We believe in supporting the whole family's literacy. Please therefore find below a compilation of some of the wonderful literacy resources currently available online, some of which are suitable for primary as well as secondary school children.

We would also like to direct your attention to the resources provided by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) which include '7 top tips for supporting your child's reading at home' and 'Read with TRUST' – a useful memory aid to support talking about reading.

1. 7 top tips for supporting your child's reading at home can be found here, as well as some other useful literature on supporting your child's learning remotely: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/Covid-19_Resources/Resources_for_schools/7_Top_Tips_to_Support_Reading_at_Home.pdf
2. Alongside this useful resource sits the TRUST acronym – a useful memory aid to support discussions about reading: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/Covid-19_Resources/Resources_for_schools/Read_with_TRUST_infographic.pdf
3. Authorfy has interactive resources, videos and activities to support children's reading and writing https://authorfy.com/about/. These 10 minute videos with challenges by acclaimed children's authors are fantastic https://authorfy.com/10minutechallenges/, as are these Masterclasses (you can filter by age): https://authorfy.com/masterclasses/
4. The World Book Day site has an 'Author and Illustrator Academy' with videos, resources and book extracts for all ages and stages.  https://www.worldbookday.com/online-masterclasses/. For KS2/3 students, we recommend: Eoin Colfer (The Fowl Twins); Onjali Rauf (The Boy at the Back of the Class); Katherine Rundell (The Good Thieves); Matt Haig (Evie and the Animals); Matthew Syed (You are Awesome – about a growth mindset); and for KS4 students: Malorie Blackman & Patrice Lawrence (Noughts and Crosses & Orangeboy); plus Muhammed Khan (Kick the Moon). Sophie Henn has a video to teach students how to create their own comic book characters. The World Book Day site has also just started a 'Book Ideas Hub' with links and resources to encourage children (of all ages) to read, write and draw for pleasure. https://www.worldbookday.com/2020/03/book-ideas-hub-brilliant-stay-at-home-ideas-free-resources/
5. This site encourages young people to keep a 'Lockdown Diary' to help with mental health and to bring some fun into these stressful times. You can select the appropriate age (early years- age 7; 8-12; and teen-YA) and then you will find videos by authors and educators talking to young people in a compassionate way and offering suggestions for their diaries. https://www.ourcoronadiary.com/how-to-join-in. For example, the author of the superb book How to Be Extraordinary (highly recommended!) has a video about the magic of questions -perfect for KS2/3 children. https://www.ourcoronadiary.com/post/rashmi-sirdeshpande-the-question-diary
6. The Book of Hopes is a free eBook with short stories, poems and drawings, and is the perfect tonic during a time of crisis; it is great for KS 1, 2 & 3. https://literacytrust.org.uk/family-zone/9-12/book-hopes/.
7. There are several authors reading aloud their books on a daily basis (with recordings on YouTube) or providing free videos/books/resources:
8. Don't miss Cressida Cowell (Children's Laureate) reading aloud her books, including How to Train Your Dragon and The Wizard of Once. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe01xn13M8q2dsIw0mvW9lg
9. Tom Palmer, known for his hugely popular football fiction (sometimes linked to war) has multiple free reads on his site https://tompalmer.co.uk/free-reads/. He also has engaging and helpful videos to support creative writing: https://tompalmer.co.uk/writing-tips/. In addition, he has a YouTube channel where he reads aloud extracts and offers tips. Palmer's new book, After the War, is about children who survived the Holocaust and who started a new life in the Lake District. It is well-researched and he has multiple resources linked to Holocaust Memorial Day on 27^th January.  https://tompalmer.co.uk/holocaust-memorial-day-resources-and-competition/
10. The Oak National Academy has just started giving free access to a children's book each week: https://library.thenational.academy/.