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Who’s behind the mask?

Excited children were keen to see which mystery character was reading their daily story to them as part of World Book Day.

Pupils at Roydon Primary Academy eagerly tuned in each day to watch two teachers from their school read to them from behind a mask before their identities were revealed at the end of the day.

Following the popular TV show The Masked Singer, the school used the theme to create a buzz around the national themed day devoted to reading with its own The Masked Reader.

Instead of the tradition of inviting children to dress as their favourite book character for a day, the school spends a whole week focusing on books.

Whitney Watson, Year 4 teacher, said: “At Roydon, we do a lot to promote reading throughout the year, but we always look forward to World Book Day to really generate excitement and celebrate reading for pleasure.

“We celebrate World Book Day for an entire week to inspire pupils to develop their love of reading and books. With schools having been partially closed with some families stuck at home, books are more important than ever to stimulate our minds, inspire hope and boost wellbeing.

“There was a lot of excitement and a great buzz all week – all around reading and books! Books are very special. They can bring so much joy, even in this unusual time we are living in. This lockdown has had a big impact on wellbeing in our communities. World Book Week joined us together and gave us a boost before returning to school.”

Throughout the week, pupils took part in a competition and shared photos of themselves reading in unusual places while at home in lockdown; read an extract of their favourite book to their class teacher; swapped teachers for reading sessions; put on their comfiest clothes and cosied up with a book; and created a scene from their favourite story inside a box.