The video and photo gallery below captures just some of the wonderful moments from a week where reading truly took centre stage across the whole school community.

Bringing Stories to Life

One of the highlights of the week was welcoming a fantastic line-up of visiting authors who spoke to pupils about their books, their inspiration and the creative process behind writing. Pupils had the chance to meet Laura Henry-Allain, Charlie Walker, Damian Dibbon and Serena Patel, hearing first-hand how stories are created and discovering that every writer begins with an idea, a spark of imagination and a love of words. For many pupils, meeting an author is a powerful moment — helping them realise that the stories they love begin with someone who once sat in a classroom just like theirs.

Across the school, the celebrations continued through a wide range of reading-inspired activities designed to spark curiosity and creativity. Pupils took part in a Wordless Book Competition based on The Last Zookeeper, where they were challenged to create their own narrative from illustrations alone.

There were also reading games, bookmark-making and interactive challenges organised by our Sixth Form pupils, while ‘What I’m Reading’ posters displayed around the school shared staff book recommendations and encouraged conversations about favourite reads.

Students from Year 6 through to Year 11 also enjoyed a special visit from actors from Shakespeare’s Globe, who brought Shakespeare’s language and storytelling to life through energetic performances and interactive sessions.

The week concluded with an Usborne Book Fair, giving pupils the chance to browse a wide range of titles and discover new favourites, while also raising funds for the BookTrust charity and helping ensure more children can experience the joy of reading

A School Full of Characters

Of course, the week wouldn’t be complete without World Book Day itself. The school was awash with colour as pupils and staff arrived dressed as an incredible mix of book characters — from The Day the Crayons Quit and The Lorax to Chewbacca, Power Rangers, Batman, Snow White and Peter Pan. Everywhere you looked, there was a new story to spot.

While World Book Day is always a special moment in the calendar, the aim of the week was something bigger: celebrating the shared culture of reading that exists across the school. Reading builds imagination, empathy, curiosity and confidence. It opens doors to new perspectives and ideas, empowering pupils to become thoughtful, creative learners.

As the week came to a close, one message remained at the heart of every activity, conversation and story shared: You never quite know where words might take you. For our pupils, those words might lead to new adventures, new ideas, new friendships — and perhaps even the inspiration to write stories of their own.