get a high-level overview of learners’ reading ability. The stanine divides the performance of learners into 9 bands, with 1 being the lowest and 9 being the highest. A learner who has an average reading ability for their age will fall into stanines 4-6. However, for a precise measurement, we recommend using the SAS.
- A Parents guide to the NGRT tests can be found here: Information for parents – GL Support
How you can help your child with reading
For more information about how you can help your child with their reading, please follow these links:
