Reading starts with breakfast at St Catherine’s

Reading was on the menu, when children at St Catherine’s Catholic Primary in Newcastle kicked off this year’s World Book Day with ‘Breakfast and a Book’.

Pupils of all ages shared their favourite stories with friends and family members over breakfast at the school on Thursday 5 March.

The annual celebration of reading then continued with a host of themed activities and competitions, which were led by the staff with the support of the school’s Year 6 ‘Reading Ambassadors’.

“St Catherine’s Catholic Primary School celebrated World Book Day with a full day of reading and creative activities designed to inspire a love of books across the whole school,” said Year 6 Teacher and English Lead Rachael Murray.

“The day began with a ‘Breakfast and a Book’ event, where families were invited into school to share breakfast and read together, supported by our Year 6 pupils as part of their Faith in Action work.

“Children then took part in a whole-school World Book Day Assembly led by staff and Reading Ambassadors, followed by a school-wide short story competition, where pupils planned, wrote, and published their own stories.”

“Throughout the day there were phonics activities for younger pupils, book-themed lunchtime experiences, library reading sessions led by Reading Ambassadors, teacher story-swap sessions between classes, creative artwork linked to texts, and fun ‘Masked Reader’ mystery videos for children to guess,” she continued

“The day ended with cosy class story time to celebrate reading together.”

Besides enjoying the book-focused fun, pupils and staff members alike spent the day dressed as their favourite fictional characters, with the staff drawing inspiration from Julia Donaldson’s popular books.

This year’s celebrations also extended to the end of the week, with Toby Glover, author of The Gentleman Tramp, visiting St Catherine’s the following day to deliver a series of creative workshops to all classes from Nursery to Year 6.

“This year’s focus was on reading for enjoyment and creativity, giving the children the opportunity not only to celebrate books, but also to experience the writing process first-hand, and develop their own storytelling ideas,” explained Ms Murray.

“All pupils from Early Years through to Year 6 took part in World Book Day activities, meaning the entire school community was involved. Activities were carefully adapted for each age group, so that every child could participate – from storytelling through drawing and oral storytelling in Early Years Foundation Stage to independently written short stories in Key Stage 2.”

“World Book Day provides an opportunity to celebrate reading as something joyful, creative, and shared,” she added. “At St Catherine’s, the day helps children see themselves as readers and writers, encouraging imagination, confidence, and a lifelong love of books.

“By involving families, older pupils, and staff together, the event reinforces the message that reading is at the heart of learning and community life.”