Stakeholder Training and Events
EXPLORING BLACK BRITISH LITERATURE - LIVE! WITH MALORIE BLACKMAN Free Online Event 22 May 1pm-2pm This event is recommended for students in Year 10-13
Renowned author Malorie Blackman joins the British Library as they take their popular Exploring Black British Literature workshop live onstage for the first time!
You will see students who have worked with the British Library schools programme step up to champion the work of the Black British author who they believe has had the most profound cultural impact, drawing on the Library's exceptional collection to make their case.
The audience watching on will decide the eventual winner, casting votes in an engaging public-speaking event format before Malorie shares her own literary heroes and discusses her reader identity in an unmissable Q&A session.
Malorie Blackman has written over 70 books for children and young adults, including the Noughts & Crosses series, Thief and Chasing the Stars. Many of her books have also been adapted for stage and television. In 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children’s literature, and between 2013 and 2015 she was the Children’s Laureate.
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2nd June 2026 4-5pm
Webinar: Reading for Pleasure at KS2 - Empowering pupils through book choice
Designed for KS2 teachers, primary school English and literacy leads, librarians and headteachers who are passionate about nurturing a lifelong love of reading in their pupils.
Recent research highlights a worrying trend: children’s enjoyment of reading drops sharply between the ages of 7 and 11, just as independent reading becomes more important.
Hear from a panel of experts about how access to diverse, inclusive and representative books can motivate children to read and help schools reverse the decline in reading for pleasure while creating a vibrant reading culture, even with curriculum pressures.
Speakers will all share their knowledge, experiences, and actionable tips.
Click here for more information and to register for a place.
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8th June 11am-12pm
Guidebook explorers: around the world
Embark on a journey all about guidebooks, and discover fascinating and delightful ways to explore place. Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Viviane Schwarz and Ben Shires return this summer to take your students around the world and enliven engagement with literacy, geography and the wonder of books. Expect global locations, persuasive writing techniques and draw-along fun.
Supporting reading for pleasure and writing for pleasure, this year’s session will celebrate the art of guidebooks and the magic of unusual and wonderful places. Students will be inspired to create their own guidebooks through insights into books about the world, creative prompts, and interactive making.
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9th June 9:30am-10:15am
Super Subs - Building Your Vocabulary Dream Team Aimed at children aged 7 to 11, in upper primary classes right across the UK
As the Summer of Sport gets underway, the National Literacy Trust and Premier League Primary Stars are teaming up for an exclusive virtual moment where children across the UK get to build their own vocabulary dream teams. The kind of squad that can turn a good sentence into a champion one.
This event is a Go All In Together! moment, part of the National Year of Reading 2026.
For further information and to book a place, click here.
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9th June 3:45pm-4:25pm
TeachBrief Live: FREE Summer webinar - Reading for pleasure, access and inclusion This webinar is suitable for teachers, literacy leads, senior leaders, SEND specialists, librarians and anyone with responsibility for supporting reading and inclusion in schools or community settings.
TeachBrief Live is a termly webinar for primary literacy leaders, to help you boost outcomes and tackle the UK’s literacy crisis. Enjoy insightful discussions from experienced practitioners, connect with peers, stay updated on literacy developments, and gain confidence in leading change across your school. Delivered by the National Literacy Trust, it’s your go-to national literacy briefing.
The summer term edition will focus on reading for pleasure in relation to access and inclusion, particularly for children with SEND/ASN (Scotland). We'll consider the implications of government policy - including the English government's recent White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving - and what these frameworks mean in practice.
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10th June 10am-10:45am
All Aboard the Story Time Express - with Michael Morpurgo Suitable for ages 5-11
It’s full steam ahead with children’s author Michael Morpurgo as he reads from his much-loved book Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever - from a locomotive.
School and home-educated children are invited aboard the York Festival of Ideas’ story time express for an online journey into the golden age of steam travel. Enjoy an inspiring tale celebrating the world’s most iconic train, Flying Scotsman, and its greatest fan, a young girl named Iris.
