WELL READ

Q Does your school normally mark World Book Day?

A World Book Day is one of many international events in our calendar. As a school that creates time each day for reading and a fantastic library, this day is a big feature for all the children at Horris Hill.

Q Do the children love these events?

A School celebrations are a much-loved feature on our calendar. On World Book Day this year, there was an impressive display of literary characters fromthe BFG, to witches and wizards on display. The sta were also dressed up, including myself who conducted ‘business as usual’ dressed as Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz! It was endearing to see the e ort that the entire community had made to create costumes for the day.

Q How important do you think reading awareness days are?

A As educators, it is our responsibility to encourage curiosity and instil a love of learning in our pupils. We aim to inspire children by giving them freedom to explore their passions through reading a variety of media. A child who has a love for super-heroes may wish to read a comic, whereas a child impassioned by ponies may wish to lose themselves in a novel. The point is, encouraging children to read words in a variety of forms can help them to develop their vocabulary and understanding of language. Awareness events, such as World Book Day or a literary festival, give a fun and positive association to books and o ers an opportunity to open a conversation about literature.

Q How do you aim to encourage your pupils to read?

A Reading for pleasure is celebrated throughout school life as well as in the boarding houses. We have the most fabulous library, stacked full of literature, with both a study area and cosy sofas to curl up on with a good read. Our librarian runs a regular book review programme which encourages the children to review and recommend titles to their peers and in promoting a love of words, we run declamations each year where children are encouraged to celebrate expression and feeling through speech. We encourage flair in our pupils by demonstrating excellence and one way in which we achieve this is welcoming visiting authors. Most recently we welcomed Simon Murray, author ofIcky Doo Dahbooks, who shared his love of books and character creation with our youngest visitors. Our older pupils were also visited this spring by Beano illustrator, Kev F Sutherland. horrishill.com

Q What does the rest of the school year hold in store for you?

A As a sta body, we identified three core values of Horris Hill, which underpin everything we do as a school moving forward: family, freedom and flair. We are a family school. Small, friendly and warm are hopefully three words you will hear often here. We seek to develop the character and the moral values of the children. Cross yeargroup playing is encouraged, from Lower School through to Year 8 children; with Year 8s happily interacting with the Reception class through reading each day. We strive to develop children with a sense of vocation and a desire to help others in the world.

As a school with fields that cover 65 acres, we support children to broaden their sense of self, independence and confidence in their abilities. This gives them a sense of freedom and builds their self-esteem.

On arrival at Horris Hill, a parent described to me how children at school express their flair. The word suggests originality, style and energy and these are qualities we nurture in all Horris Hill children. We welcome individuality and include a range of characters and ways of expressing yourself.