Intent

We have always been committed to ensuring our children are exposed to a rich and diverse range of literature that engages, inspires and captivates them. However, prior to adopting Literacy Tree, we recognised that our approach was not fully achieving this vision. Our writing outcomes were not where we wanted them to be, and we began to seek a more effective alternative.

During lockdown, I discovered Literacy Tree and trialled it with Year 6 upon their full return to school. Following its success, we implemented Writing Roots across the whole school in September 2022. The impact was immediate. We saw increased excitement through discovery points and the introduction of new texts, alongside notable improvements in written outcomes. The high-quality literature at the heart of Literacy Tree gives real reasons for writing, as well as opportunities for debate, drama and discussion. This has helped us to achieve a culture where reading and writing are at the very heart of our curriculum.

Implementation

After our first year finding our feet with Literacy Tree and seeing its wonderful impact on writing, we realised we could achieve the same success in reading. As a result, Reading Leaves were introduced across Key Stage 2. This required a complete restructure of our morning timetable, but it proved to be worthwhile, and it doubled the number of books our children could enjoy!

At the same time, we reviewed our foundation subject topics reorganising them to better align with the year group texts. This allowed children to see the cross-curricular links more clearly and apply their English skills across a wide range of subjects.

We began using Spelling Seeds in September 2024 and finally moved away from home-school spelling lists and tests! We had been looking to change this for several years, particularly as research suggests that rote learning of spellings has limited long-term impact. We have embraced the approach where spelling is taught in context, rooted in the texts we are reading, and we have found this to be far more meaningful and engaging.

Our biggest success has been the Whole School Writing Roots. We use this as our response to World Book Day – extending the celebration into a fortnight! During this time, we fully immerse the children in the world of the text. So far, we have flooded the school, transformed it into a jungle and created our very own Northern Lights display! Each unit culminates in a celebration of writing, and the sense of shared achievement across the school is wonderful to see.

Impact

The impact on our writing outcomes has been highly positive. During Trust moderation meetings, we take great pride in the quality of our writing, with a growing number of pupils achieving the expected standard in each year group. Our children have developed greater stamina for extended writing and are producing work of a higher standard. The ‘snowball approach’ used by Literacy Tree, where key concepts are revisited regularly, ensures that grammar and punctuation skills are securely embedded. This allows pupils to focus more on creativity, supported by the rich and carefully structured unit plans Literacy Tree create, which our teachers are able to adapt to suit their class.

Our main priority was always to strengthen our reading culture and inspire children to truly want to read. The wide range of wonderful high-quality texts available to staff has helped us develop a genuine love of reading across school. Many pupils are now choosing to read other books by Literacy Tree authors, and we have completely overhauled our class libraries to reflect and support this growing enthusiasm.

Our most recent OFSTED report (May 2024) stated: “Pupils are provided with high-quality and diverse reading materials. They are excited about books they read. They enjoy finding out about other places around the world and other cultures.”

Staff Voice

“I have found that the children really engage with the texts, particularly when they encounter authors they recognise from previous year groups. The planning is very detailed and comprehensive with a clear progression of skills that builds both confidence and ability. I also find the classroom visuals, such as zones of relevance and role on the wall extremely effective in supporting writing development. The shared writing examples are especially useful, as they provide strong guidance for modelling writing to the class.” Jonathan Brown (Year 4 class teacher)

Written by Adele Key, Deputy Headteacher