Celebrating Reading and Literature at Charters

As we approach March and the celebration of World Book Day, students at Charters are taking part in assemblies that shine a spotlight on reading for pleasure. With 2026 marking the National Year of Reading, the timing perfectly reflects our school’s commitment to placing reading at the very heart of school life.

Assemblies this week promoted our year-long Genre Challenge Competition, encouraging both students and staff to explore a wide range of books from the school library. The 12 colour-coded genres — including Mystery, Humour, Poetry and Fantasy — invite readers to step beyond their comfort zones while earning House points along the way.

We will celebrate World Book Day on Friday 6th March, when departments will each adopt a genre and dress accordingly. The English department have already chosen their theme: Classics — the yellow category!

Reading is everywhere: in a match report from last weekend’s footbal game, the lyrics of a viral song, a favourite recipe, or the instructions to a family board game. At Charters, we actively reflect on the power of reading, with classroom doors displaying the most powerful books recommended by our teaching staff.

Alongside this, students in Years 7 and 8 enjoy 20 minutes of DEAR Time each day, and our new book vending machine rewards students with tokens to exchange for a recommended book to read and keep — further embedding reading as a whole-school priority.

A midway celebration of reading has been planned for the Summer, when we invite our community to attend the Charters Literary Festival and Summer Fayre, which will be held on Saturday 4th July from midday to 4pm.

As Margaret Atwood famously wrote, “A word after a word after a word is power.” So choose a book, find a quiet corner, and discover your own powerful read.