Ideas and literacy teaching resources for cultural events and UK awareness days
We support schools and early years settings with literacy teaching resources to help enrich your lessons as you mark special days throughout the academic year.
Our evidence-based and curriculum-linked educational resources build on key literacy and cutural moments in the school calendar to help you support positive engagement with reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Resources support teaching and learning across a broad age range covering early years, primary and secondary (including early years, KS1, KS2, KS3, with some extending to KS4 and KS5, and in Scotland early level through first, second, and third/fourth level to senior phase).
Where relevant, we work with expert partners to ensure that we embed inclusion, celebrate diversity and address challenging topics with sensitivity.
Plan your literacy year
Use our calendar ideas below to draw up your own literacy teaching plan for the term or year ahead, and explore the teaching resources provided to help you.
More support
- We'll continue to update this page throughout the year.
- Get regular updates in our Resources and Training newsletter.
- Premium whole-school membership subscribers - our printable year planner (primary and secondary versions) provides a handy month-by-month listing of moments for which we'll be developing resources or events. Display the planner in your staffroom or use it for team planning.
- Discover our CPD courses running throughout the year and find more information about conferences, training and workshops for teachers and practitioners.
Events in the Summer Term 2025 calendar
May 2025
Book Talk Reading Challenge
- Date: 1 May to 27 June 2025
- Activate the power of book talk in your school community with a new challenge for ages 5 to 14 supporting reading for pleasure. Sign up now and you'll be sent a free poster supporting the challenge.
- Book Talk Challenge
VE Day 80th Anniversary
- Date: 8 May 2025
- Literacy teaching activities for age groups from 5 to 14 to explore the importance of commemorating service, sacrifice and stories from the Second World War.
- VE DAY 2025: teaching resources and activities
Outdoor Classroom Day
- Date: 8 May 2025
- Time spent outdoors can bring a fresh perspective to learning, as well as benefitting children's health, wellbeing and development. Try our creative literacy ideas that take learning outside!
- Get Outdoors - a Hot Topic resource
Year 6 Sats
- Date: 12 to 15 May 2025
- Revision guidance for supporting pupils who'll be taking the Key Stage 2 Sats reading paper and the spelling, grammar and punctuation papers.
- Sats revision guide for Year 6 pupils
June 2025
Empathy Day
- Date: 12 June 2025
- Read our blog about why empathy matters, and how it links to reading: Empathy Day: Reading for pleasure and empathy
- Discover the Read for Empathy collection from our friends at Empathy Lab
- Celebrate Empathy Day with a live, online event featuring Joseph Coelho & Elle McNicoll delivered by National Literacy Trust and Empathy Lab.
Refugee Week
- Date: 16 to 22 June 2025
- Our resources help you place a teaching focus on Refugee Week that can help children gain understanding of issues and vocabulary they may encounter in the news, as well as supporting the celebration of diversity and inclusion in your school.
- Learn more about our Refugee Week resources and sign up for author events.
National Writing Day
- Date: 25 June 2025
- An annual celebration of the power of writing creatively, inspiring people of all ages and abilities to try writing for fun and self-expression.
- Resources, research and insight for National Writing Day
Transition preparation
- Date: 25 June to 31 July 2025
- Explore reading and book-based activities to support pupils as they make the move from primary to secondary school
- Plus, join a live author event on 25 June with Matt Goodfellow discussing his new book, The First Year.
- Anchors and Sails: Year 6 to 7 transition activities
- Books for big change: transition to secondary school
- Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan – literacy transition project
- Cosmic - an intergalactic literacy transition project
Pride Month
- Date: 1 to 30 June 2025
- Pride month: book-based literacy activities
- LGBTQIA+ booklist for ages 5 to 16 from our Young Readers Programme team
July 2025
National Secondary School Conference 2025: Perspectives on Literacy
- Date: 7 July 2025
- Location: Birmingham
- Our secondary conference celebrates best practice and explores the issues most significant to secondary practitioners through a combination of thought-leadership keynote presentations and interactive workshops.
- Learn more and book your place
August 2025
National Playday
- Date: 6 August 2025
- A celebration of the importance of play in children's lives, and it's vital role in their social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.
