Bridging Literacies: Connecting Worlds
Insights from the World Literacy Summit 2025
Earlier this term, Kate Kovalik, Acting Head of English at Cranbrook, shared her reflections from attending the World Literacy Summit 2025 in Oxford, UK. In her session, Bridging Literacies: Connecting Worlds, Kate explored what literacy really means today, the challenges students face in developing it, and the strategies schools can adopt to ensure every learner thrives.
At the heart of her reflections was a challenge to rethink what we mean by literacy. As the Oxford Declaration affirms, literacy involves the ability “to understand and express oneself in reading, writing, numeracy, visual communication and listening.” In our modern world, this definition must be expanded. The basics of reading and writing remain essential, but competence now also requires critical thinking and digital literacy, equipping students not only to consume but also to create and evaluate information. This broader view compels schools to see literacy as more than a functional skill: it is a gateway to participation in society, a foundation for wellbeing, and a means of preparing students for the complexities of the 21st century.
This wider perspective also brought into focus the close connection between literacy and student wellbeing. Kate drew attention to research emphasising that literacy development is not just an academic concern, but central to children’s broader sense of identity and flourishing. As Maynard and Weinstein (2019, p.164) remind us, “We need to recenter the whole child. Children are MORE than a data point,” and “We often do not put [wellbeing data] beside the academic data—which means we are not getting the full picture.”
By weaving wellbeing data into the same frame as academic achievement, using systems like Cranbrook’s Student Dashboard and Class Dashboard, schools can better understand and support the whole learner.
This provoked an important reflection for Cranbrook: how often do we assume that our students arrive with strong literacy foundations, and do we unintentionally privilege those from “literary-rich” homes? With increasingly diverse cohorts, including students for whom English is an additional language or who experience barriers such as dyslexia, literacy support must be intentional, targeted, and embedded across subjects.
Drawing on research discussed at the Summit, Kate also unpacked how dyslexia manifests and how it can be addressed. John Gabrieli (MIT) has shown that “brain differences may be present before learning to read, but can be influenced by individual experience”. Students from higher socio-economic backgrounds often have better access to interventions that target phonological awareness, but all learners benefit from explicit, systematic teaching. Neuroscientific approaches (such as brain plasticity and targeted remediation exercises) offer hope, but teachers remain central. Students who struggle with irregular words or spelling rules need consistent strategies, support, and encouragement if they are to thrive.
Technology, too, was discussed as both a challenge and an opportunity. Captions and subtitles in videos, for example, not only support students with hearing impairments but also strengthen comprehension for all learners. Equally, engaging young people in reading and writing through digital platforms positions them not just as consumers but also as producers of content, helping them to practise critical digital literacy skills.
Importantly, Kate also drew on the expertise of colleagues across the Senior School, showcasing how literacy is embedded in diverse ways across disciplines. From explicit strategies for strengthening reading comprehension and extended writing, to the use of scaffolds that support analysis, to the integration of digital tools that build vocabulary and communication skills, each department is contributing to a shared culture of literacy. These examples made clear that literacy is not the preserve of English alone, but a collective responsibility woven throughout the curriculum.
To conclude, Kate reminded us that practical steps make the difference: modelling reading and analysis strategies, reducing cognitive load by sequencing tasks carefully, and explicitly teaching unfamiliar words rather than assuming they will be absorbed incidentally. She urged us to use technology wisely to extend and support learning, and to ensure that students encounter consistent language for literacy skills across subjects.
Ultimately, her message was clear: literacy is a human right. It is not just about decoding text, but about equipping young people with the tools to understand themselves, connect with others, and engage fully with the world.
Hannah Thomas
Director of Professional Learning