Bring out the brilliance - in your teaching, in your pupils, in each other.

The School Literacy Network has been a real lifeline for me. As a new Literacy Subject Lead, it has been incredibly useful to have the support from the network in the form of courses, online materials, or personal help. With ever increasing pressure on the role of the subject leader, it is so reassuring to know there is real expertise out there.

The SLN offers a fantastic wealth of resources to support subject leaders and colleagues with all aspects of English. The team are always ready to respond to emails offering advice and support in relation to English and the training they provide through online courses for TAs and teachers is excellent. The online termly meetings provide teachers with UpToDate information and support us with any changes by sharing key information. I have been part of the SLN since it started in 2010 and as a subject leader it is invaluable.

I find the SLN invaluable. I was new to the role last year and having the wealth of resources available has made my job much easier. The half termly network meetings are always full of informative ideas, resources, books and new material. Thanks for providing a brilliant network – I would be lost without it!

It’s very easy to live and work in our bubbles. So one of the things I value most about being a children’s book illustrator is the chance to meet the children I’m drawing the pictures for. Or perhaps I should say, the children and their teachers. The School Literacy Network gave me a lovely opportunity to talk to teachers about my work, the importance of illustration to children’s literature and literacy - and the fun of it. And it’s that last bit that’s so often forgotten in a busy schedule and a packed syllabus. Therefore, I’m a huge fan of any help for teachers, any links between book people and schools, and anything that makes the schedule easier and the bubble bigger. The School Literacy Network does all those things.

Having experienced first-hand some fabulous lessons, where all children in class are excited and engaged with English and produce high-quality, creative writing outcomes inspired by SLN's poetry competition materials, I hope as many teachers as possible take up this unique opportunity. SLN offers a wonderful way to inspire writing and practice for our trainees, but I highly recommend their resources to any teacher who aspires to engage children with high-quality texts, in this case Rossetti's poetry, and in writing with real purpose for a real audience - the perfect combination to motivate even the most reluctant writers!