Reading:
OLSJ National Year of Reading Celebration
We had a truly wonderful morning at OLSJ as we officially celebrated the unveiling of our fantastic new Woodland Wonderland Wall Art, which OLSJ won out of the 7,000 schools that participated in National Literacy Trust "Go All In Campaign" as part of the National Year of Reading.
Reading is at the heart of life at OLSJ, so it was incredibly special to welcome visitors from the National Literacy Trust, the Promote Your School Wall Art team and award-winning author Tọlá Okogwu to join us for a morning dedicated to books, storytelling, imagination and reading for pleasure. The event was designed not simply as an unveiling, but as a celebration of the reading culture our pupils have helped to create.
We were delighted to welcome Andrew Ettinger and Anna Molloy from the National Literacy Trust, alongside Lisa Savage and Jaclyn Bradshaw from the Wall Art team. The National Literacy Trust works to champion literacy and reading, supporting schools and communities to help children develop the skills, confidence and enjoyment of reading that can make such a difference throughout their lives. Through the National Year of Reading and Go All In Together!, we have loved being part of a wider celebration encouraging everyone to make reading a bigger part of everyday life.
A real highlight of the morning was welcoming Tọlá Okogwu, author of the hugely popular Onyeka series. Tọlá spoke to the children about her own journey as a reader and writer, the books and interests that inspired her, and the ingredients that go into creating a great story. She then used our new Wall Art as a visual stimulus, encouraging pupils to look closely, use their imaginations and think creatively about the stories that might exist within our Woodland Wonderland. This was exactly what we hoped the artwork would achieve, sparking curiosity, conversation and storytelling. We have purchased many of Tọlá's books for our pupils to enjoy - they absolutely flew off the shelves today!
Our Reading Ambassadors also had a starring role in the morning. They spoke confidently about their love of reading, the work they have done to promote books throughout the school and what the new artwork means to them. Last year’s ambassadors played a particularly important part in developing the reading culture that helped us win this opportunity, so it was wonderful to recognise and celebrate their contribution.
The artwork itself reflects so much of what is important to us as a school. Growing up in and around the New Forest is very special, and the woodland and natural world theme celebrates the environment our children know and love. Within the design are inspiring figures including Malala Yousafzai, Sir David Attenborough, Chris Packham, Wangari Maathai and Hamza Yassin — people who have used their voices, knowledge and actions to speak up for education, equality and our natural world.
This connects beautifully with our school mission to be Architects of a Better World and with our commitment to the Global Goals. Reading allows children to learn about lives beyond their own, understand important issues, develop empathy and discover how people can use their voices to make a difference.
That is something our Reading Ambassadors have already put into action. Last year they raised £222 for Libraries Without Borders, supporting the principles of Global Goal 4: Quality Education and Global Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities. This year, our new ambassadors have chosen to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, continuing to use their love of books to help other children experience the joy of reading.
There really could not be a more fitting home for the artwork than our school hall- the hub and heart of our small school. It is where we eat together, gather for assemblies, welcome our families and celebrate as a community. We now plan to develop the space further with book recommendations and reading opportunities so that the artwork becomes a living part of our reading culture and a starting point for conversations about books, people, ideas and stories.
Throughout the morning, photographs and video were captured of the children reading, talking about books, sharing their thoughts and taking part in Tọlá's storytelling activities. It was fantastic to see their enthusiasm and confidence and especially lovely to hear our Reading Ambassadors speaking so passionately about something that means so much to them.
The National Year of Reading encourages us all to Go All In with reading.
At OLSJ, we certainly have — and this very special morning was a wonderful celebration of just how much reading means to our school community.
We cannot wait to see where our next chapter takes us!
