There was ‘Sh‑read and Seek’ where students examined jars filled with shredded pages and tried to guess which book they came from.  We had ‘Book Character Receipts’ where pupils tried to identify which character had been shopping, based on the clues hidden in their itemised receipts.  There was a scavenger hunt, and a ‘Stories behind the songs’ quiz, matching books with the songs they inspired.

On Wednesday, things got competitive with a Book Quiz.  There were 6 teams, including 2 teachers, who bravely joined the fun.  Questions covered a wide range of genres and themes, from questions about books that have hit the big screen, to ‘Mr Qui?’ which involved identifying Mr Men in different languages.  It was a close contest and only 3 points separated the top 5 teams.  In the end, Team BENKLEG (the team’s initials) were victorious.

Today we have enjoyed book character costumes, a spectacular celebration of imagination and creativity across the school.  This year saw a record number of students getting involved, creating conversations around traditional classics to the latest literary heroes.  The effort students put in was remarkable, with an impressive number of homemade creations.  Our panel of judges had the tough job of selecting the top 3 costumes which was no easy task.  After much deliberation, they decided on:

 

Bee P (8L) as Enola Holmes ('The Enola Holmes Mysteries')

Tabitha R (8T) as Sophie Foster ('Keeper of the Lost Cities')

Lissy B (8T) as Bilbo Baggins ('The Hobbit') 

 

Last year’s winner, Gwen M (8L) amazed us once again with her creative Fahrenheit 451 costume.  Although we selected different winners this year, her originality has earned her a well‑deserved special mention.

House points are being awarded for all participation during the week.  These are the totals so far:

Temple 37

Anthony 9

Latimer 19

Kendall 17

 

And the excitement isn’t over yet!  On Thursday 19th March, we are looking forward to welcoming author Manjeet Mann to PHSG.  She will be speaking to our Year 7 and Year 8 students, student librarians, and reading ambassadors.

National Year of Reading 

2026 is the National Year of Reading and we’ll be celebrating with plenty more activities throughout the year.  Our ‘26 in 26 Challenge’, launched in February, encourages students and staff to complete 26 different ‘reads’ across the year.  The 'Go All In' campaign reminds us that reading comes in many forms.  It can be song lyrics, cooking blogs, gaming guides, news articles or comics - anything that connects young people to the interests they already love.  Find out more on the campaign's website.