By Mrs Martin (Head of Year 5)

Last week, we launched our Year 5 Reading Circle initiative, a new way of bringing parents, children, and teachers together through literature.

Our first session focused on The Explorer by Katherine Rundell, where the girls listened carefully to vivid descriptions of the Amazon rainforest before translating words into imagery.

With parents on hand to support, the girls sketched towering trees, dense greenery, and dramatic clearings, adding sensory words and phrases from the text around their drawings. The combination of reading, discussion, and creative response allowed the students to immerse themselves fully in the story.

At BGS, we believe learning is a true partnership. When parents, pupils, and teachers work side by side, the results are inspiring, and this first Reading Circle was a wonderful example of the teamwork and community spirit that sit at the heart of our school.