This book focuses on a critical period for pupils between the ages of nine and 13 when the demands made on children's literacy change fundamentally, and when children establish life-time patterns of reading and non-reading. At this stage it is crucially important that literacy is viewed as a central part of the curriculum, but many schools find it difficult to manage and support literacy teaching across a range of subjects. Based on the authors' five-year research project, the book looks in particular at the progression from primary to secondary school, and how teachers can work together to help children cope with the curriculum across the subject boundaries. It provides a framework for teachers and managers to help set up a whole-school approach to literacy, based on a series of steps which enable managers to find out how literacy is perceived by teachers and effectively used within classroom contexts. Practical guidance on how schools can help pupils who have literacy difficulties, on methods of assessment and reporting, and on how outside agencies can be involved should be particularly helpful to teachers and heads of department.