Literacy Tree

Hi, it’s me Lynn! 👋

Earlier this week, I delivered a day of INSET at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi. ✈️🇨🇳

From the moment I stepped through the doors, I knew I was somewhere special…

We read. We wrote. We performed poetry. We laughed A LOT. 

One of the things that struck me most was the sense of playfulness running through the school. Children really are at the centre. Their curiosity, creativity, voices and ideas are valued and given space. 

I believe Literacy Tree has been able to enhance and make this even more visible in English, creating opportunities for children to explore, imagine, question, perform, play with language and ultimately become writers who have something meaningful to say.

Now… when can I come back to see the writing?! 👀✍️

Could your next book order be paid for by everyday online shopping?

Schools across the UK have just received a share of £475,312 in free donations through easyfundraising.org.uk 🎉

Every time parents, carers and staff shop online with participating retailers, a donation can be made to your school at no extra cost.

Use the funds to:
📖 Purchase the high-quality books that sit at the heart of your curriculum
🌳 Contribute towards your Literacy Tree membership renewal
📚 Grow your reading-for-pleasure offer

If you're not signed up yet, now's the perfect time to start turning everyday shopping into extra funding for reading and writing.💰

Ready to get your share? Register here 👉 https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/literacy-tree/

Books we’ve read… 📚

Taking some time this summer to look back at a few of our favourite displays from the past year, and we had to spotlight these wonderful boards from 

Such a simple but powerful way to celebrate reading throughout the year, these displays create a visual record of every book shared as a class. 

They encourage children to make meaningful links between texts and encourage bookish conversation. 

As Jorge Luis Borges said, “I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met.” These boards are a wonderful celebration of the stories, characters and ideas that children encounter in just one year of school. Stories that shape their identities as readers, writers, and indviduals. 🌟📖

📖 See our pedagogy in practice.

Using Writing Roots (formerly Teach Through a Text) is your chance to explore our book-based approach through a high-quality text and leave with practical ideas for the classroom.

Be guided by one of our experienced consultants through a Literacy Tree Writing Root, exploring the book and its writing opportunities from start to finish.

“Thank you for providing such useful sessions for all year groups. It’s a great reminder of how the units look in day-to-day lessons, with a real focus on strong modelling!”
Year 5 Teacher, Oakdene Primary Academy, 2026

✅ Have a school membership? These sessions are included!
✅ Individual monthly subscriber? You can save and spend your tokens on online training as well as resources.

Sign up here 👉 https://literacytree.com/training

🧠 Working walls shouldn’t become workload walls.

They’re not about perfectly curated displays. They’re about making learning visible. 👁️

We love this wall from Oakene Primary Academy, based on ‘The Tempest’ by William Shakspeare. 

As children dive into this classic, the wall becomes an important point of reference, filling up with key characters, plot points and theatrical terminology.

But our favorite addition? A small shelf beneath it for anyone in the class craving a little more Shakespeare, or looking to access these classics in a different form: graphic novels! 📚

💬 “We have seen children become more invested in reading and writing, and teachers have developed greater confidence in delivering ambitious English lessons."

Our latest Success Story comes from Kidmore End CE Primary School, where teachers have done incredible work to build a rich, ambitious literacy culture. 📚
With increased pupil engagement and greater teacher confidence, their journey shows the impact that a shared vision for English can have across a school.

Follow their full journey, from intent to implementation and impact 👇
https://literacytree.com/success-stories/kidmore-end-ce-primary-school-%E2%80%93-reading

🧭 On this day in 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew set sail aboard the Endurance, embarking on what would become one of history’s most legendary Antarctic expeditions. ❄️

Against incredible odds, all 28 crew members survived, making their story one of remarkable willpower and resilience. 

Our Year 4 Writing Root, inspired by the book Shackleton’s Journey, invites children to step back with a range of immersive writing opportunities. 

Children will craft interview questions for prospective crew members, create and justify packing lists, capture the crew’s experiences through diary entries, and report on the expedition as newspaper journalists. ✍️📰

⭐️Featured Schools⭐️ 

Brunswick Park Primary School | Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy | Hope Primary School | Sellincourt Primary School | St. John the Baptist Catholic Primary School

Taking some time this summer to reflect on a few of our favourite displays from the past year, and this one from Woodlea Primary School is definitely up there! 🪼

Inspired by our Year 3 Writing Root for The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish by Chloe Savage this display brings together glittering poetry and glittery jellyfish. ✨ 

A tale of perseverance and self-belief, this story follows Dr. Morley as she sets out in search of an elusive creature. Will she discover what she’s looking for… or will it find her? 🌊🛳️