The United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) is delighted to congratulate Professor Teresa Cremin, Executive Committee member, on being awarded a CBE in the King’s New Year Honours, in recognition of her outstanding services to education and literacy.
For decades, Teresa has been a profoundly influential voice in literacy education. From her early work on building reading communities to her internationally recognised leadership in Reading for Pleasure, her scholarship has shaped the thinking and practice of teachers, researchers and policy makers alike. Her rigorous research, commitment to social justice, and intimate understanding of teaching environments have provided not only a base for her own work, but also a framework for the improvement of literacy teaching more widely.
The Reading for Pleasure work that Teresa has led and inspired is estimated to have reached over two million children, supporting schools and teachers to create rich, inclusive and joyful reading cultures that place children’s choice, voice and wellbeing at their heart.
Teresa continues to pioneer new research in this space, deepening understanding of Reading for Pleasure pedagogy across ages, phases and contexts. She actively champions meaningful connections between research, policy and classroom practice through award-winning knowledge exchange, notably through the OURfP team and the Centre for Literacy and Social Justice. Her work exemplifies how rigorous research can inform, and be informed by, professional practice.
At the core of Teresa’s contribution lies an unwavering commitment to literacy teaching and a deep belief that all children deserve a rich, enabling and equitable literacy education. Although her work is widely recognised at the highest academic levels, she remains, at heart, a primary teacher — driven in every aspect of her work by a desire to improve children’s lives through literacy.
Alongside her intellectual leadership, Teresa is widely known for her exceptional generosity and capacity to support others. She is deeply committed to collaboration, working with researchers across the globe, while also nurturing initial teacher education colleagues and students. Community within literacy teaching is something Teresa has also worked to grow, with the creation of 100+ UKLA/ OU Teachers’ Reading Groups, providing grassroots support and friendship to teachers across the country. Uplifting and championing others is central to all Teresa does.
As former President and longstanding member of the UKLA, Teresa brings insight, commitment and inspiration to the literacy community, strengthening professional networks and championing reading for pleasure as a social, cultural and educational right.
UKLA warmly congratulates Teresa on this richly deserved honour and celebrates her enduring contribution to literacy education, research and professional community.