A North East pupil and two educators from the North East have been recognised for their outstanding achievements in a national reading challenge.
Vihaan Soni, a Year 6 student at St Bede’s Catholic Primary School in Newcastle, has been named a national Reading Plus Champion after completing the entirety of DreamBox Reading Plus, a programme used by more than 130,000 students across the UK to develop reading skills and foster a love of reading.
Claire Davies, HLTA/Intervention Lead at St Bede’s, was also awarded the Reading Plus Award for Teaching Support Staff of the Year (KS2), while Eve Reed, Support Assistant at Monkseaton High School in North Tyneside, was named a finalist in the Reading Plus Teacher of the Year category.
Speaking about his success, Vihaan said:
“I feel proud that I have achieved this and surprised that I actually finished the programme. I have enjoyed learning from the programme and the prize kit was amazing.”
Claire, who was nominated by colleague Anna Trow, was praised for her dedication to staff and pupils, as well as her passion for encouraging reading for pleasure. She said:
“Claire has gone above and beyond to support staff and pupils. She also recently spoke at the International Reading Conference about the impact of Reading Plus and her passion for reading for pleasure. Claire is an asset to St Bede’s and she deserves this more than anyone!”
Over at Monkseaton High School, Eve Reed has also been celebrated nationally for her work to support pupils’ literacy skills. She said:
“The whole school is really pleased that I have been recognised for this award. The school is closing in August 2026, and this shows that we are flying the flag for Monkseaton High School and our students.
“As a result of their low reading ability the students struggle in lessons. However, when they come to reading you can see their confidence increase, which is fantastic. I love seeing the improvement as they progress and the programme’s regular reports guide me to further support the students.”
Eve was selected as a finalist out of the 1,600 schools that use Reading Plus across the country.
Eve continued, “Reading Plus is a fantastic addition to the school. All the students who use the programme have achieved their expected progress and more. In 9 months, some students have increased by 3+ year levels, which is amazing. I have implemented the programme for two years now and I have enjoyed every second of delivering the sessions.”
The awards, which are ran by Daisy Education (formerly Reading Solutions UK), celebrate the success of students, teachers and schools across the country who use the DreamBox Reading Plus programme.
Nick Fullarton, Reading Development Consultant at Daisy Education, said: “The progress and hard work of the students at Monkseaton High School is remarkable – and an important part of that is how well they have been supported by Eve. Her effort and passion is wonderful to see.”
For more information about Reading Plus, visit https://www.daisyeducationuk.com/