Head’s blog
Our postponed Book Day took place this week and the atmosphere was incredible – possibly even more so than we have experienced before at Grimsdell. Every single person in the school joined in and the school was a sea of characters, colours and fun. The immersion into the world of books, the drama and role play that comes from dressing up and the joy of discovering new books created a deep and memorable experience for the children which put reading at the heart of learning.
World Book Day is annual national event and schools up and down the country participate. It is popular, well-promoted and great fun but the educational purpose of this event is sometimes forgotten or not appreciated. Whilst the children are dressing up and having fun they are living and breathing the power of books and reading. They are sharing each other’s reading recommendations, being inspired by characters they may not have come across before and catching the reading bug as a whole community which is a powerful tool for breeding excitement and engagement with the never ending supply of books and stories.
Our book parade gave each child the opportunity to shine and to share their character with the school. There was an atmosphere of support and enthusiasm as we cheered each class up and down the ‘catwalk’. The children’s pleasure and motivation was wonderful but equally – the passion and engagement of our staff team was infectious and palpable. We really embraced the spirit of our different characters and had fun sharing and re-enacting them in front of the children. Staff teamwork, engagement and passion is vital for modelling to the children how wonderful learning is and it was a humbling reminder that teachers (and parents…and family members) have the influence and capacity to inspire and motivate children to learn and to achieve.
