World Book Day is a highlight of the school year, as it involves our whole school community, and sees significant numbers of the staff joining in dressing up! This year was no exception, and trying to spot who is who is all part of the fun. The day began with a fashion parade on the front playground. I was very pleased to welcome author and storyteller Adam Bushnell back to St Christopher’s, after an absence of several years. I had been told that he was both a great friend of the school and a most marvellous storyteller, and I was delighted to see both were true in very great measure. His accent gave me some issues at the start of the day, but I may be almost fluent in Geordie by the time this Newsletter reaches you.
The day finished with our older children in the Hall, listening to a selection of the best performers from our Poetry By Heart Competition. A lot of poetry is design to be heard out loud rather than read on the page, and it was lovely to hear some very well known texts come alive in performance. Poems like Jabberwocky or Macavity The Mystery Cat reveal an almost musical quality when recited aloud, and it was wonderful – in this age of screens and constant visual stimulation – to see the children so clearly entertained by the spoken word. My thanks to Miss Adams and Ms Kelly for organising events for children across the school today, and to Adam for his endless enthusiasm and creativity.
World Book Day is also an opportunity to celebrate reading in all its forms. I am a passionate believer that there is no such thing as people who don’t like reading; just those who haven’t found the right book yet. There is a greater variety of literature for children and teenagers than ever before, and the range of audiobooks is ever expanding. Please don’t ever restrict audiobooks as way to drive children to read for themselves, recent research says that they will make the transition for themselves when they are ready. Make the print version easily available to them, and they will pick it up sooner or later. As ever, teachers from Reception to Year 8 are more than willing to suggest recommended titles for children with different interests, and Miss Mason and her team of Pupil Librarians are on hand to suggest – and take suggestions for – books in our Library.
We had a very distinguished guest on Tuesday morning; Mr Marshall-Taylor, Head Master of Brighton College. Mr Marshall-Taylor was here to talk to parents about the process of choosing a senior school. It is never too early to start thinking about this, and St Christopher’s takes pride in finding the right senior school for every child in our care. Senior schools have unique identities, but so of course do your children. Do please get in touch if you would like to arrange a discussion at any stage of your child’s school career, and it is never too soon to start visiting Open Mornings.
Ms Elizabeth Lyle, Head