Schools bring books to life on World Book Day 2023

Thousands of pupils in the Star family joined millions more worldwide in the global celebration of World Book Day, with a host of activities and events which expressed the joy of reading.

Star schools embraced their love of literature with an explosion of colour as both staff and pupils dressed as their favourite fictional characters and brought the pages of classic novels to life.

The Star World-Class Book Culture is at the heart of every Star school, aiming to nurture a passion for reading and support pupils’ academic progress. The Star Readers challenge encourages all pupils to read at least 10 books from a specially selected reading list over the course of a year. Thanks to EG Foundation, who are the headline sponsor for the initiative, Star Readers provides schools with the impetus and funding to run book clubs and community reading programmes, arrange visits from authors, and facilitate book reviews and writing competitions.

EG Foundation’s support for Star Readers extended to a special World Book Day celebration at the EG Group head office in Blackburn. Year 3 and 4 pupils from The Olive School, Blackburn participated in a series of literary-based activities which enabled them to express their love of reading alongside colleagues from EG.

After discussing their favourite books together, pupils then got their creative juices flowing by taking part in competition to design a book cover and write a synopsis of their imaginary tale.

Pupils from The Olive School, Blackburn with Zuber Issa, Co-CEO of EG Group

An exhilarating aspect of the day was pupils hearing first-hand from some of the most revered authors around the country. High Crags Primary Leadership Academy and Rainbow Primary Leadership Academy attended the Bradford Literature Festival at the city’s Alhambra Theatre, where pupils revelled in readings and workshops with celebrated author and comedian Sir Lenny Henry and illustrator Sophy Henn.

Year 6 pupils at The Olive School, Preston have recently been studying Letters from the Lighthouse, a historical mystery set during World War 2. To celebrate World Book Day, pupils were treated to a personal audience with the book’s author, Emma Carroll, who spoke to them about her novel and their shared passion for reading and books.

Creativity was, of course, in abundance as classroom doors were transformed into literary creations at Eden Boys’ School, Bolton and The Olive School, Small Heath. Pupils and staff at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy and Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy, Birmingham mixed books with baking to mark the occasion. Both schools hosted book cafes with a selection of sweet treats on offer for visitors to enjoy whilst reading their favourite books.

Other schools chose to celebrate World Book Day by spreading the joy of reading to others. Pupils from Bay Leadership Academy took part in a book drop, where they picked out their favourite books and donated them to community centres and to the homes of local residents. At Eden Girls’ School, Slough, pupils visited a local primary school in the town where they engaged in a reading aloud activity and picked out books from the library for the younger children to read in their spare time.

Sir Mufti Hamid Patel CBE, Chief Executive of Star Academies, said:

“World Book Day is an occasion that celebrates the joy and power of reading. It is a reminder of the significant role that books play in shaping our young people’s vocabulary and academic success.

“The Star Readers programme plays an integral part in creating a world-class book culture in every Star school. Reading can have a transformational impact on education and, by encouraging regular reading from an early age, Star aims to pique pupils’ curiosity, ignite their imaginations and encourage them to develop a lifelong love of reading.”

Added By: Star Academies | Date Added: 2nd Mar 2023 | Posted In: Latest News