There’s something about World Book Day that still manages to cut through the usual school routine. Maybe it’s the costumes, maybe it’s the stories — or maybe it’s just the excuse to spend a bit more time lost in a good book.
At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, this year’s celebration came with an added twist, as pupils welcomed award-winning children’s author Sophie Kirtley through the doors.
Known for titles such as The Wild Way Home, Our Wee Place and Swanfall, Kirtley spent time working directly with the children, leading creative writing sessions and reading activities designed to stretch young imaginations just that little bit further.
It’s the sort of visit that can leave a lasting impression. After all, it’s one thing to read a book — quite another to meet the person who brought it to life.
At the heart of it all is a school-wide focus on reading, something that staff at St Mary’s have clearly made a priority. From the early days of phonics through to daily reading sessions, there’s a steady push to make books part of everyday life rather than an occasional exercise.
That approach hasn’t gone unnoticed. A recent visit from Ofsted confirmed the school is meeting — and in some areas exceeding — expected standards, with reading singled out as a particular strength.
For Kirtley, the visit was as enjoyable as it was purposeful.
“I was delighted to visit the children of St Mary’s School,” she said. “Meeting young readers and chatting with them about the books they love is always such a joy. Kids have the best imaginations and I just love their enthusiasm for stories.”
Headteacher Lucy Buckland echoed that sentiment, pointing to the wider value of encouraging children to read for pleasure.
“Great books open doors,” she said. “They give children space to imagine, create and ask questions. Having an author visit in person helps bring that to life in a way that’s hard to replicate.”
And perhaps that’s the real takeaway from the day — not just a memorable visit, but the quiet possibility that somewhere among those pupils, a future writer has just started their own story.
