My first introduction to poetry was when I was seven. I was on a family holiday and, in an attempt to entertain, my uncle recited to me The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. It was a remarkably successful attempt for I…
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This list is particularly important to us, and despite many of the books appearing on other lists of ours, it was felt that we needed to give these titles their own list and within the list, some sections to showcase…
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This month’s review explores the theme of perspective, in two senses of the word: keeping things in perspective and looking at things from others’ perspective. We need to be very careful that children have time and space to be still;…
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This time of year is all about new beginnings: it’s a new year; a new school term; the days are starting to become longer and many people make resolutions. Some might focus on being kinder or spending more time listening…
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We genuinely think there is little better present than to receive the gift of a book at Christmas. It can allow you to choose something so personal and thoughtful for a treasured friend to reflect your friendship or relationship, or…
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Self-worth: something that is neither pre-determined nor fixed. We all must have a sense of high self-worth in varying degrees at different points in our lives. Or maybe not. Maybe some people never have the sense that they’re of value.…
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We have always been big advocates of context. Our recent blog, ‘8 Reasons to adopt a book-based Approach this Academic Year’ identified that for many children, context is key, and that this can be a powerful engaging tool when it…
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When we began to curate this – our first Literature Review of the academic year, we had in mind the theme of magic. And there certainly is magic within each book, yes, but there is so much more than that,…
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As the new academic year kicks off, and we are in full swing of our block of insets to launch the Literary Curriculum up and down the country, we have been spending an awful lot of time waxing lyrical about…
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In what promises to be a long and hot summer like no other in recent memory, we are certain there are going to be opportunities aplenty for taking refuge in some shade and losing yourself in a good book, whether…
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We live in a dangerous world, don’t we? In times of the Neanderthals, early man battled with the elements, lack of food and wild animals: all threats to life and limb. Since then, wonderful inventions, discoveries and changes to how…
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The terms ‘publishing’, ‘published writing’ or ‘published outcomes’ are often bandied about – we’ve definitely been mentioning them a lot during our recent moderation visits, but what do they mean in real terms; why should we dedicate time to publishing…
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Following this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which ran from May 14th-18th, and rather ironically coincided with key stage 2 SATS week, this month’s literature review theme is one of health and well-being: both physical and mental. Its not ‘news’…
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‘Toxic masculinity’, misogyny and the empowerment of girls are oft-used themes of late – and, in many ways, rightly so. With the market flooded with children’s literature that champions women’s rights, we’ve seen brilliant titles in recent years such as Goodnight…
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Our moderation team put our heads together to create our wish-list for a smooth moderation, so we thought we'd share them with you in the form of our six top tips! Tell us about the child. We don't know them…
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With the vernal equinox in mind, this month’s selection of texts is full of life and colour: all three are beautifully illustrated and all convey a sense of vitality, newness and growth. But the growth element runs deeper too because…
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Last month, we reflected upon the power of literature that explores the darker side of life and how important this can be for children in supporting them to develop resilience to, and understanding of, their world. We shared Matt de…
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So half-term is over for us but picture this if you will. We're in a (very small) car and It's raining. We have five hours to go until our final destination, which is not the most cheering of thoughts, but…
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KS: Lower KS2, R & KS1, Upper KS2
Year Group: Reception, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6
