Book Week Success!

What an incredible Book Week we’ve had! The excitement around reading was truly infectious and it was wonderful to see so many pupils engaged in a range of book-related activities both in the classroom and on the playground. Throughout the week, pupils across the Junior School delved into the book Our Tower, exploring its core themes of community and adventure through a variety of engaging activities.

We were fortunate to welcome visiting authors Dawn Nelson and Rose Lihou, who worked with pupils from Years 1 to 5, inspiring them with storytelling and illustration workshops that captured their imaginations.

Our Eco Councils led two fantastic Book Swaps, creating a real buzz as children eagerly explored and exchanged books, discovering new favourites along the way. Another exciting highlight was the Book Vending Machine Design Vote, where pupils had their say on the design of a new addition coming to our school soon!

Creativity was on full display with our 'Decorate a Door' Competition, as classroom doors across the school were transformed into stunning book-themed displays. It was fantastic to see the effort and enthusiasm poured into each design! 

Reading truly became a shared experience this week. Year groups across the Junior School paired up as Reading Buddies, exchanging favourite stories and fostering a love of books together. Our youngest readers in Pre-School were especially lucky to have Year 12 Reading Mentors visit and share stories with them.

A particular favourite activity among pupils was Drop Everything and READ!—at random times of the day, a bell would sound, and everyone stopped what they were doing for a five-minute reading break. Even in the middle of a lesson, books took centre stage!

We also loved experiencing the Book Talks taking place in classrooms, where pupils enthusiastically shared their favourite books from home. It was fantastic to see such a diverse range of titles, sparking great discussions and inspiring others with new reading recommendations.

Of course, the highlight of the week was World Book Day! Pupils dressed up as their favourite book characters, and Pre-School to Year 4 delighted us with a costume parade around the quad. Every child also had the opportunity to choose a book from the Book Fair, adding a special new story to their collection.

Pupils from Pre-School to Year 6 also spent time decorating doors in and around the Junior School to celebrate the books they have been reading in class. Mr Wickes and Mrs Wilson-Smith were invited to judge them, which was incredibly difficult as the creativity each class had shown was so diverse. Congratulations to classes RP, 2P, 4G & 5S who were the winners of a competition that was very tough to judge!

Thank you to everyone who made this week such a success—from staff and pupils to parents and our special visitors. We loved celebrating the joy of reading together!