Spencer Academies Celebrate World Book Day

Stories truly came to life at primary schools, where pupils enjoyed the chance to dress up. At The Mease Spencer Academy, children showed off their cosiest pyjamas to complement the school’s bedtime story theme. Other schools, like Portland Spencer Academy, saw some beloved characters including the likes of the Wonky Donkey, Mario, Horrid Henry, Peter Rabbit, and Wednesday Addams.

The day also involved exciting opportunities to explore the wide world of books. At Fairfield Spencer Academy, children met an author and illustrator on Zoom; Sunnyside Spencer Academy kicked things off with parents coming in to read with the children.

Things looked a little different for secondary schools. At Long Field Spencer Academy, 12 young people worked with two police community support officers (PCSO) to solve a murder mystery as part of the school’s ongoing Murderous Book Challenge—which, we are pleased to report, they did successfully.

Librarian (and subject of the investigation) Priya Chauhan said of the activity, “Today’s Murder Mystery was very exciting. PCSOs briefed 12 student detectives about getting help to solve a terrible crime – the murder of Miss Chauhan. Students were drafted in as they know Long Field and the potential suspects better. They were issued warrant cards and spent two hours investigating all the evidence which consisted of CSI files, CCTV footage, entry logs and more. Not only was this a lot of fun but students learned a lot – from data gathering, questioning, debating, delegation, problem solving, communication skills as well as cognitive learning. They particularly enjoyed fingerprinting and interrogating the suspects. All students were awarded certificates based on their particular strengths and qualities… We already have a waiting list for next year’s session.”

The participants were selected due to the hard work they’ve put into practicing and improving their reading. One Year 8 student reported that they particularly enjoyed “when we all worked as a team in the final few minutes of the investigation”, while another said their favourite part was fingerprinting the suspects.

“I really wish we had more time,” said a Year 7 participant. “It was really fun!”

Fostering a love of reading is among our most important responsibilities as educators, and our schools certainly brought that message home this World Book Day. We are delighted to see the enthusiasm among our young readers and look forward to nurturing their relationship with literacy throughout their time at Spencer schools.