International Reading Conference 2026
Join our free online event to hear from experts as they discuss best practices and strategies to encourage reading for pleasure, reading for learning and reading for life.
Register todayJoin on 9th, 10th and 11th June 2026
Secure your free spot today!Are you a senior leader, multi-academy trust leader, teacher, teaching assistant or librarian? Sign up for the free online International Reading Conference 2026!
Join us if you are interested in evidence-based reading strategies, innovative literacy solutions and learning from renowned education experts.
Daisy Education presents the fifth online International Reading Conference, which will be held on 9th, 10th and 11th June 2026.
Attendance is FREE for all delegates.
The event is for primary and secondary educators who want to foster confident, lifelong readers through best practices and innovative strategies.
Uncover how you can:
- Cultivate a reading culture within your school, academy or trust.
- Ensure students continue accelerating their reading growth by feeling motivated and empowered to read.
- Utilise adaptive technology to develop digital reading strategies for success.
- Discover innovative approaches to nurture a thriving reading environment.
About the host
Baasit Siddiqui
TV personality, entrepreneur in all things education and Director of Siddiqui Education
Baasit’s journey on the BAFTA and NTA award-winning ‘Gogglebox’ has allowed him to merge his teaching expertise with his entertainment background to effectively educate, motivate and foster the development of children across the UK. Much of Baasit’s work forwards his mission of supporting upward mobility in young people.
Speakers
Andrew Ettinger
Director of Education at the National Literacy Trust
Andrew oversees all the Trust’s education work with schools, settings, children and families. Starting out as an English teacher, he has worked across the education system in senior roles and has most recently been an Associate Professor of Education.
Alice Reedy
Senior Lecturer at the University of East London
Alice specialises in the teaching of Primary English, supporting aspiring teachers to learn what best practice looks like in regard to reading and writing pedagogies. Her passion lies in teaching adults how to empower children to read through choice, and how to ensure the children's literature we use as educators is representative of children's backgrounds and interests.
Laura Spargo
Primary English Specialist and Education Consultant
Laura is a primary English specialist and education consultant with international teaching and leadership experience across the UK, Spain and Dubai. She is passionate about empowering schools to create high-quality (and joyful) English learning experiences which enable every child to view themselves as successful readers and writers.
Ashley Murphy
Literacy Consultant
Ashley supports educators through professional learning focused on literacy instruction, MTSS and inclusive curriculum design. With experience in roles as a reading specialist, special education teacher, IEP Coordinator and academic interventionist, Ashley is passionate about accessibility, self‑advocacy and helping learners develop the skills to communicate, think critically and engage meaningfully with academic content.
Annabelle Sami
Author
Annabelle Sami is a writer, working across prose, poetry and scripts. She has written 12 books for children, which have won the Spark! Book Award and Stockport Children's Book Award, been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and longlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award and Diverse Book Award. Her writing for adults has been featured in Writer's Mosaic, Peaks of Colour Nature Writing Journal and Fearlessly Magazine.
Jon Biddle
Year 5/6 teacher and English Lead
Jon is a passionate advocate of Reading for Pleasure, winning the 2018 RfP Experienced Teacher of the Year award and the 2021 RfP School of the Year award. He coordinates the national Patron of Reading initiative, which is focused on schools and authors developing long term relationships, is an advisor for Empathy Lab and is part of the UKLA national council.
Jessie Ricketts
Professor of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London
Directing the Language and Reading Acquisition (LARA) research group at Royal Holloway, Jessie has more than 20 years of experience researching language and literacy in children, young people and adults. She is a world expert on teenage reading and is particularly interested in how reading benefits children’s learning and language. Jessie has advised the DfE on the Reading Framework and secondary reading initiatives, and contributed to EEF guidance on supporting secondary reading.
Tim Rasinski
Professor of Literacy Education
Tim is a professor of literacy education at Kent State University and director of its award-winning reading clinic. He has written over 200 articles and has authored, co-authored or edited over 50 books or curriculum programmes on reading education. His scholarly interests include reading fluency and word study, reading in the elementary and middle grades, and readers who struggle. n 2010, Dr Rasinski was elected into the International Reading Hall of Fame.
Kelly Ashley
Lecturer in Reading for Pleasure, The Open University
With 25 years of experience in the US and the UK, Kelly has worked as a Teacher, Senior Leader, Professional Development Facilitator, Coach, Lecturer and Author. She enjoys her work with The Open University RfP team as a programme facilitator and mentor for the Primary and KS3 Reading Schools Programmes. She also supports wider RfP development by co-ordinating the 110+ Teacher Reading Groups across the UK and abroad and undertaking research related to pupils’ reading engagement.
James Wilmot
Director of Careers at The Priory Learning Trust
James Wilmot manages the careers offer across all schools in The Priory Learning Trust. James believes that effective careers advice in schools through events, activities and one-to-ones is vital for students to become brave, kind and curious young adults. These attributes are the real secret to a happy and healthy career. He has published over 15 books written by nearly 200 students as a unique means to showcase the creativity of young people to a worldwide audience.
Sarah Mears
Programme Director for Libraries Connected and Chair of EmpathyLab
Sarah is a co-founder and co-director of Empathy Lab, a not-for-profit organisation which works with schools, libraries, authors and illustrators to build children’s empathy skills through the creative use of literature. Having previously worked for Essex Libraries, Sarah was awarded an MBE for Services to Children and Young People in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June 2018 and became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in 2022.
Sarah Moseley
Specialist in Literacy, Inclusion & Neurodiversity
With over 30 years’ experience in both special and mainstream education, Sarah specialises in removing barriers to learning and improving outcomes for all children and young people. Her work bridges research and practice, creating inclusive cultures where high expectations and accessibility go hand in hand. Sarah holds a Master’s and PhD in Special Education, with a focus on reading and self-esteem, and is the author of Teaching Reading to All Learners Including Those with Complex Needs.
Charlotte Hacking
Teacher, Educational Speaker and Author
A teacher and teacher-trainer for over two decades, Charlotte has extensive experience of leading and teaching across the Early Years and Primary phases, and she currently holds the role of Teacher Engagement Lead at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy. Her special interests lie in the development of reading and writing, the role of phonics, and the use of picturebooks and poetry to raise children’s engagement and attainment. Charlotte was formerly the Learning and Programme Director at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE).
