Launch of the National Year of Reading: Inspiring life-long readers

At our launch webinar for the National Year of Reading, keynote Professor Teresa Cremin will set out a bold, inspiring vision for reading for pleasure across early years, primary and secondary education. We'll also be joined by the research team at the National Literacy Trust to go beyond the surface and unpick the research behind the campaign.

About our National Year of Reading cross-phase launch event

The National Year of Reading is not just a moment, but part of a sustained drive to promote reading as a universal right.

Join us to celebrate reading not simply as a skill, but as a life-enhancing, socially significant practice that every child and young person has a right to experience. Professor Cremin will explore why reading for pleasure matters more than ever at a national level, and how the National Year of Reading represents a unique opportunity to build stronger reading cultures in schools, settings and communities.

Why attend this webinar?

Drawing on decades of research and classroom-informed practice, this webinar will focus on:

• How reading for pleasure supports attainment, wellbeing, identity and aspiration
• Why access, choice and reader agency are essential across all phases of education
• How practitioners can create inclusive, motivating reading environments, from picture books in early years to reading communities in secondary schools
• What it means to develop children and young people as readers for life, not simply for tests
• This contribution will help set the tone for the year ahead, inspiring participants to see themselves as leaders of a national reading movement.

About the speaker

Professor Teresa Cremin is Professor of Education (Literacy) at The Open University and is internationally recognised for her pioneering research into children’s reading for pleasure, reading communities and reading teacher identities.

She was the UK Literacy Association President and co-founded the Open University Reading for Pleasure research group, which developed the widely used Teachers as Readers model. Teresa has worked extensively with schools, teachers, libraries, and national organisations to transform reading cultures, with a strong focus on equity, inclusion and children’s reading rights.

Her work continues to shape national and international policy and practice in reading for pleasure.

Webinar session structure

Introduction

Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, will set out the national context for the National Year of Reading, outline our ambition and why it matters.

Research deep dive

The National Literacy Trust research team will look at how research has helped shape the need and look of the campaign on a national scale, and for the Schools and Early Years Settings Offer.

Keynote contribution

Professor Teresa Cremin will explore:

• Reading for pleasure as a national priority
• Building reading identities from early years through to adolescence
• The role of schools, early years settings and communities in creating lifelong reader
• Practical principles that can be applied immediately in classrooms and settings
• Support and Opportunities for Schools and Settings

National Literacy Trust and CLPE colleagues

Colleagues from the National Literacy Trust and the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education will:

• Introduce the national offer for schools and early years settings
• Share how to engage with the National Year of Reading learning platform
• Explain how to take part in participation awards
• Outline practical ways to embed the year’s activities across different phases

Aims of the webinar

• To launch the National Year of Reading with a shared national vision
• To inspire practitioners across phases in the movement's purpose and ambition - motivating practitioners to take immediate action within their provision
• To explore practical strategies for strengthening reading cultures in each setting, enhancing practitioner's confidence in reading for pleasure as a force for equity, wellbeing and achievement
• To introduce the national offer of support, resources and recognition, such as the learning platform and apply for participation awards

Register here: Join the launch of the National Year of Reading

Be part of the national movement to transform reading lives. Hear from Professor Teresa Cremin, Jonathan Douglas and colleagues from the National Literacy Trust and CLPE.

Join educators, librarians and leaders from across early years, primary and secondary education to be inspired, equipped and connected. We're inviting everyone to Go All In.

Register now to secure your place.