Spring 2026 reading newsletter
We’re delighted to share our Spring term reading newsletter, celebrating a vibrant and inspiring term of reading across Dallam School.
This term has been shaped by the National Year of Reading 2026, with the message “If you’re into it, read into it”encouraging all students to see reading in its broadest and most accessible form; from novels to magazines, recipes to match reports.
To mark this, we’ve packed the term full of opportunities to promote a love of reading. Highlights include:
- A virtual author visit from Tom Palmer, inspiring our Year 7 students
- The launch of our Little Libraries, celebrating staff reading recommendations and sparking conversations about books
- Cross-curricular reading projects, including mock trial work and creative design in DT
- The launch of our #readingisreading initiative, encouraging all students to engage with reading in their own way
Our World Book Day celebrations were bigger than ever, spanning two weeks and involving the whole school community. Students enjoyed:
- A whole-school reading event to launch the week
- A book swap initiative to share and discover new reads
- Free books and vouchers for all students
- Staff dress-up, themed menus and a wide range of quizzes and competitions
We were also thrilled to welcome two visiting authors to Dallam:
- Henry Vyner-Brooks, who worked with Year 10 on writing and storytelling
- Chris Bradford, who inspired Years 7–9 with his Young Samurai series and celebrated our Millionaire Readers
Importantly, this term has also seen strong progress in reading, with many students successfully completing interventions such as Step and Leap and continuing to build confidence and fluency.
To finish the term, we’ve included a range of Easter holiday reading recommendations to keep students engaged and reading over the break.
