Professor Teresa Cremin, CBE, delivers keynote speech at National Year of Reading launch

Posted on 22 January 2026 • Around the OU, Education, University news

Professor Teresa Cremin, CBE delivers keynote speech at National Year of Reading launch

Professor of literacy, Teresa Cremin, CBE, delivered an inspirational keynote speech at the National Year of Reading 2026 launch, where she called for everyone to “Go all in Together” to help more young people discover the joy of reading.

In her speech, Professor Cremin, set out why reading for pleasure matters and its association with fostering a broad knowledge of the world, enriching vocabulary, cognitive growth, psychological well-being, imagination, empathy, social mobility and relational connections.

She noted the well-documented decline in reading for pleasure in recent years, calling for more strategic, intentional efforts to reverse it and highlighted that the National Year of Reading 2026 is an opportunity to do this.

In proposing reading resolutions for 2026, Teresa issued a rallying call to everyone involved in children’s lives – teachers, parents, volunteers, librarians, and others, stating:

“To build a nation of readers, within and well beyond this year, we need to be working strategically and responsibly. So, let’s  Go All in Together’ strategically and responsibly, – our young people deserve no less”

Professor Cremin, leads the OU’s Reading for Pleasure Research and Practice Coalition - a community hub, co-created with and for teachers, student teachers, librarians and all those interested in developing the habit of reading in young people.

The National Year of Reading 2026 is a Department for Education initiative, delivered by the National Literacy Trust in collaboration with a range of delivery partners to inspire more people to make reading a regular part of their lives. The Open University has pledged support for this campaign along with many other organisations throughout the UK, as a pledge partner.

The full speech can be found here: National Year of Reading: Schools & Early Years Settings Launch Webinar

To find out more about the OU’s Reading for Pleasure research hub, visit: Reading for Pleasure – Reading for Pleasure