By Bilesanmi Abayomi
The children of KosofePost publisher, Bilesanmi Abayomi, popularly known as KOKO, have recorded another outstanding national achievement after securing top positions for North West England in the 2026 National Read-Aloud Challenge powered by Fonetti.
The feat marks the second consecutive year in which members of the Bilesanmi family have been recognised in the national reading competition.
In the 2025 edition, siblings Salman and Zahra Bilesanmi distinguished themselves in the challenge, earning recognition, custom plaques, Amazon gift cards and an exclusive tour of Amazon’s headquarters.
2025 National Read-Aloud Challenge
With Salman recently transitioning to high school, the family’s representation in the 2026 competition was taken up by 9-year-old Zahra B. and 6-year-old Zayyan B., who went on to deliver impressive results at both regional and national levels.
According to the official competition leaderboards, the siblings recorded strong performances across their respective age categories and the broader regional rankings.
At the North West regional level, covering all age groups, Zahra finished first with 333,457 points, while Zayyan placed second with 276,116 points.
In the age-specific North West rankings, Zahra emerged first in the 9–10 age category, while Zayyan also secured first place in the 5–6 age category.
Their performances extended to the national age-specific rankings. Zayyan claimed first place nationally in the 5–6 age group, while Zahra finished second nationally in the 9–10 category.
Across all participating age groups and regions, Zahra ranked fourth nationally, with Zayyan finishing sixth.
The annual National Read-Aloud Challenge encourages primary school pupils across the United Kingdom to develop their literacy skills, oral reading fluency and reading stamina.
The latest results further highlight the Bilesanmi siblings’ continued participation and success in the competition, following the family’s recognition in the 2025 edition.