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March 6 2026

World Book Day and House Reading

The sun came out for World Book Day and our annual House Reading competition on Thursday – it proved to be a good omen because the day was amazing! This year’s theme was “The Magical World of Books”. Many of the books our pupils love have magical elements, and this inspired their costumes.

We had lots of Hogwarts pupils (and three dancing Dobbies!), wizards, dragons, fairies and a vampire. There were some lions, some witches but, sadly, no wardrobes. There was a herd of unicorns, Thing 1 and Thing 2, a few Willy Wonkas, Mary Poppins and even a giant frog (Mr Sawyer). Some costumes were astoundingly creative – the tube of toothpaste from George’s Marvellous Medicine was a really fun example.

Staff came in themed costumes too – look out for pictures of the Year 5 teachers as characters from the Wizard of Oz and Year 4 and the PE teams’ Alice in Wonderland theme. However, Mrs Townsend stole the show in her inflatable unicorn costume! Thank you to everyone, including adults at home, for putting in so much time and effort to make this such a fun day for all.

Five children smile and pose together outdoors, all wearing colourful unicorn or animal onesies. One child holds a matching soft toy, and another wears sunglasses. The scene is bright and cheerful.
A group of adults dressed as Peter Pan and pirates stand smiling in a decorated room with a pirate ship backdrop, green and brown balloons, and a table with themed food and props.
Four adults dressed as Minions from Despicable Me, wearing yellow tops, dungarees, yellow hats or bald caps, and goggles. One holds a large inflatable banana. They are smiling and posing together indoors.
A group of children in colourful costumes, including a lizard, a crescent moon, and a cat, stand outside near a teacher dressed in animal print. They hold rucksacks and appear to be waiting or talking.
Children in colourful costumes stand together; two wear vibrant green dragon masks and wings, another wears a large brown top hat and purple coat, and a fourth is dressed in white with a pig headpiece. A brick wall is in the background.
Three young children in superhero costumes, two as Spider-Man and one as Iron Man, stand outside on green artificial grass, making playful superhero poses and smiling at the camera. A child sits in the background.
A group of adults dressed in colourful costumes, including storybook characters and witches, pose together indoors, smiling for a selfie in a bright classroom with large windows and a clock on the wall.
A group of children dressed in colourful costumes, including fairies, princesses, superheroes, and book characters, smile and pose together in a classroom with a World Book display in the background.
A group of children in colourful costumes, including a kimono, purple hats, and character outfits, pose outdoors in front of a black fence, smiling and giving thumbs up.
Three young children stand outdoors on artificial grass, smiling at the camera. Two girls wear blue princess fancy dress costumes, and a boy in brown stands behind them. Sunlight creates shadows on the ground.
Five people dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz—the Wicked Witch, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Dorothy, and Tin Man—stand outside in front of a brick building, smiling and posing for the camera.
Five children in colourful costumes walk together outside, holding papers. They appear to be participating in a school event or parade, with one dressed as Wonder Woman and another in a striped pink onesie.
Four adults in colourful animal and witch costumes pose happily outside a brick building. One holds a broom, another wears a frog outfit, one is dressed as a dog with a black dog, and the last is in a dragon costume.
Three children in fancy dress smile and pose indoors; one in a dragon outfit, one in a green robe and tie, and another in white. They are in a canteen with tables and chairs in the background.
A group of children and adults in colourful costumes pose outdoors, many dressed as characters from Alice in Wonderland. They smile at the camera on a sunny day, standing in a car park with buildings in the background.
Five children in fancy dress pose outdoors. They are dressed as various characters, including a wizard with a wand, a boy in a red waistcoat, a boy with a card hat, a child wearing a yellow wig and fur, and one as Darth Vader with a red lightsabre.
A young child dressed in a red dressing gown, large cartoon gloves, and a blue wizard hat with moon and stars plays outside on artificial grass, smiling and holding their hands to their cheeks. Other children play in the background.
Three children dressed in Harry Potter costumes smile and pose together outside on a sunny day, surrounded by other children in various fancy dress on a playground.
Two girls dressed as Harry Potter characters, wearing round glasses, striped ties, cloaks, and holding wands, stand smiling outside a building with brick and green walls.