- Ten reasons why play is important
Back to school in Scotland
- Date: mid-August 2025
- Welcome a new class with engaging stories and encourage reading for pleasure
- New Beginnings: Hot Topic resource with ideas for reading, writing and oracy
- Back to school transition: reading and writing for pleasure activities (ages 5-14)
- Starting nursery and reception: wellbeing resources (early years)
Events in the Autumn Term 2025 calendar
September 2025
Back to school and settling in
- Date: September 2025 (England, Wales, Northern Ireland). Mid-August in Scotland.
- Welcome a new class with engaging stories and encourage reading for pleasure
- New Beginnings: Hot Topic resource with ideas for reading, writing and oracy
- Back to school transition: reading and writing for pleasure activities (ages 5-14)
- Starting nursery and reception: wellbeing resources (early years)
October 2025
National Poetry Day
- Date: 2 October 2025
- A whole-school/setting opportunity to encourage children to make, experience, share and enjoy poetry.
- National Poetry Day resources (Early Years, plus Key Stages 1, 2 and 3)
Libraries Week
- Date: 6 to 12 October 2025
- Celebrate the important role libraries play in our schools and communities, and encourage children to explore and engage with their school library and reading spaces.
- Brilliant ideas to encourage reading for pleasure (primary)
- Learn more about our work within the Libraries for Primaries campaign and about Libraries Week
World Mental Health Day
- Date: 10 October 2025
- Promote reading as an effective way of helping people take care of their mental health and wellbeing. Join our free, online author events for schools.
- Take 10 to read
Halloween
- Date: 31 October 2025
- Embed enjoyment of reading, writing, and speaking and listening.with our fang-tastic and spooktacular activity ideas for ages 5-14
- Hot Topic: Halloween
Black History Month
- Date: 1 to 31 October 2025
- We work to ensure that the resources we publish throughout the year are inclusive, feature a diverse range of voices. However, if you are marking Black History Month in your own school calendar, then please explore these resources.
- Celebrate Black history all year round
Bonfire Night, Diwali and Fireworks Festivals
- Date: 20 October 2025 Diwali
- Date: 5 November 2025 Bonfire Night
- Accessible inspiration for reading, writing, speaking and listening activities with a fireworks theme suitable for marking Diwali, Bonfire Night or both!
- Hot topic: fireworks and festivals
November 2025
Non-fiction November
- Date: 1 to 30 November 2025
- Events and resources to celebrate non-fiction November
Bonfire Night, Diwali and Fireworks Festivals
- Date: 20 October 2025 Diwali
- Date: 5 November 2025 Bonfire Night
- Accessible inspiration for reading, writing, speaking and listening activities with a fireworks theme suitable for marking Diwali, Bonfire Night or both!
- Hot topic: fireworks and festivals
Remembrance
- Date: 11 November 2025
- Honouring the service and sacrifice of those who have defended and protected our communities in the past, and those who continue to do so now..
- Remembrance events and assemblies in partnership with the Royal British Legion
- Remembrance resources for Scottish students with Poppyscotland (CfE links)
Nursery Rhyme Week
- Date: tbc November 2025
- A celebration of favourite rhymes that support language and communication skills, build confidence, and foster inclusivity.
- Nursery Rhymes in the Early Years
December 2025
Christmas and the festive season
- Date: 25 December 2025 - Christmas
- Date: 14 to 22 December 2025 - Hanukkah
- End the autumn term with celebrations focused on Christmas, Hanukkah and the mid-winter festive holiday.
- Hot topic: winter wonderland and links to seasonal resources
Events in the Spring Term 2026 calendar
January 2026
Wicked Writers: Be the Change writing competition
- Date: tbc 2026
- This annual competition challenges students aged 9 to 14 to write persuasively about a positive change they would like to see. Fully supported by classroom resources, there are also fantastic prizes on offer.
- Learn more about Wicked Writers
We Wonder: STEM reading challenge
- Date: tbc 2026
- Each year our STEM reading challenge with Turner & Townsend tasks students aged 9 to 14 with research and reading on a new and exciting STEM topic.
