Back to School

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Resource type:

Price band: Free

Key stage: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5, Adult, EYFS

Region(s): All of UK

Welcome pupils back, help them to settle into the routine of a new school year and kickstart your Reading for Pleasure campaign with this selection of booklists and resources.

Starting school booklists and resources

  • Books for Topics and BookTrust both have Starting School booklists featuring a selection of picture books for children starting in reception or nursery.
  • The National Literacy Trust has created teaching resources based on picture books Ruby’s Worry and Ravi’s Roar by Tom Percival to help young children settle into their new nursery or classroom environment and develop their language and literacy skills. The lesson plans are available to download with the NLT’s free membership.
  • Get ideas on how to use stories and rhymes to support the transition from nursery to primary school with Scottish BookTrust’s Bookbug programme.

Back to school booklists and literacy resources for primary schools

  • Explore the selection of Back to School picture books from Books for Topics. The chosen titles work across the whole primary range and have been grouped into useful themes such as community, making friends and being yourself.  You can also explore the New Beginnings booklist for more recommended books to share with children at the start of a new school year.
  • Bring your whole school community together at the start of the new school year with a picture-book-based literacy project using the award-winning Power of Pictures resources from CLPE. Download detailed teaching sequences for EYFS, KS1 and KS2 that support the development of children’s visual literacy, reading comprehension and creative writing skills, all based on a high-quality picture book. Teaching sequences available to download with CLPE’s free membership.
  • Build a strong school community around reading by signing up for the Picture Book Club, a fully-resourced, peer-led book club for primary schools.
  • Sign up for the The World of Graphic Novels, the National Literacy Trust’s autumn Reading Champions Challenge for pupils aged 7-14. Free resources to support the challenge will be available to download from Tuesday 17th September.
  • Explore a range of classroom strategies and examples of practice to help you get to know your new pupils as readers on the OU Reading for Pleasure website and download a free pupil reading survey.

Books and literacy resources for secondary schools

  • BookTrust has a list of recommended reads to prepare young people for the transition to secondary schools.
  • Former SLA Librarian of the Year Lucas Maxwell provides a list of 50 titles that he recommends to new Year 7 pupils.
  • Create a community around reading in the autumn term and enable all new Year 7s to choose a book to keep by signing up for Bookbuzz, BookTrust’s subsidised book gifting programme for secondary schools. Registration for this year closes on 20th September.
  • Sign up for the The World of Graphic Novels, the National Literacy Trust’s autumn Reading Champions Challenge for pupils aged 7-14. Free resources to support the challenge will be available to download from Tuesday 17th September.
  • Download a set of My Transition Journals from Scottish Book Trust to support pupils as they start secondary school. The journal includes a mood tracker, space for recording new experiences and favourite books, as well as blank pages for some creative doodling.
  • Explore a range of classroom strategies and examples of practice to help you get to know your new pupils as readers on the OU Reading for Pleasure website and download a free pupil reading survey.

Further resources:

  • Explore the resources available from PACEY, the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years, to help schools and parents ensure children have the skills they need to ensure a successful start in school.
  • Beano for Schools in partnership with Young Minds has created a series of nine lesson plans featuring favourite Beano characters to help children understand their emotions and mental health better. The lesson plans include a short animation, PowerPoint presentation and activity sheets. There are versions for KS1 and KS2 and everything is linked to the PSHE curriculums in England, Scotland and Wales.
  • Mentally Healthy Schools is a mental health information and resource hub for primary and secondary schools. It offers access to a range of resources to support transitions across all ages,
  • Share these five top tips with pupils moving up to secondary schools from Christian Foley, former teacher, poet and author of Moving Up: How to Ace Secondary School.
  • Moving Up! provides a short animation and free teacher toolkit that explores common fears and potential solutions for pupils about to move or newly arrived at secondary school.
  • The BBC, in partnership with mental health charity Young Minds, has created a series of films and ‘Find your Feet’ activity packs to help schools support pupils as they transition from primary to secondary school.
  • Get advice on how to support pupils through the change from primary to secondary school with this free Find Your Feet webinar for teachers from Young Minds. You can also download packs of transition activities for new Year 7 pupils and find tips and resources to share with parents.

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