Blog

Building a reading school Recently, I delivered a training day at the Book Centre focusing on how to create a reading school. It was a really productive day and I thought I would share some of the main elements that … Continue reading →

Around a book in EYFS by Maddy Barnes We’re going on an EGG HUNT We’re going on an egg hunt. We’re going to find them all. We’re really excited… Hooray for Easter Day! Join the Easter Bunnies on their lift-the-flap … Continue reading →

Writing Activities for KS1 by Maddy Barnes Love Monster cannot believe it when he finds a box of chocolate . Should he keep them? Should he return them? What should he do? A hilarious tale where the motto is to … Continue reading →

Reading Activities for UKS2 by Maddy Barnes Chocolate –Riches from the Rainforest Where did chocolate come from? Who invented chocolate? What have the rainforests got to do with chocolate? How long have people been making chocolate for? Let’s find out … Continue reading →

Writing Activities by Maddy Barnes Mr Bunny’s Chocolate Factory Mr Bunny owns a chocolate factory where chickens lay eggs so that he can sell Easter Eggs. However, his greed gets the better of him and he loses more than he … Continue reading →

Why not create a BUZZ about reading this year on World Book Day and use ‘Bee-&-Me,’ by Alison Jay as a whole-school book? Everyone can dress as bees too! Bee & Me ‘Bee-&-Me’ is a wordless book, yet every page … Continue reading →

14 books worth £145.86  I  SPECIAL PRICE – £115  I  SAVE OVER 20% Our fantastic consultant Maddy Barnes has written teacher notes for 12 brilliant Christmas books. Little Santa, Yoko Maruyama Brief summary of text Imagine if you had Santa for a … Continue reading →

Celebrating differences by sharing high-quality texts Over the past few months I have been fortunate to hear a number of speakers talking about ‘Celebrating Differences’ and the importance of equality in primary schools. As Andrew Moffat states in his book, … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, I delivered a training day on developing early reading skills. It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to share their ideas and there was such a love of reading at the heart of the day that … Continue reading →

The theme of International Women’s Day (IWD) this year was to inspire change and the need for further action to embed gender equality across the globe. IWD raises awareness for this theme and celebrates success stories and achievements made by … Continue reading →