- Discover previous We Wonder challenges
Holocaust Memorial Day
- Date: 27 January 2026
- Developed in partnership with trusted experts, our resources and events support students to understand the terrible impact of the Holocaust, and reflect on actions we can take to secure a safer future.
- Holocaust Memorial Day - learn more by exploring resources from 2025 to support non-fiction writing.
February 2026
National Storytelling Week
- Date: tbc 2026
- A week-long celebration of stories – spoken or written – encouraging creativity and self-expression enabling children to tell their own stories.
- National Storytelling Week - curriculum-linked resources and events from early years through to KS3.
Children's Mental Health Week
- Date: tbc 2026
- Shining a spotlight on the importance of children and young people's mental health, and building on research findings that link literacy engagement with wellbeing. We have resources to help inspire pupils to explore their emotions, make meaningful connections and write for their wellbeing.
- Supporting wellbeing through literacy teaching
Safer Internet Day
- Date: tbc 2026
- Support pupils to develop critical and digital literacy skills helping them to navigate news, information and the digital environment safely.
- Media Literacy: a resource to Empower young minds
- NewsWise cross-curricular news literacy resources
- Classroom discussion activity: online communication and wellbeing
- Safer Internet Day: social media spectrum activity
If you're working in Alternative Provision with girls aged 11 to 14, take a look at Empower, our targeted critical media literacy programme.
Lunar New Year/Chinese New Year
- Date: 17 February 2026
- Celebrate the lunar new year with our flexible and fun literacy ideas.
- Hot Topic - Chinese New Year
Mother Language Day
- Date: 21 February 2026
- An annual celebration of the cultural and linguistic diversity that supports sustainable societies and fosters tolerance and respect. Chatting, singing and sharing stories in families' home language is fantastic for supporting early language development.
- Chat, Play Read: practitoner guidance plus simple activities for families with children aged 0 to 3, available in 19 different languages.
- Time Together: activity suggestions for families with children aged 3 to 5 supporting home learning, available in 26 languages.
March 2026
World Book Day
- Date: 5 March 2026
- Join with us for this annual celebration of authors, illustrators, books and the joy of reading.
- World Book Day: events, news and resources
National Careers Week
- Date: tbc March 2026
- Support aspirations and challenge stereotypes as you help pupils develop the literacy skills they need for future careers.
- National Careers Week whole-school and classroom resources (KS1 - KS5)
- Careers skills for CVs and interviews (KS4/5)
- Learn more about Words for Work, our flagship literacy and employability programme for ages 5 to 18.
International Women's Day
- Date: 8 March 2026
- International Women's Day literacy teaching ideas and classroom activities for pupils from Early Years through, KS1, KS2 and KS3, plus presentation and resource for ages 14+(KS4/5).
Early Words Matter Conference for early years
- Date: tbc March 2026
- Location: tbc
- Our Early Words Matter conference focuses on young children's development and communication. This landmark cross-sector conference amalgamates thought leadership and best practice for early years professionals.
- Learn more about our Early Words Matter conference.
Red Nose Day
- Date: tbc March 2026
- Through Red Nose Day, the Comic Relief charity raises funds to support a vision of a just world, free from poverty. Our research found that more boys than girls read and wrote comedy outside class, and also that more pupils eligible for free school meals than those who do not get meals said they wrote comedy at least once a month outside the classroom.
- Comic Relief Hot Topic ideas and activities for the classroom.
National Primary Conference
- Date: tbc March 2026
- Location: tbc
- Our annual primary conference aims to celebrate best practice and explore the issues most significant to primary practitioners through a combination of thought leadership and workshops.
- Learn more about our Primary conference.
Events in the Summer Term 2026 calendar
April 2026
Earth Day
- Date: 22 April 2026
- Earth Day is an annual celebration that raises awareness of the need to protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations. Discover our classroom resources or ages 3 to 14 (Early Years, KS1, KS2, KS3) to help explore the future of the planet and social action, whilst developing key literacy skills.
- Caring for the Planet: Young Readers booklist
- Talking to Young Children about The Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals)