The winners of the HarperCollins Reading for Pleasure Awards 2024, in association with the Open University and the UK Literacy Association (UKLA), have been announced.
Each year since its launch in 2017, the awards have recognised and celebrated teachers who are putting Reading for Pleasure at the heart of their classrooms in creative and innovative ways, to inspire children to read.
This year, bestselling author Hannah Gold joined the judging panel as the guest judge.
The winners were awarded across six categories this year, with each category receiving £250 worth of books from across Farshore, HarperCollins Children’s Books, Collins and Barrington Stoke along with 20 copies of Help Your Child Love Reading by Alison David.
The winners are as follows:
- Early Career – WINNER: Charlotte Squirrell, Moorlands Church of England Primary Academy, Norfolk
- Experienced Teacher – JOINT WINNERS: Chris Soul, Watford St John’s Church of England Primary School, Watford and Imogen Maund, Caldecott Primary School, Oxfordshire and a HIGHLY COMMENDED to Claire Burton-Gardner, Turnfurlong Junior School, Buckinghamshire
- School Reading Champion – JOINT WINNERS: Henrietta Englefield, Colfe's Senior School, London and Kathryn Handley, The Sir Donald Bailey Primary Academy, Nottinghamshire
- Whole School – WINNER: Lydgate Infant School, Sheffield submitted by Vikki Varley and Daisy Whitehead
- Community Reading Champion -JOINT WINNERS: Cathy Cook, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham and Simon Pollard, St Austell Festival of Children’s Literature, Cornwall
- Author’s Choice – WINNER: Steeton Primary School, Yorkshire submitted by Claire Redman
Alison David, Consumer Insight Director at Farshore, said ‘We were so impressed with the entries; every year we think they can’t get much better, and they do! It’s a joy to know teachers and educators are focusing on reading for pleasure strategically and with so much imagination and creativity. To read about the impact on children and young people is a delight and cause for enormous optimism.’
Hannah Gold adds: 'Being part of this year's judging process for the Reading for Pleasure Teacher Awards has been one of the biggest honours of my career to date. Not only has it confirmed just how vital reading for pleasure is in the classroom, but these awards also give a spotlight to some of the most brilliant, innovative and caring teachers in the UK today.'
Teresa Cremin, Professor of Education at The Open University, commented ‘These award-winning schools and teachers demonstrate the impact of giving reading for pleasure the respect it deserves. Their investment and involvement in strategically developing positive reader identities has clearly paid dividends. The impact of their work on young lives is evident and warrants both recognition and celebration’.
For more information on the winners, please click here.