Literacy is a key focus within St Cecilia’s College informed by the Count, Read: Succeed A Strategy to Improve Outcomes in literacy and numeracy’ document (DENI 2011)

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As a staff, we are fully committed to developing literacy skills in all our students, in the belief that it will support their learning across all curricular areas and raise standards across the curriculum because:

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• Students need vocabulary, expression and organisational control to cope with the cognitive demands of the range of subjects that they study,

• Reading helps us to learn from sources beyond our immediate experience. Reading for pleasure enriches pupils’ experience and has proven benefits for well-being,

• Writing helps us to express ideas

• Language helps us to reflect, revise and evaluate the things we do, and on the things others have said, written or done.

• Responding to higher order questions encourages the development of thinking skills and enquiry;

• Improving literacy and learning can have an impact on students’ self-esteem, on motivation and behaviour. It allows them to learn independently and is empowering. 

 

In St Cecilia’s College, literacy skills are developed through a specific Literacy lesson in year 8 and 9. A programme has been created which seeks to develop and reinforce the core skills required across the strands of: reading, writing and speaking and listening. Furthermore, our school magazine, St Cecilia’s News offers an audience for our pupils to showcase their creativity. Whilst author visits, trips to the library, celebration of world book day, Irish News Young Readers programme and competitions give pupils opportunities to engage creatively across a range of genres.