St John's & St Clement's CofE Primary School, London

Intent:

 At SJSC, we believe that books are more than just stories. They are gateways to new ideas, exciting adventures, and endless possibilities. The book-based learning approach we use through Literacy Tree ignites a passion for reading and writing, empowering children to see themselves as authors, editors, bloggers, and storytellers. It also deepens learning across the curriculum and is the springboard for our children understanding and debating the concepts that our wider curriculum is based upon such as 'Social Justice', 'Sustainability' and 'Identity'. 
Our vision is to nurture confident, expressive writers who are inspired by high-quality texts and meaningful learning experiences. As Ofsted noted, “The school promotes a love of reading at the heart of the curriculum.” Through captivating hooks and purposeful writing opportunities, we aim to support children to children develop a strong personal voice, style, and stamina. They write imaginatively, informatively, and persuasively.

This approach not only fosters a love of reading but also enhances the wider curriculum, encouraging children to make deep connections across subjects. As Ofsted highlighted, “Pupils learn to make deep connections in and across a broad range of subjects.”

It is important that the texts we use are diverse and representative of a wide range of families and people and Literacy Tree offers this. 

Implementation: 

Each year group explores a concept each half term. Texts are carefully chosen to not only link with the concept but to support a deeper understanding of them or offer a variety of alternative ways to think about them. Texts feed into the wider curriculum to strengthen knowledge and understanding across all subjects. Literacy Tree planning sequences are adapted to meet the needs of our children, ensuring accessibility and relevance for all.

Children write for purpose through:

- Instant and project-based publishing
- Exhibitions and showcases for families
- Cross-curricular links (e.g. When reading Cloud Tea Monkeys, year 3 children plan a fairtrade fundraiser tea tasting event and write pieces for this to share with family.)
- Staff attend ongoing CPD to maintain high standards and innovation

Impact: 

Children speak passionately about their reading and writing experiences.

Teachers are deeply engaged and committed to nurturing every child’s potential. We enjoys the texts and planning sequences as much as the children!

Ofsted praised our pupils’ ability to “confidently explain how authors use imagery to develop characterisation.”

Our children achieve strong outcomes with English results exceeding national averages.