Surrounded by the gleam of brass at York's National Railway Museum, Michael will read excerpts from his book and answer questions about his life and inspiration at our live online event hosted by Katie Razzall, BBC News Culture and Media Editor.
This event will take place live on Zoom Webinar. You will receive a link to join a couple of days before the event and a reminder an hour before. During the event, you can ask questions via a Q&A function, but audience cameras and microphones will remain muted throughout.
For further information and to book a place, click here
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12th June
Pyjamarama
Register today for Pyjamarama on 12 June 2026 to access all the resources that will make your day brilliant!
Thousands of children all around the country – in schools, nurseries, community groups and at home – will spend the day reading, enjoying, and sharing stories all in the comfort of their pyjamas to raise vital funds to ensure every child has access to a story at bedtime. You can choose to celebrate with BookTrust on 12 June, or any day that suits you best.
Register your school or early years setting for Pyjamarama and pay in your fundraising by 6th July, and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a reading corner! You could win stunning bespoke Wall Art from Promote Your School, a bookshelf and cosy furnishings provided by TTS Resources, plus a selection of 100 books! Terms and conditions apply.
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17th June 3:45pm-5:15pm
Sustaining reading momentum: across summer, through autumn and beyond
As part of the National Year of Reading 2026 free professional development offer for primary schools, this webinar supports school leaders, reading leads and class teachers to sustain reading for pleasure momentum through the summer period and into the new academic year.
Seasonal transitions can present real challenges for reading engagement, but with intentional planning, they also offer powerful opportunities to strengthen reading engagement, confidence and motivation.
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15th June 1pm-2:30pm
Refugee Week: No Place Like Home Suitable for KS2 Years 3-6 and KS3 Years 7-11
The Sanctuary Foundation’s No Place Like Home competition prize-giving ceremony returns to the Library for a third year, in celebration of Refugee Week.
A valuable experience for students to learn about the refugees and celebrate cultural diversity, the annual art and poetry competition encourages children and young people to empathise with others their age who have had to leave their homes due to conflict or natural disaster, or to express their own lived experience of this. Entries will be judged by a fantastic panel of celebrities, refugees and journalists.
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23rd June 9:30am-10:30am
Visionary leadership for reading for pleasure in the early years: Creating and sustaining a reading rich culture
This webinar is designed specifically for leaders across the early years community who hold the greatest influence over establishing and sustaining a strong reading for pleasure culture. It will explore how leadership vision, strategic decision making, and whole setting approaches can shape environments where reading thrives.
The session forms part of a wider suite of resources that includes leadership tools, examples of effective practice from diverse settings, and curated book recommendations aligned with each area of learning.
The webinar will be the early years flagship event for the summer term, aimed specifically at headteachers, senior leaders, EYFS leads and practitioners responsible for building the reading for pleasure culture, including childminders.
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24th June 3:30pm-4:30pm
From vision to practice: Bringing a reading rich culture to life across the early years community
This webinar is designed for early years teachers, practitioners and childminders, focusing on what a reading-rich curriculum looks like in day-to-day practice. Through concrete examples and strategies, it will support educators in the early years community to use stories with intention to strengthen teaching, deepen learning and build children’s language during the earliest years.
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9th July 4pm-5pm
Accessible children's books with Every Cherry and Barrington Stoke
Discover how accessible publishing opens reading doors for all children. In this special session, two of the National Literacy Trust’s Libraries for Primaries partner publishers Every Cherry (Sweet Cherry) and Barrington Stoke (Harper Collins) will share insights into their process of designing books that support a wide range of readers, including those who may face barriers such as dyslexia, learning disabilities, or low reading confidence.
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10th July 10:30am
Celebrate the Summer Reading Challenge
The British Library is joined by Camden Libraries to turn up the volume on this summer's challenge. This joyous free online event for school Years 1 – 2 celebrates this year’s Summer Reading Challenge theme, Read to the Beat.
Special guests will deliver readings, performances, and lively sing-alongs. Including award-winning performance poet, playwright and children’s author Joseph Coelho.
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