Help
The 2022 Teachers’ Reading Challenge runs from 27 June to 29 October.
Contact [email protected] if you need any assistance or have any questions.
Below you can find answers to some questions about using this website. Click the section headings and questions to find answers to your queries.
Quick Help: I want to change my screen name!
You can update your screen name here.
Change the text in the ‘Screen name’ box and scroll to the bottom of the page and click ‘Submit’. You will need to log out and then back in for your new screenname to appear. Please note – you will still use your email address to login if that is what you originally joined with.
Quick help: How do I see my reviews?
You can find your own reviews here.
Your Online Account
For questions about signing up to this website; logging in to your account; usernames, passwords etc.
Taking part in the Teachers’ Reading Challenge
For questions about participating in the 2022 Challenge, finding books to read and recording your progress.
Further Questions
How to get in touch with the Teachers’ Reading Challenge Team if your question is not answered on this page.
Your Online Account
How do I sign up to take part in the Teachers’ Reading Challenge online?
I don’t think I’ve received a confirmation email. What should I do?
I’ve forgotten my Username, what do I do?
I’ve forgotten my Password, what do I do?
I’ve forgotten my details, what do I do?
I’m trying to sign up for my account but it says the email is already taken.
How do I sign up to take part in the Teachers’ Reading Challenge online?
If you already have a Teachers’ Reading Challenge account, head to the home page and select the LOGIN button. Enter your Username and Password to sign into your profile.
To join the Teachers’ Reading Challenge for the first time, you will need an email address.
Head to the home page and click the JOIN NOW button to get started.
Follow the steps below to complete the registration:
- Enter your date of birth when prompted and click Continue
- Enter the email address
- Pick a Username and a Password. Try to a pick a Username that is unique to you – you could include numbers or extra letters. We recommend you do not pick your real name. Your Password must be at least 6 characters long. You will need this Username and Password to sign into your account once it has been set up.
- Enter your name and click Submit to move on to the next page
What should I do if the page refreshes and I don’t move on to the next page?
Pick a different Username, as someone else may have already signed up with the same one you chose.
There will be a notification to let you know if your chosen Username is already in use.
We will send an email to the address you gave us to confirm you have started the sign up process.
I don’t think I’ve received a confirmation email. What should I do?
Visit the login page and enter the Username and Password
The next page will ask you to enter an address.
Enter your chosen address and a new confirmation email will be sent out to you. You may wish to check your Junk/ Spam folders as well.
If you have completed this step and have not received an email, please do get in touch.
To re-send your confirmation email manually, we need to know the Username of the account you are trying to approve, so that we can find it in our system. Please send the account Username to our team and we will request a new email. Remember to check your Junk folders as well.
I’ve forgotten my Username, what do I do?
Please get in contact with the Teachers’ Reading Challenge team at [email protected]
I’ve forgotten my Password, what do I do?
Click I have forgotten my password and you will be sent a link to reset your password or you can reset a forgotten password by entering your email address here.
I’m trying to sign up for an account but it says the email is already taken.
If you receive a message stating your email is already in use, this means you are already registered with The Reading Agency. You can retrieve forgotten account details by following these above steps.
Taking part in the Teachers’ Reading Challenge
Who can take part in the Teachers’ Reading Challenge?
What do I have to do to complete the Teachers’ Reading Challenge?
How do I add a book to my profile?
Do I read books on this website?
How do I remove a book from my profile?
How does the Book Sorter work?
Who can take part in the Teachers’ Reading Challenge?
The Teachers’ Reading Challenge is open to:
• Primary, Secondary and Special School Teachers
• Teaching assistants
• School and Public Librarians
• Headteachers/ Deputy Headteachers
• English Consultants
• Learning Support Assistants (LSAs)/ Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs)
• Curriculum Leaders
• Student Teachers
• University lecturers working with schools and teachers
• Heads of Pastoral Care
• Language Teachers
What do I have to do to complete the Teachers’ Reading Challenge?
When you join the Challenge, you will be asked to set yourself a reading goal. We recommend you set your goal at six books, but you are free to pick more!
