The pupils in the Year 5 and 6 class talked enthusiastically about their involvement in Book Award. The six shortlisted titles are used as a focus for literacy teaching in the spring term, meaning that all the children have been exposed to all of the books in some way. The children’s engagement in the project is celebrated in multiple displays: a book stack showing how many books had been read by the class, speech bubble review comments, and a display of writing created around each of the texts. The children in the Key Stage 1 class are involved in the shortlisting process for the Bookfest Picture Book Award this year. The class are reviewing a selection of the longlisted books. A few of these books were on each of the tables and children were enjoying them in any spare moment. The children confidently shared their opinions about the books with us as visitors.

There are themed reading areas in the classrooms for the younger children, currently desert and space, with tempting reading material. In the Key Stage 2 classrooms, well stocked bookshelves appeal to children and children have their current reading at hand on their tables. As a long-time participant in the Book Award, Year 5 and 6 bookshelves feature multiple copies of many of the previous Bookfest shortlisted titles, encouraging development of reading communities and informal book talk about books in common. Displays around school show the books that each class have been sharing together. Other displays celebrate children’s reading mileage and the ‘worldopoly’ initiative and mystery books in upper Key Stage 2 encourage children to broaden their reading repertoire. Older pupils use a reading journal to reflect on the books they are reading, creatively capturing the essence of the book and recording their thoughts through images and words. These will be a wonderful keepsake. As covid-related restrictions begin to ease, reading buddies are being reintroduced as well as ‘drop everything and read’ sessions for children and parents.

The deputy headteacher is passionate about reading. She is not only committed to promoting reading for pleasure in her classroom but along with the executive headteacher takes a strategic lead promoting this approach throughout the school.  Julie Holmwood – Senior Lecturer in Primary Education, University Centre Shrewsbury

We are all absolutely over the moon to have received the Leading in Reading Ambassador Award and for the recognition it brings to everyone in school for all of their hard work in helping our children become readers and enjoy books. The Bookfest projects have brought such excitement and joy to our pupils since we first took part. When younger siblings of former pupils talk about how they remember their brother or sister reading books from the Big Book Award and are so excited that it is now ‘their turn’ to do the same, you know how powerful and memorable a project it is.

 

Bookfest has opened up a world of authors and books beyond the mainstream ‘well-known’ ones to our pupils.  The children flourish and each time, we see reluctant readers grow in confidence when they complete their first book and then suddenly appear with their noses in the sequels they’ve then asked their parents to buy! In an educational world which can seem driven by jumping through hoops for Ofsted and achieving ‘standards’, Bookfest enables you to give the children an educational experience that is what teaching should really be about.

 

A project where the children are at the heart is one which we feel lucky to have been involved in and I would strongly encourage schools to take part and throw themselves into every opportunity within the Big Book Award. The rewards you will see in your pupils will speak for themselves.   Corinne Davies-Griffith – Hinstock Primary School