Connecting Whole-School Literacy

Literacy may follow universal principles, but its application in a secondary context is far from uniform. As students navigate the increasingly complex literacy demands across any given school day, teachers fight to balance curriculum expectations with the varied literacy levels students bring to each task. In this practical guide, Hayley Harrison draws from research as well as classroom and leadership experience to demonstrate how the concept of literacy faces unique challenges in secondary classrooms. Subsequently, she argues that 'achieving' whole-school literacy requires more than a declaration, or even acceptance, that 'every teacher is a literacy teacher'. Connecting Whole-School Literacy bridges research into practice with immediately usable strategies, activities and frameworks for busy secondary teachers and leaders. Harrison explains current understanding of literacy acquisition alongside concrete tools for vocabulary instruction, reading comprehension, writing development and oral communication that respect subject expertise while building teacher understanding and confidence around literacy skills and knowledge. Whether you're supporting individual students or leading whole-school literacy reform, this resource offers the roadmap for transforming student outcomes through collective and purposeful instruction. It ultimately prioritises literacy, not as an additional task, but as a powerful tool through which content and skills can be taught most effectively.