Quantum Multi-Academy Trust

The National Year of Reading 2026 is the biggest campaign in a generation designed to help more people (re)discover the joy of reading and make it part of their everyday lives.

The National Literacy Trust highlights how reading for pleasure can:

• Help children develop empathy through new perspectives

• Build confidence, with over a quarter of young readers saying reading makes them feel more confident

• Inspire imagination and creativity

• Broaden their horizons and curiosity about the world

• Strengthen learning, with children who enjoy reading far more likely to have above‑average reading skills

Reading Highlights from Our Schools include:

Larkrise Primary School
Larkrise spent last week promoting reading across the school, encouraging pupils to explore new stories and enjoy reading together.

Maylandsea Primary School
Parents and carers from Bumblebee and Ladybird Classes enjoyed a well‑attended reading and phonics workshop. Reading remains a key priority at Maylandsea, with staff passionate about fostering a strong, positive start to children’s reading journeys.

St Luke’s Primary School
St Luke’s continues its focus on reading and is encouraging families to join the Essex Libraries Winter Reading Challenge. The school also shared simple strategies like echo reading to help build confidence during daily reading at home.

Great Baddow High School
Reading is central to life at GBHS. Students take part in weekly Drop Everything And Read sessions, enjoy a wide range of library initiatives and engage in programmes promoting purposeful and pleasure‑driven reading across subjects.

Together, We Are Growing Readers for Life

Thank you to our families and staff across the Trust for encouraging children to read widely and often. Your support helps create confident, curious and lifelong readers.