Intent

At Knowles Primary School, we are committed to providing an ambitious, engaging, and inclusive curriculum that brings about exceptional outcomes. After a decade of utilising a traditional storytelling approach, we recognised a need to further enrich our curriculum with high-quality, diverse, and relevant texts from published authors. We chose Literacy Tree because it places quality literature at the heart of the writing experience, perfectly aligning with our mission to counteract disadvantage and ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed. Our intent was to move beyond imitation to help pupils develop a true "author’s voice" through immersion in a vast array of stories and poems that reflect our diverse community.

Implementation

As a Literacy Tree flagship school for Buckinghamshire, Literacy Tree is now embedded from EYFS through Year 6. Implementation is characterised by:

• Thematic, Book-Based Learning: Writing Roots are mapped across all year groups to ensure progression and full National Curriculum coverage.
• Expertly Supported Staff: Teachers are provided with high-quality planning and resources, which has significantly supported staff wellbeing and reduced workload.
• Adaptive Practice: Our teaching prioritises "skilled adaptive practice" and scaffolding over differentiation, ensuring that even our most vulnerable learners and those with SEND can access ambitious content.
• Professional Development: Ongoing CPD opportunities from Literacy Tree have reassured staff on best practices for implementation, fostering a culture of continuous professional learning.
  Reading Leaves: We have recently replaced traditional carousel approaches in KS2 with 'Reading Leaves' to provide whole-class, deep-text exploration during guided reading.

Success Story: The Leadership Perspective

"The transition to Literacy Tree has been the best thing we ever did. It has empowered our teachers with an 'expert voice' in providing effective writing opportunities. The high-quality planning has not only improved pupil outcomes but has been a major factor in supporting staff wellbeing. Our children are now writing with a newfound confidence, and the up-to-date books we explore are truly the talk of the school."

Sarah Harper, Headteacher

Success Story: The Teacher Perspective

"Staff have been incredibly impressed by the impact on engagement. The curriculum’s inclusivity radiates through every lesson, allowing children from all backgrounds to see themselves in the texts we study. Seeing the children move from foundational knowledge to developing their own unique authorial style- while being so excited to hear what text they will explore next - is exactly why we do this job. It has made our monitoring far more purposeful and our teaching more inspired."

Becki Greene, Curriculum Lead