A huge congratulations to Heathfield Infant School for a wonderful performance at the National Theatre in front of ~1000 audience members at #CLiPPA26! Poem: 'Dinosaur' from 'Five Little Friends: A Collection of Finger Rhymes', by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Fiona Woodcock, Walker Books🎉
CLPE
@theclpe.bsky.social
The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) is a UK based charity that creates and delivers award-winning literacy training and resources for the teachers of early years and primary school children.
What a delight to hear a selection of poems from 'Five Little Friends: A Collection of Finger Rhymes' live, from shortlisted poet by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Fiona Woodcock, Walker Books- A huge congratulations to all of our shortlisted poets! 🎉
Placing high-quality children's literature at the heart of learning helps children develop creativity, a rich vocabulary, and confidence as readers and writers. Find out more about how the Power of Reading can support literacy across your school: https://clpe.org.uk/training
Another wonderful moment from CLiPPA 2026! 🐝✨ Two of our Shadowing Winners take to the stage to perform 'Bumblebee' by Simon Mole, with live illustration by Chris Riddell. We loved seeing these young poetry enthusiasts bring Simon's words to life.
This week’s Upper KS2 pick: 'Bím Blake’s Hot Takes: My Pencil Case Doesn’t Define Me', written by Tola Okogwu and published by Puffin Books. This book is a relatable and witty slice of life from the diary of Bím Blake as she starts in year 7. More: https://clpe.org.uk/blog/
One of the many memorable moments from the CLiPPA 2026 Awards Ceremony! Shortlisted poet Simon Mole performs his wonderful poem 'Bombardier Beetle', with live illustrations by Chris Riddell. 🪲✨
In his reading of 'The Wind', Sean Taylor demonstrates how performance can encourage active participation. Visit our website to find more performances from Sean's #CLiPPA26 shortlisted title 'Five Little Friends', illustrated by @FionaWoodcock and published by @walkerbooksuk.
Give every teacher in your school tools to teach literacy with confidence. Our All‑Access Membership gives ALL teachers unlimited access to our 'Lessons in Literacy' — practical, research‑informed CPD to strengthen subject knowledge & practice. https://clpe.org.uk/membership
John Agard won the CLiPPA for a record third time with 'The Poetry World of John Agard', a wonderful example of just how powerful children’s poetry can be. Find out more: https://www.voice-online.co.uk/entertainment/2026/07/20/john-agards-third-clippa-win-is-unprecedented/
This week’s Lower Key Stage 2 pick: Koruba, the Case of the Missing Kolo by Àlàbá Ònájìn, published by Scallywag Press. This is a graphic novel for younger readers, with a child-led cast of characters and an engaging mystery to propel the narrative along. More: https://clpe.org.uk/blog/
How does a curriculum built with the Power of Reading develop children's language and imagination for writing? Discover more insights from the 2025-26 Impact Report: https://clpe.org.uk/news/discover-impact-power-reading-teachers-and-children
A huge thank you to our judges this year for choosing our five shortlisted CLiPPA collections. This year’s shortlist includes something for everyone and we hope that all of the schools that were involved in shadowing had an excellent time learning and performing poetry! Jake Hope
We are delighted to be back at the National Theatre today for #CLiPPA26! Here is a reminder of our excellent shortlist... Adam Ming Jack Noel @otterbarrybooks.bsky.social Andersen Press Nosy Crow
Just 1 more day to go until CliPPA 2026! 🎉 As we start to count down the hours, we have just one last conversation with Simon Mole talking about how he feels being shortlisted for the award.
This is the impact when schools embed our Power of Reading training across curriculum and practice. We transform how reading is taught, experienced and valued so every child makes real progress. Find out how: https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/1RW5-1LLD/por
2 days to go until CliPPA 2026! 🎉 As we get even closer to the big event itself, we're continuing our conversations with this year's shortlisted nominees. Today, we have Shirley Hottier talking about how it feels knowing 'The Poetry World of John Agard' is shortlisted for the award.
Power of Reading isn’t a reading and writing scheme, it's a proven methodology with resources and approaches to support & develop confident, motivated readers and writers. Find out more: https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/1RW5-1LLD/por
3 days to go until CliPPA 2026! 🎉 As we're only days away from knowing who has won CLiPPA 2026, we're continuing our conversations with this year's shortlisted nominees. Today, we've got Sean Taylor speaking about how he felt finding out he was shortlisted for the award.
6 days to go until CliPPA 2026! 🎉 As the countdown continues, we're continuing our conversations with this year's shortlisted nominees. Today, hear from Sam Gayton about his reaction to finding out he was shortlisted for the award.
The countdown to CliPPA 2026 begins! 🎉 With just 7 days to go, we're celebrating by sharing some conversations with this year's shortlisted nominees. Here's Traci N. Todd reflecting on what being shortlisted means to her. Stay tuned for more nominee stories ahead of the big day!
Our latest blog by Ashley Best-White, Executive Headteacher at Nebula Federation, explores how phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, expression, and rich literary experiences work together to help children become fluent, lifelong readers. Read the full blog on our website: clpe.org.uk/blog
The Power of Reading 2025 Impact Report explores how a curriculum built with the Power of Reading benefit teachers and pupils. Discover more insights from the Impact Report: https://clpe.org.uk/news/discover-impact-power-reading-teachers-and-children
Phoebe, our librarian, shares her top KS1 pick: We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang, published by Pushkin Press. A funny, warm-hearted story about kindness, community and the challenge of blending in. Discover more KS1 recommendations on the CLPE blog.
Giving children choice and voice makes poetry meaningful. Drawing on their experiences and emotions helps writing become powerful. Use prompts, reflection time and journals to support expression. Explore more: https://clpe.org.uk/research/poetry-primary-schools-what-we-know-works
Power of Reading is a whole-school approach to literacy, rooted in 50+ years of classroom practice. Shaped by teachers and backed by evidence, it transforms teaching and improves pupil outcomes nationwide. Learn more: https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/1RW5-1LLD/por
Mapped to the IPC in partnership with the ICA, the Power of Reading uses high-quality children's literature to build literacy skills. As one teacher shared in our 2025 Impact Report, pupils are gaining vocabulary, confidence and joy through books. Find out more: clpe.org.uk/training
This week’s Early Years pick: I Can't Sleep by Emma Farrarons, published by Rocket Bird Books. It stars two brothers in a very familiar bedtime scenario of one child being ready for bed and the other having just a few more questions to ask. More: https://clpe.org.uk/blog/
We’re so excited to host the CLiPPA 2026 award show on 9 July! Here’s one of the 2025 winning school shadowing groups performing "A Short Introduction to the Doggish Language" by Brian Bilston. We can’t wait to see this year’s winners take to the stage and share their performances.
✨ New blog post ✨ Charley Rabbit shares her motivations for writing 'Monsieur Mustard: The Disappearance of Fabio Fangtooth' as well as a glimpse into her influences and inspirations. Read more: https://clpe.org.uk/blog/monsieur-mustard-blog-charley-rabbit
An amazing day yesterday with the first of our Power of Reading final days, an extra special group: the first cohort of our EEF-funded research trial. Incredible practice, huge impact on pupil engagement & attainment, esp boys, FSM, EAL & SEND. Teachers loving teaching again!