2026 is the National Year of Reading. This year, World Book Day at the Senior School has tied in with a reading push across the school. Tutor groups took part in our annual contest: a fiendish literary quiz that always involves stiff competition! This year’s quiz featured book-themed connection walls with a Gresham’s twist, and rounds on manga and multilingual Mr Men. The quiz is designed to be challenging, and the contest remains open until the end of term to allow time for team deliberations, with the victorious tutor group being announced after the Easter holidays.

Book hook teaser chapters, intended to share new and different titles with pupils, were read out in lessons, and recommendations from pupils and staff were shared in the Library and classrooms. We launched a new pupil book club at the start of the week, too, to meet regularly to discuss all things reading-related, and to take part in bookish activities, from bookmark making to creative writing, and everything in between.

The Reading Bingo Challenge launched in January, giving pupils the chance to win prizes by completing targets on their bingo cards. The competition runs until the May Half Term break and has already sparked plenty of enthusiastic and competitive reading, particularly among some of the boys.