Bookworms Unite

World Book Day this year coincided with UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day on Monday 23 April. Activities aimed to raise further awareness and engagement with reading as a valuable autonomous pursuit. To show students that teachers are readers and encourage more of them to pick up a fiction or non-fiction book, staff participated in the annual ‘Catch Your Teacher Reading’ competition. Teachers also created Flipgrid video book recommendations for students, and students shared their own recommendations for reading books. In addition, staff and students were invited to dress up as a famous literary character to increase engagement with reading and illustrate the power and influence of fiction. A range of activities took place during Enrichment on the day – including, of course, reading – and students were invited to submit entries to a 280 character short story competition. There was a very positive response from students, and the English department hope to build on the event further next year.