By Mrs Tyrrell-Johnson (LRC Manager)

March is a special month in the literary calendar. It’s a time we come together and celebrate books and all things literary as part of International World Book Day.

On Thursday 5th March, the whole school was abuzz with excitement as Little Miss, Minnie the Minx, Hermione Grangers and a variety of other childhood favourites filled our classrooms and corridors. Our amazing parents supported the day with many fantastic costumes for the younger years, while older students showed incredible creativity in designing their own. Everyone looked fabulous.

Although it’s great fun to dress up, there is a more serious reason behind the event. According to the National Literacy Trust, only 1 in 3 children enjoy reading, and 3 in 10 enjoy writing. It goes on to state that low levels of literacy undermine the UK’s economic competitiveness, with a third of businesses not satisfied with young people’s literacy skills when they enter the workforce.

Here at BGS we recognise the importance of reading and writing and are dedicated in our encouragement of students to engage with books, both in terms of academic study and reading for pleasure. Events such as WBD highlight the importance of books in our lives and remind us of the joy of storytelling.

As part of our World Book Day celebrations, the Junior School welcomed Writer, Illustrator and Stand-up Comedian, Olaf Falafel, to BGS.

Olaf is extremely experienced in delivering talks to young people, and his enthusiasm, wit, and incredible illustrations ensured the girls were captivated. The lecture covered subjects such as ‘How to write and draw’, ‘Why we should love books’ and ‘How to create your own guinea pig art gallery’ (please ask your daughter to explain).

It is our hope that activities of these kinds encourage our students to develop a lifelong love of reading. To realise that they have the talents and skills to be an author and provide them with an opportunity to meet and ask questions to professional writers.

Thank you to everyone who supported the event by purchasing a copy of Olaf’s books. I really hope these titles have become bedtime favourites and the memories of the day will inspire the girls to keep reading and possibly write their own books in the future.

View the wonderful literary costumes here.