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Book Week 2023

The whole school reflected on what books and reading bring to our lives with a host of activities and events for students (and staff) to enjoy for Book Week.

The excitement for Book Week had been building on the Friday before, with classes decorating their doors with a book of their choice ready for Monday morning. When Monday came around, we kicked off the week with Years 1-6 writing a whole school story. Year 1 began by introducing a setting (a magical kingdom in the clouds called Chipmunk Land), a few characters (Sam the Chipmunk Prince and Laura the Chipmunk Princess) and a plot. Every class then continued the story by adding the next paragraph, with the completed story read out by the teachers in the Upper and Lower School assembly.

The excitement for Book Week continued at home, with pupils tasked with creating a character of their choice using either a potato, pebble or a sock before presenting their creations in front of the class. The best creations were also awarded in assembly on Friday morning.

On Wednesday, we were absolutely delighted to welcome author Lucy Noguera to the school today to speak to students about her latest book, ‘Swop the Satsuma-Sized Secret’. A real highlight of the week, Lucy spoke about how and where to find inspiration, and led a fun and interactive session using props lifted straight from the pages of the book. As a former primary school teacher and teacher of the deaf, there was also time for students to learn some British Sign Language, just like how Ernie (the story’s protagonist) and his deaf sister communicate throughout the story.

There were plenty on creative and colourful costumes on display on Thursday for World Book Day, with students (and staff!) arriving at school dressed up as a word. In their English lessons, they moved into groups and were asked to come up with a story based on the words in their group. They then created a freeze-frame which was photographed and displayed to the class, with pupils tasked with writing a paragraph about what was happening in the scene.

It was a thoroughly entertaining week with plenty of discussion about the importance of books and reading on our lives.