You can use any books you like to complete your Challenge: fiction, fact books, poetry, joke books, picture books, audio books all count! Visit your local library service website to borrow e-books and audiobooks free of charge.
Each time you finish a book, you can add it to your profile, give it a rating and leave a review. Alternatively, you can download the reading diary and add your books there, or to both!
Your profile will show you your progress in the Challenge – keep reading to meet your goal. When you complete the Challenge you will receive a certificate to download and keep.
How do I add a book to my profile?
Sign in with your Username and Password to land on your profile page. If you are already logged in, use the ‘My Challenge’ button in the top right corner of the screen to go to your profile.
Your profile will show you your progress in the Challenge so far.
Underneath the progress box you can see the books you have read. Choose the ‘Add a Book’ to my Challenge’ button to add a book once you have finished reading it.
We invite you to give your book a rating out of five and write a review to let everyone know what you thought. Your reviews will contribute to the Top 100 Book Reviews page for other teachers to read. Choose the Submit button to add the book to your profile.
Your review will be checked by the Teachers’ Reading Challenge moderation team and it will be removed if inappropriate. Please do not break our site rules.
What is my wishlist?
Your wishlist is where you can keep track of all the books you would like to read. You can use your wishlist to save the books you think look interesting, then use your local library service or chosen e-lending platform to look them up to read. You can get book recommendations from the Book Sorter or from the Top 100 Book Reviews page.
This is different from the reading goal on your profile – you should only add a book to your progress page once you have finished it.
Do I read books on this website?
This website will give you lots of ideas for brilliant books to read, interesting articles on Reading for Pleasure and a profile to keep track of your reading goal.
To read a book online, you can go to your local library service website, where you can borrow their e-books and audiobooks for free.
You can use your local library’s website and apps to access free reading materials and to see the latest information on books and services available in your area.
Read our handy guide to find out more about accessing books while you’re at home, on and off-line.
How do I remove a book from my profile?
If you accidentally add a book you have not read to your profile, you can remove it from your list.
Log in to your profile and go to the My Books page here – this will show you all the books you have added to your profile.
Find the book you want to remove and click the ‘Delete from profile’ button underneath it to take the book off your list.
How does the Book Sorter work?
Every time a Summer Reading Challenge website user adds a book to their profile, it gets added into the Book Sorter as a recommendation for other children. You can also see these recommendations that have been left by children for children!
All the titles the Book Sorter suggests are chosen by children using this website. These are not decided or entered by The Reading Agency or the Open University.
For example, if a child aged seven adds Pugs of the Frozen North to their Summer Reading Challenge profile, Pugs of the Frozen North may then appear in the Book Sorter results as a suggestion for readers aged seven.
The Reading Agency does not select any particular authors or titles to appear in the Book Sorter search results, or assign a set reading age to the titles recommended. If a book has been read by lots of children using the website, it may appear in the Book Sorter results more frequently.
Click the ‘Surprise Me’ button on the Book Sorter results page to shake up the suggestions.
Further questions
If you have a question about the Teachers’ Reading Challenge that is not answered on this website, please contact the team via email and we will do our best to help you. The Reading Agency working hours are 9am-5.30pm Monday-Thursday, 9am-5pm Friday. We are only able to respond to messages inside business hours. Please do note that due to Covid-19 we are working from home but will endeavour to respond to queries as swiftly as we can.
Your local library service will also be able to help you with any questions on accessing e-books and audiobooks via their e-lending platforms, on accessing physical books and materials.
If you are reporting a technical issue with the Teachers’ Reading Challenge website, please be ready to share the following information with us when you get in touch, as it enables us to help you more quickly:
- If your query relates to a website account, please let us know the email address used to set up the account, and where possible, the Username you chose when completing the registration form.
- If your query relates to an aspect of the website that appears not to be working correctly, please include a link to the specific page and a screenshot of the issue you are experiencing.
You can contact the Teachers’ Reading Challenge team at: [email protected]
You can contact The Reading Agency press and communications team at: [email protected]
Please direct queries about other Reading Agency programmes to: [email protected], and we will put you in touch with the relevant programme team.