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 Autumn Term 2024 calendar
December 2024
World of Graphic Novels Reading Challenge
- Date: deadline for entries 10 December 2024
- This Autumn inspire your students with the exciting World of Graphic Novels reading challenge that supports book choice, reading for pleasure and literacy skills. For ages 7 to 14.
- The World of Graphic Novels
Christmas and the festive season
- Date: 25 December 2024 - Christmas
- Date: from 25 December 2024 - 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 2025 calendar
January 2025
Wicked Writers: Be the Change writing competition
- Date: launches 13 January 2025
- Could your students 'be the change' in their local community? This 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.
- Get involved in Wicked Writers
We Wonder: Our Blue Planet reading challenge
- Date: launches January 2025
- This year our annual STEM reading challenge with Turner & Townsend tasks students aged 9 to 14 with research and reading that leads to them designing a campaign poster to protect our precious water resources.
- Take part in Our Blue Planet
Holocaust Memorial Day
- Date: 27 January 2025
- 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 - our resources for 2024 will remain available throughout this school year, and we'll be updating them for spring 2025.
Lunar New Year/Chinese New Year
- Date: 29 January 2025
- Celebrate the lunar new year with our flexible and fun literacy ideas.
- Hot Topic - Chinese New Year
February 2025
National Storytelling Week
- Date: 1 to 9 February 2025
- A week-long celebration of stories – spoken or written – encouraging creativity and self-expression enabling children to tell their own stories.
- National Storytelling Week - resources and events from early years through to KS3.
Children's Mental Health Week
- Date: 3 to 9 February 2025
- 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.
- Children's Mental Health Week
- Supporting wellbeing through literacy teaching
Safer Internet Day
- Date: 11 February 2025
- Support pupils to develop critical and digital literacy skills helping them to navigate news, information and the digital environment safely.
- 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.
March 2025
World Book Day
- Date: 6 March 2025
- 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: 3 to 8 March 2025
- 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 2025
- International Women's Day classroom resource (Early Years, KS1, KS2, KS3)
Early Words Matter Conference for early years
- Date: 19 March 2025
- Location: London
- The Early Words Matter conference is the new name for our long-standing Talk to your Baby event, that has been running for 20 years. Focusing on young children's development and communication, our landmark cross-sector conference amalgamates thought leadership and best practice for early years professionals.
- Learn more and book your place at the Early Words Matter conference.
Red Nose Day
- Date: tbc March 2025
- 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: 27 March 2025 (tbc)
- Location: Bradford
- 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 and book your place at our Primary conference 2025: Raising voices, raising literacy.
Events in the Summer Term 2025 calendar
April 2025
Earth Day
- Date: 22 April 2025
- 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.
- Earth Day
- Caring for the Planet: Young Readers booklist
- Talking to Young Children about The Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals)
May 2025
Year 6 SATS
- Date: 12 to 15 May 2025
- Sats revision guide for Year 6 pupils
Outdoor Classroom Day
- Date: tbc 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
June 2025
Empathy Day
- Date: tbc 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
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.
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
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
Transition preparation
- Date: 1 to 31 July 2025
- Explore reading and book-based activities to support pupils as they make the move from primary to secondary school
- 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
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
Events in the Autumn Term 2025 calendar
September 2025
Back to school and settling in
- Date: September 2025 (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: 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