Thursday 5th March was ‘World Book Day’ – a celebration of readers, writers and all things book-related. We joined in the celebration with our theme of “Villains” – the current unit of work in Year 7, and invited students to join us in costume. For the first time this year, we ran a costume library to provide costumes for students to borrow – so there were no excuses for joining the fun! This is something we hope to build on next year to develop an even wider selection of costumes.
This year, the English Department were delighted that so many other staff joined in the dressing up and came in costume. Many students went above and beyond in their costumes and must have attracted a great deal of attention on their way in to school!
World Book Day is a registered charity on a mission to give every child and young person a book of their own. It’s also a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. In fact, it’s the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world. All students in Key Stage 3 were given their WBD voucher which enables them to choose a specially produced World Book Day book, or to use it for money off a book of their choice – they can use this voucher at Waterstones or W.H.Smith.
To link in with World Book Day, we are also launching Readathon with Year 7 and 8 which raises money to provide stories and storytellers for seriously ill children in hospital in the UK. Numerous studies show that reading changes lives: from educational outcomes and social mobility to emotional well-being. There is ample evidence to demonstrate that enjoyment drives the core skill of reading and that motivation is an integral element of reading well. Readathon’s mission about children reading to help other children in hospital, is both time-tested and ingenious.
Mrs Woodhouse
Curriculum Leader for English