We would like to celebrate the legacy of the author Aidan Chambers, who sadly passed away in May 2025. His inclusive and practical approach to teaching and learning has informed so much of the work we do at the National Literacy Trust. His books, including Tell Me and The Reading Environment, have inspired educators to explore the value of rich discussion and reading enjoyment, and apply these principles in the classroom.
In this article for TeachBrief, we've compiled resources, CPD and best practice tips to help you bring Aidan Chambers' strategies to your classroom.
Enhancing reading in schools
Believing that “readers are made by readers” and that “reading is one of the most complicated processes the human brain performs”, Aidan Chambers urged teachers to infuse their classroom practice with a demonstrable enthusiasm for reading, and – where possible – to increase access to quality books.
- We are honoured to work alongside schools who embody these powerful messages and place reading at the centre of their provision. In this case study, Dormers Wells High School applied CPD insights to develop a whole-school reading for pleasure ethos, including creating their own podcast!
- Our Library Lifeline blog provides practical strategies for curating an inclusive and vibrant library space.
- Our recent report shows a link between reading enjoyment and reading ability, while also highlighting that reading enjoyment is at an all-time low. Since then, we have published our new Primary literacy guide and review and the Secondary School Literacy Research and Policy Guide to support teachers to link evidence and practice.
Book talk
Aidan Chambers was an advocate for book talk. Through practical strategies such as the Tell me approach, he provided a framework for classroom discussion which encourages children from all backgrounds to develop their thoughts and ideas, and to make connections between what they’re reading and their lived experiences.
Our belief in the power of talk has led us to develop resources and CPD to support this practice in the classroom:
- Reading and oracy is a staff workshop exploring book-based oracy planning across the school, with techniques to deepen reading comprehension across primary and secondary settings.
- The Ultimate Character Challenge Battle, an oracy-based resource, provides a springboard for children to talk about their own reading.
- The Book Talk Challenge helps develop reading for pleasure in your setting, and encourages students to value talking about books with their peers, teachers and family.
- Oracy and talk for learning covers how different types of talk and listening skills, can be explicitly taught in the secondary classroom.
Through group reading and book talk, children and young people can find connections with their lived experiences.
We are so grateful that Aidan Chambers’ work and ideas survive him, and we hope you’ll join us in honouring his memory and thanking his estate as we endeavour to support teachers in whatever capacity we can to continue their important work.
To close off, here’s a message from Martin Galway, Head of School Programmes, on how Aidan Chambers influenced his teaching in the classroom.
"Aidan Chambers has long stood as a guiding light in the world of children’s literature - not just for his storytelling, but for the powerful, transformative way he helped us understand what reading can be.
He didn’t just teach us what to read with children, but how to listen to them - how to foster dialogue, to honour their interpretations, and develop trust – both adult’s and children’s alike - in their ability to make meaning from text in their own profound and personal ways.
Martin Galway, Head of School Programmes
On a personal note, I am deeply grateful for the impact Aidan Chambers has had on my own teaching. His work offered me new ways of seeing children not just as readers, but as thinkers - thoughtful, capable, and articulate, and very often surprising in the best kinds of ways. Through his influence, I learned to create a classroom environment where reading was not a task but a shared journey; where children found the space and the language to express their ideas, respond to others, and deepen their understanding together. The impact on their growth, both as readers and as people, was unmistakable and thrilling to witness.
Thank you, Aidan, for showing us how to read with children - not just to them."