A professor has said she is 'amazed, humbled and delighted' to have been recognised in the King's New Year's Honours List 2026.

Professor Teresa Cremin has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to education.

She is Professor of Education (Literacy) at The Open University and co-director of the Literacy and Social Justice Centre.

She leads The Open University's Reading for Pleasure Research and Practice Coalition, a team of international academic researchers, education professionals and teaching specialists.

placeholder image — Professor Teresa Cremin

It says it works with schools, academy trusts, teachers, librarians, authors, organisations, universities, charities and student teachers to 'leverage Reading for Pleasure as a tool for social justice'.

Professor Cremin, from Etchingham, said: “I am amazed, humbled and delighted to be awarded a CBE for services to education in the King’s New Year’s Honours List 2026.

“Finding the pleasure in reading and writing is every child’s right and our collective responsibility, so this recognition belongs to everyone who seeks to motivate and support young people’s volitional engagement as readers and writers. There are so many who do this, day in and day out, with loving determination.

“My dad for instance, who funded my weekly Jackie magazine, my mum who drove us to the local library, my PGCE tutor who rekindled my love of reading after a dry season, and my first teaching friends in Medway.

“Variously, these folk involved me in arts festivals, storytelling, local theatre work, editing school magazines and parents’ evenings packed with poetry, music, stories, dance and drama. The playful affective and social engagement that these and other opportunities offered all of us - children and adults - helped me appreciate the delight, desire and connectivity involved.

“This recognition also reflects over 30 years of connection and collaboration with literacy partners across the UK and abroad. Working alongside teachers as readers and writers and researching the influence of their identity shifts on the young has strengthened my conviction that relational connections are key to literacy motivation.

“Additionally, the Reading for Pleasure (The Open University) team and the work of many colleagues in local and national charities continues to highlight the impact of adults’ personal involvement, investment and care.”

The Reading for Pleasure website can be found at https://ourfp.org.