A Week of Stories and Imagination
Reading took centre stage at Orchard House this week as pupils across the school enjoyed a vibrant programme of activities to celebrate World Book Day. With 2026 marking the national Year of Reading, the week provided a wonderful opportunity to highlight the many ways we foster a love of books and storytelling within our school community.
Although reading is an integral part of everyday life at Orchard House, this week was a joyful celebration of literature, creativity and imagination. From visiting authors and poetry workshops to costume parades and mystery readers, pupils were immersed in stories and inspired to develop their own.
Inspiring Author Visits
We were delighted to welcome two visiting authors who shared their passion for storytelling with our pupils.
Author Sylvia Bishop, known for The Bookshop Girl and Trouble in New York, visited the school to speak to pupils about her books and the creative process behind them. Her engaging assembly and workshops with Key Stage 2 encouraged pupils to explore their own ideas and develop confidence in their writing.
Earlier in the week, poet and author Simon Mole visited Orchard House to lead assemblies and workshops across the school. He began the day with a lively Key Stage 2 assembly, sharing excerpts from his new poetry collection Pizza Poetry. Pupils joined in by reading lines aloud and even adapting some of the poems with their own imaginative ideas.
Younger pupils from Nursery to Year 2 also enjoyed a wonderfully interactive assembly as Simon brought his books A First Book of Dinosaurs and A First Book of Bugs to life through storytelling and actions.
Years 1 and 2 then took part in creative writing workshops, beginning with playful games to spark ideas before exploring storytelling step-by-step. Inspired by Simon’s books, pupils invented their own dinosaurs using everyday objects, developing fascinating facts about them and illustrating their imaginative creations.
Drop Everything and Read
Throughout the week, pupils and staff enthusiastically joined in with the Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) initiative. At unexpected moments during the day, a signal over the tannoy invited everyone in the school to pause their activities and enjoy a moment of quiet reading.
Parents also joined the celebrations as Mystery Readers, visiting classrooms to share their favourite books and stories. This much-loved initiative runs throughout the year and continues to be a highlight for both pupils and families.
The Masked Reader
Inspired by the popular television show The Masked Singer, pupils also took part in our own version: The Masked Reader. Staff disguised themselves behind imaginative masks while reading excerpts from favourite stories, leaving pupils to guess who was behind the character.
Among the mysterious readers were an orange reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a disco ball sharing Jack and the Beanstalk, and even a cucumber reading from The Wild Robot.
Character Parade
The week concluded with joyful Character Parades, where pupils proudly showcased costumes inspired by their favourite book characters. The creativity on display was wonderful to see, with children bringing beloved stories to life for their peers.
Staff also joined in the fun by dressing as the famously elusive Where’s Wally?, adding to the festive spirit of the celebration.
Sharing the Joy of Books
As part of our commitment to widening access to books, our book drive concluded this week with a fantastic collection of children’s books donated by pupils, parents and staff. The initiative was run in partnership with The Children’s Book Project and will help ensure that more children have access to stories and reading opportunities.
Photography Competition
Pupils also participated in a photography competition that invited them to capture reading in unusual or interesting places. We received many creative entries and are delighted to announce three winners, who will each receive a Waterstones voucher.
Congratulations to:
Beyond World Book Day
Several Orchard House pupils have also been recognised in the Dukes Beyond World Book Day initiative, which invited children to create imaginative pop-up books based on A Day in the Life at Orchard House.
We are delighted to congratulate our finalists:
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Albie and Leila (Year 2)
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Henry (Year 3)
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Grace and Stefan (Year 4)
These pupils will attend a Pop-Up Book Exhibition at Dukes House later this month, where their work will be displayed alongside projects from other Dukes schools. Authors, illustrators and academic leaders will meet the students, and some will be selected to present their work to the wider audience before prizes are awarded. We wish our finalists the very best of luck!
Fostering a Lifelong Love of Reading
This year has also seen the successful launch of our Reading Explorer and Reading Scholar programmes for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 respectively.
At Orchard House, we believe reading lies at the heart of children’s academic progress and wellbeing. Regular time with books helps pupils build vocabulary, confidence and concentration, while also strengthening their writing as they encounter rich language and varied sentence structures.
With national data showing a decline in children reading for pleasure, these initiatives aim to counter that trend by introducing pupils to high-quality literature and supporting positive reading habits.
Reading Explorer (KS1) encourages younger pupils to select from a curated list of high-quality books each term, including modern titles, classics and beautifully illustrated picture books. After finishing a book, pupils complete a creative task inspired by the story and earn points towards a Reading Explorer badge.
Reading Scholar (KS2) challenges pupils to read for at least twenty minutes each day and record their progress. Books are awarded points based on their complexity and themes, and pupils complete reflective exit tickets once they finish. Thirty points earns the prestigious Reading Scholar badge, presented by the Head of School.
The programme has already proved so successful that it will soon expand to include Reading Critic, Ambassador and Laureate awards, further celebrating pupils who demonstrate a passion for reading.
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