The Teachers’ reading Challenge is BACK for 2025 and we are delighted to announce that thanks to sponsorship from HarperCollins UK, we’ve been able to make some long-awaited changes this year.
We are waving goodbye to the old bronze, silver and gold system and introducing collectible badges on different themes and genres – from POETRY POWER to LAUGH OUT LOUD, we hope there will be something for everyone. For each badge there will be recommended reads from expert educators, publishers and authors, and each year we’ll introduce more badges, to keep things fresh.
If you’ve got a suggestion for a badge you’d like to see, let us know! In the meantime, get acquainted with the website, have a nose around, make sure you sign up this year’s challenge and decide which badge(s) you want to earn! You can, of course, just choose freely- that badge is called I Choose 5.
We hope you like the new site- make sure you are signed up to receive the newsletters and all the exciting goodies we have for you this year, from resources to competitions, online events to author videos. Thanks for joining us…
The Teachers’ Reading Challenge is an opportunity for school, library and other education staff to expand their knowledge of children’s books and develop their understanding of reading for pleasure pedagogy. The Challenge invites participants to join a supportive and inspired community of educators and readers, set their own reading goal, share reviews, access resources, and submit an example of practice.
15 June 2023
BBC’s 500 Words, the UK’s largest children’s writing competition for children aged 5-11 returns from Tuesday 24 September to Friday 8 November 2024.
There are two age categories: 5-7 year-olds and 8-11 year-olds. All children need to do is write a story they would love to read in 500 words or less. Children of all abilities can enter; spelling, punctuation and grammar are not marked – it’s all about creativity!
The finalists will be invited to go to a glamorous grand final in February next year, where the bronze, silver and gold in each category will have their stories read out by celebrities. There are also lots of prizes to be won – each winner takes home a bundle of books and the gold winners also win 500 books for their school library.
Not only that, the winning stories will take home an original illustration from Dapo Adeola, Nigel Parkinson, Lydia Monks, Momoko Abe, Rob Biddulph or Yasmeen Ismail.
The winning stories will be judged by an official panel including Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Sir Lenny Henry, Francesca Simon, Charlie Higson, Malorie Blackman and joining the panel this year, singer-songwriter Olivia Dean.
Need some inspiration? Head on over to the 500 words site (bbc.co.uk/teach/500-words) There you can find out from the judges what makes a brilliant 500 Words story.
Of course, 500 Words wouldn’t be a success without the support of thousands of volunteer judges who mark the first round. Registration to sign up as a volunteer judge is open to teachers, teaching assistants, SEND and library staff. Please do sign up via the website now.
Competition closes 9pm Friday 8 November 2024. For more details and to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notices go to bbc.co.uk/500words.
23 September 2024
Please stay tuned for news on the 2024 Teachers’ Reading Challenge, as we await decisions on funding. We have big plans for the challenge and hope you’ll join us for the next exciting stage.
8 July 2024
During this recorded webinar, GP Dr Clare Etherington talks to Emma Goswell (Coming Out Stories) and Samuel Pollen (The Year I Didn’t Eat) about their books, teenage wellbeing and how reading can help.
This webinar is one of a series of virtual events aimed at secondary schools, colleges and libraries to tie in with the Reading Well for teens scheme (launched on 10th October 2022).
26 June 2023
During this recorded webinar, Aoife Dooley (author/illustrator of Frankie’s World) and Rhian Ivory (author of Hope) talk about their books, teenage wellbeing and how reading can help.
This webinar is one of a series of virtual events aimed at secondary schools, colleges and libraries to tie in with the Reading Well for teens scheme (launched on 10th October 2022).
26 June 2023
During this recorded webinar, musician and artist Love Ssega talks to authors Sita Brahmachari (When Shadows Fall) and Nicola Morgan (Be Resilient: How to Build a Strong Teenage Mind for Tough Times) about their books, teenage wellbeing and how reading can help.
This webinar is one of a series of virtual events aimed at secondary schools, colleges and libraries to tie in with the Reading Well for teens scheme (launched on 10th October 2022).
26 June 2023
This year’s Teachers’ Reading Challenge has now come to a close, with over 2,000 teachers, librarians and education staff taking part and reading over 4,000 books over the summer!
We would love to hear your thoughts on the Challenge and how we can make it even better next year by completing our evaluation survey.
For a chance to win £100 in National Book Tokens, all you need to do is complete the survey by 5pm, Friday 18 November. Full details can be found by following the link here.
16 November 2022
