About Us
The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education is a UK based children's literacy charity working with primary schools. Our work raises the achievement of children's reading and writing by helping schools to teach literacy creatively and effectively, putting quality children’s books at the heart of all learning. We offer courses at our literacy library in central London, deliver online training and provide a wide range of free teaching resources for Primary teachers. We also conduct research into all areas of primary literacy, using the findings to inform practice and contribute to national and international perspectives on literacy.
Our Vision
At CLPE we want to raise the literacy achievement of children by putting quality children’s literature at the heart of all learning.
Our Mission
We want to improve the life chances of children by ensuring that every child has access to quality experiences of literacy and that all teachers have the knowledge and resources to support children to become confident, happy and enthusiastic readers and writers, with all the benefits this brings.
What do we do?
We are a small independent charity with a national and international reputation, a huge purpose and the potential to reach thousands of children. We provide well evidenced, creative, literacy training and support for primary school teachers and others that work in primary schools. We produce high quality resources to support classroom teaching and learning and work to ensure that as many schools as possible have access to the best knowledge, research and materials to help them use quality children’s literature to raise children’s achievement. We conduct and develop research to influence and inform practice, pedagogy and policy in literacy. We build capacity and subject knowledge by supporting schools and teachers to put research into practice, developing their teaching and learning to improve outcomes for children.
Why are we needed?
We help schools to teach literacy in the most effective way. Our training and resources are all based on credible research and on the principles of effective continuing professional development. Teachers and schools who learn from our work do so in order to raise the achievement and attainment of their children in literacy in an effective and sustainable way.
What do we believe in?
- A child’s right to be literate and to enjoy literature.
- The importance of texts that engage children and support developing literacy.
- Practice that is underpinned and supported by robust classroom-based research.
Our Heritage
CLPE was founded in 1972 as The Centre for Language in Primary Education and became an independent charity in 2002, changing its name to The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education. During its lifetime CLPE has built a national and international reputation for its work in the fields of language, literacy and assessment. The charity was the 2019 winner of the Eleanor Farjeon Award, Southwark Charity of the Year in 2020, 5 star winner of the Teach Primary Award for School Membership, named as the London Book Fair Charity of the Year for 2022 and have been nominated four times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award from 2021-2024. In 2022, CLPE won the Teach Primary Award in Best CPD for our Power of Pictures Training Programme and Resources in addition CLPE's Phonics training and resources were been shortlisted for a Teach Early Years Award in the CPD category.
In 2019, our Research and Development Director, Farrah Serroukh was awarded the Brenda Eastwood Award in recognition of her pioneering work on ethnic representation in children’s literature and also received the prestigious NATE Diversity and Inclusion Award in 2021. In 2022 our Learning and Programme Director, Charlotte Hacking was awarded the Anna Craft Creativities in Education Prize by BERA.
View our video Celebrating 50 Years of CLPE below.