Click here for more photos from the day.

Our youngest children in Foundation and Reception had lots of fun enjoying books and stories with some magical activities too. They brought in books from home to share, drew the characters they were dressed as, had a “story swap” between classes and made magic wands and potions.

Our House Reading event involved pupils from Year 1 to 6 reading in pairs and teams. The standard was incredibly high. Our Year 1 and 2 pupils performed very entertaining poems for the audience – they read very confidently and clearly up on the stage. Our Year 3 to 6 readers made the judges’ jobs incredibly difficult because they all read incredibly well. It really was down to the tightest of margins.

A group of children in colourful costumes stand on a stage, holding hands and raising their arms, performing in front of an audience. The background is a dark curtain, and kids in costume are seated behind them.
A group of children in colourful costumes stand on a stage, some pointing and some with hands at their sides, against a dark curtain backdrop during a school play or performance.
Two children perform on stage. One speaks into a microphone, gesturing with raised hands, wearing glasses, a black beanie, and a shirt reading My name is NINE. The other wears a yellow wig and furry costume, standing by a music stand.
A group of children stand on a stage dressed in colourful costumes, including animals, fairy tale characters, and an astronaut, with hands joined or extended, facing the audience against a dark curtain backdrop.
A group of children in colourful costumes stand on a stage with their arms raised above their heads, forming triangles. A black curtain is in the background.
Two boys stand at a microphone. One wears glasses and a costume resembling a Harry Potter robe and tie; the other, in a jacket, reads from an orange paper. A black curtain is in the background.
Two children perform on stage; one sings into a microphone wearing a gingham dress and cardigan, whilst the other, dressed as a scarecrow with a hat and straw details, stands behind with arms outstretched.
Two young girls stand at a microphone on stage. One, wearing a blue and white costume, looks calm, while the other, in a grey outfit, gestures expressively with her mouth open as if speaking or singing passionately.
Two young girls wearing witch hats and costumes stand in front of microphones and a music stand, possibly performing or speaking on stage against a dark curtain backdrop.
A group of children in colourful costumes, including a witch, princess, superhero, and dragon, sit and stand on a stage with their arms raised, performing in front of a black curtain.
Two children stand at a lectern. One wears a brown lion costume with a hood and sunglasses, while the other wears a grey outfit with a matching hat, speaking into a microphone. A black background is behind them.
Two young girls with plaited hair, wearing fancy dress and ties, stand close together and read from a music stand while one speaks into a microphone on a stage with a dark background.
Two young girls in fancy dress stand at a music stand on stage, one speaking or singing into a microphone while the other looks on, with a dark curtain as the background. Another child in a hat is partially visible to the right.
A group of children in colourful costumes stand in a row on stage, facing the audience with their hands outstretched, as if singing or performing in a school play.
A group of young children in colourful costumes, including animals, wizards, and storybook characters, stand on a stage with their hands raised, performing in front of a black curtain.
A group of children in colourful costumes, including princesses, fairytale characters, and superheroes, stand on a stage in front of a dark curtain, performing with hands on their faces and smiling.
A child in a green dragon costume holds up a sign reading “The Nowhere Emporium is open for business,” whilst another child dressed in black reads from a stand, both standing in front of a black curtain.

Click here for more photos from our House Reading competition.

Everyone should be very proud of their performances – we are proud of them too. Our overall winners and this year’s House Reading champions (for the third year in a row) are Heseltine!

A huge thank you to everyone involved in making the day such a success.

A group of excited children and adults in colourful costumes pose together indoors, raising their arms and smiling enthusiastically for the camera. The costumes include wizards, storybook characters, and animals.

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