School Literacy Network

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School Literacy Network

All the Primary English support you need from a network of trusted experts and peers to plan, teach and assess English in your school(s).

Part of Libraries Unlimited.

30/08/2026

Save valuable planning time by accessing free classroom resources, from these brilliant organisations. Follow the tagged accounts to find out more.

Art UK can help you boost visual literacy skills with The Superpower of Looking 🖼

EmpathyLab use stories to improve young people's real-life empathy 📖

Guardian Foundation's News Wise programme helps strengthen news and media literacy in the classroom 📰

Mentally Healthy Schools website is full of high quality resources to support wellbeing in education 💛

STEM Learning's Explorify resources are a low-prep way to enhance science teaching 🔬

The National Archives have classroom resources to help bring history to life 📜

Into Film show you how to use the power of film to improve outcomes in your setting 📽

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust share resources to help pupils discover the wonder of Shakespeare 🪶

Plus, if you are not already an SLN member you can sign up to Basic Membership to access a sample of our resources including full unit plans, as well as attend one of our network meetings for free. Sign up on our website 🔗

26/08/2026

Discover some great tails (tales) today, National Dog Day! Let us know your favourite book featuring a canine character in the comments 🐕

Books pictured 📚

Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton, published by Walker Books.

How Long Is That Dog? by John Bond, published by HarperCollins Children's Books.

Dogs In Space written by Vix Southgate and illustrated by Iris Deppe, published by Wren & Rook.

A World Of Dogs written by Carlie Sorosiak and illustrated by Luisa Uribe, published by Nosy Crow.

Peanut, Butter and Crackers: Puppy Problems by Paige Braddock, published by Nosy Crow.

I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery, cover illustration by Keith Robinson and published by Walker Books.

The Way Of Dog written by Zana Fraillon and illustrated by Sean Buckingham, published by Chicken House.

25/08/2026

We'd love you to join us for this engaging online session with Into Film, exploring how stop motion animation can support literacy learning in the primary classroom.

🗓️ 23 September
🕒 15:45 to 16:45

Using examples of claymation, silhouette, paper cutout and pixilation animations, you'll explore narrative development, story planning and character design.

Free for all School Literacy Network members, including Basic (free) members.

Already a member? Book your place today.

New to SLN? Join for free and book your place.

🔗 schoollitnet.org.uk/training/

21/08/2026

Here are some interesting and important dates to celebrate during the first Autumn half term. 🍂🌥️

September:
International Dot Day 15th
First day of Autumn 21st
World Rivers Day 27th
Harvest Festival

October:
Black History Month
National Poetry Day 1st
Eradication of Poverty Day 12th

Our Text to Talk assemblies can help your school recognise and explore some of these events (and others) throughout the year. Each assembly is text-led and oracy rich, leading to thoughtful, whole-school discussion and helping to build a shared bank of high-quality texts in common that pupils and staff can draw on over time. Download these for FREE as part of our Reading for Pleasure Resource Bundle and save assembly planning time ⏰

19/08/2026

These books are all beautifully illustrated and perfect for topic work in the classroom. Some share facts in a more traditional way and others are wonderful narrative nonfiction, all are engaging and interesting for you and your pupils.

🔥 The Great Fire of London written by Emma Adams and illustrated by James Weston Lewis, published by Wren & Rook.

🦀 Who Rules the Rockpool? and Who Ate All the Bugs? by Matty Long, published by Oxford University Press.

📖 One Day: A True Story of Survival in the Holocaust written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Benjamin Phillips, published by Walker Books.

🌍 Africa, Amazing Africa written by Atinuke and illustrated by Mouni Feddag.
India, Incredible India written by Jasbinder Bilan and illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti.
Both published by Walker Books, part of the Adventures Around the World series.

🐦 Everything You Know About Birds is Wrong written by Dr Nick Crumpton and illustrated by Gavin Scott, published by Nosy Crow.
This is another great series which also features books on minbeasts, dinosaurs and sharks.

🦕 The Fossil Hunter and The Cave Explorer by Kate Winter, published by Puffin.

