Apricot Nursery Embraces the National Year of Reading 2026

pricot Nursery is proudly participating in the National Literacy Trust’s National Year of Reading 2026. This year-long initiative aims to celebrate and promote the enjoyment of reading for all children, from early years through secondary school, both within educational settings and at home.

As a Peterborough National Literacy Trust Setting, we recognize the inherent love young children have for songs, rhymes, and stories. Our mission is to nurture this passion, ensuring children carry it with them into primary school and their home lives, alongside building the essential foundations of reading and comprehension.

The National Year of Reading 2026 will be structured around three terms, each focusing on a different element of fostering a lifelong love of reading:

• Spring Term: “In the Room”
  This term is dedicated to refining our internal practice within the Nursery. Story and Sing-a-long time is already a vital part of our daily routine, and every room features a dedicated, cozy reading corner adorned with books to encourage independent reading. We are committed to continually learning and improving our approach to reading.
  
• Summer Term: “In the Setting”
  The focus shifts to developing a comprehensive culture of reading across the entire setting. This Summer Term focus provides a valuable opportunity to both celebrate our established achievements and explore new ways to deepen our culture of reading. Apricots already boasts a robust reading culture, due to our accreditation as a Peterborough National Literacy Nursery and the recognition of our Senior Manager, Deborah, as a key literacy champion. We will endeavour on further developing and embedding a comprehensive culture of reading across every part of our setting.
  
• Autumn Term: “In the Community”
  This final term is centred on building community engagement, deepening and extending a reading culture beyond the nursery walls, and collaborating with public libraries. We currently operate a lending library for parents and children to take books home. Furthermore, as one of only two Makaton Friendly Nurseries in Peterborough, (our sister setting Broadway Nursery is the other!) We read and sign books for both Peterborough’s National Literacy Trust and a local author – ‘a NaN who CaN’. To further support literacy in the community, two of our practitioners are currently undergoing training in the R.E.A.L (Raising Early Achievements in Literacy) programme. This training will equip them to observe and offer expert advice on integrating literacy into the home environment and daily routine, giving children the best possible start on their literacy journey.

We are delighted to announce the return of  ‘a NaN who CaN’ to the nursery, reading her new book: ‘Whos Hat is That Cat?’ to the children during National Story Week at the start of February.

Please visit her website: ananwhocan.com  or her Facebook Page: facebook.com/ANaNwhoCaN

And for more information visit:

Peterborough Literacy Trust’s Facebook: facebook.com/PboroLiteracyTrust

And: National Year of Literacy: goallin.org.uk