Go All In on Reading: Celebration of books & free Masterclasses for Primary Schools

Highlights and early reading memories from Programme Manager Jess McDermott

12 January 2026

Primary Arts New Blog Series to Celebrate the National Year of Reading 2026!

I am a Programme Manager on Primary Arts, our fully funded, free programme that aims to increase access to high-quality, inspiring arts, cultural and creative opportunities for children and staff in London’s state mainstream primary schools and primary SEND settings. And I am delighted to be kicking off our blog series to celebrate the National Year of Reading 2026.

What is the National Year of Reading 2026?

Launched by the Department of Education last year in partnership with the National Literacy Trust (NLT), the National Year of Reading 2026 aims to encourage and celebrate reading in all its forms. In the NLT’s Annual Literacy Survey 2025, they found that enjoyment of reading among children and young people was at its lowest in 20 years. With just 1 in 3 children (aged 8 – 18) saying that they enjoyed reading in their free time. This has fallen by 36% since they began asking children about reading for pleasure in 2005. They also found that compared to the previous year’s survey, the drop was especially steep among primary-aged children and boys (11 – 16).

To engage young people in a love for reading, the NLT also asked children what motivates them to read. From this research, they have developed the Go All In campaign for the National Year of Reading. ‘Go All In’ draws on what we love – our hobbies, favourite songs, films and TV shows and encourages delving deeper into these through reading to further ignite our passions. Find out more about the DfE's plan and investment in literacy, as well as partners they will be working with, like the Premier League, who will be supporting this National campaign across 2026. You can also find out more about Go All In and download the starter toolkit and activity calendar available for schools and early years settings.

Watch the 'Go All In' campaign video

The Books from My Childhood

One of the things I find most wonderful about reading to, and sharing books with, children is remembering the stories from my childhood and the buzz of excitement that I felt reading as a child. I was always drawn to characters in stories that I could relate to and those bold enough to seek out plots and adventures that I would never have dared to go on.

We had a lot of books on the shelf when I was growing up that had been passed down for a few generations, and one of the first stories that I remember reading was Enid Blyton’s The Boy Next Door (1944), the plot mostly escapes me now, but I remember being lit up by excitement as the children go off on secret adventures. And then, in turn, discovering the Famous Five, which would later get me into murder mysteries and Whodunnit books, which, instead of telling stories, laid out a series of clues for plucky 10 year-old detectives to solve from illustrated crime scenes, torn letters, and secret codes before inviting you to check the answers at the back of the book.

Jess McDermot book images.png

I loved Jacqueline Wilson books, especially those illustrated by Nick Sharratt. I particularly remember loving The Suitcase Kid. Wilson’s books tended to introduce you to non-conventional families, which felt like the norm to me anyhow. But the way she laid out the stories meant it was not too confronting and gave you an opportunity to see what life was like from another child’s perspective and see family life represented in a way that it rarely was in other books. Another favourite author was Malorie Blackman. I remember finding Hacker in the library and being so quickly drawn into the story. I enjoyed doing very simple coding as a child and perhaps that was in part what excited me about this amazing teenage girl, Vicky, who was using her coding skills in a dangerous but exhilarating way to get justice for her father, who has been framed for stealing a large sum of money. I would never have had the courage or tenacity to take on the world like she did, but I loved living vicariously through Vicky and the world that Blackman created.

How can you get involved in the National Year of Reading 2026?

We hope you are feeling excited about reading this year! As well as taking part through the Go All In resources, if you are a teacher at a state-primary school or SEND setting in London, then why not join one of our fully-funded literacy Masterclasses?

As part of our Primary Arts programme, we have a brilliant series of FREE full-day Masterclasses for teachers hosted and delivered by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), an amazing literacy charity who joined the National Literacy Trust (NLT) last year to work together in their shared mission for excellence in literacy education.

Remaining sessions for Primary Arts 2025/26 include:

There are a few spaces available for the above session, but they are very popular and with such an exciting year for reading ahead, we do expect them to book up quickly.

You can register for a free place on up to three Masterclasses!

Author
Jess McDermott
Programmes Manager (Education)

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