👏 Little Leaders: Visionary Women Around the World by Vashti Harrison, published by Puffin. Part of the Little Leaders and Dreamers series.

🐜 Slug Life and Ant Life by Moesha Kellaway, published by Rocket Bird Books. Another book, Fly Life, is being added to the Misunderstood Minibeasts series soon.

🐺 Big Bad Wolf Investigates Fairy Tales written by Catherine Cawthorne and illustrated by Sara Ogilvie, published by Bloomsbury Children's Books.

🗺 Martha Maps It Out and Martha Maps It Out In Time by Leigh Hodgkinson, published by OUP Oxford. The next in the series, Martha Maps It Out With Family, is sure to be a great title too.

Inspired? Head to the SLN resources page to find our ready-made teaching resources based around The Great Fire of London, Who Ate All the Bugs, India, Incredible India and The Fossil Hunter. 🔗

14/08/2026

Today is World Lizard Day so it seemed the perfect time to share some of my favourite children's books featuring main characters that are lizards🦎

We've got a chameleon, gecko and monitor lizard in these books that are great to share with pupils in your class.

🦎For EYFS try Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett, published by Two Hoots, full of colours and shapes, and beautifully illustrated.
🦎For KS1 try The Gecko and the Echo by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, published by Orchard Books, authors of many brilliant books including The Koala That Could and The Lion Inside.
🦎For KS2 try Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness and Tim Miller, published by Walker Books. This is a funny animal school story full of surreal moments.

Do you have a favourite lizard-linked book? 🤔

12/08/2026

Motivate your class and help your pupils become confident, creative communicators by taking part in writing competitions, these allow them to write with a purpose and some also provide teaching resources too.

Many organisations, including us at the School Literacy Network, run these competitions to inspire young writers, give them a chance to share their work with an audience, and even win prizes.

Follow the accounts tagged below and visit the links in the comments to find out more. 🔗

BBC Teach Writing East Midlands Walker Books Taradiddle The Royal Mint Museum Hen Harrier Action Branford Boase Award Young Writers

07/08/2026

Looking for recommendations for young readers who love funny graphic novels like Dog Man and Bunny Vs Monkey? Then click through to see some excellent books that were released recently(ish) and a few that are coming soon 📚💛

⭐Chicken Hill: Frozen Squirrel Rescue Mission by Beccy Blake, published by Bloomsbury Children's Books.
⭐Pablo and Splash: Viking Voyage by Sheena Dempsey, published by Bloomsbury Children's Books.
⭐Froggy: Autumn Antics by Paige Walshe, published by Flying Eye Books.
⭐InvestiGATORS: Weather or Not by John Patrick Green, published by Macmillan Children's Books.
⭐Unfairies: Death by Toad by Huw Aaron, published by Puffin.
⭐Supa Nova: Robot Takeover by Chanté Timothy, published by Nosy Crow.
⭐Tiny Hercules: Golden Cabbage Chaos by Jon Lock and Nich Angell, published by Macmillan Children's Books
⭐Boss Of the Underworld: Shirley vs Seven Deadly Dangers by Tor Freeman, published by Starboard.

Young fans won't have to wait too long to read their favourites ⤵️
In October, the latest Bunny Vs Monkey book by Jamie Smart, 'Day Of the Heroes', published by DFB Phoenix is coming out.
The next in the Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey 'A Sprinkle in Time' is published by Scholastic in November.

05/08/2026

We all understand the importance of literacy and the power of reading. However, it can be hard to find the right book to engage pupils and build that love of reading - Primary Book Picks was created to make that a little bit easier. 📚💛

Read our latest news post for the summer round up of recommendations from teachers, library staff and literacy experts including classic titles you may have forgotten about as well as wonderful new books.

31/07/2026

Next week is Play day - a national day to celebrate play coordinated by Play England, Play Scotland, Play Wales | Chwarae Cymru and PlayBoard NI. Find out more at https://playday2026.blog/

Are there any games you like to play at home or in school? We love a classic game of hopscotch, simple and fun. Let us know your favourites in the comments ⬇️

Address

Exeter Library, Castle Street
Exeter
EX43PQ

Telephone

+441392407027

Website

http://schoollitnet.org.uk/

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