The theme of this year’s World Book Day was ‘Read Your Way’, championing the enjoyment of becoming immersed in a good book, without expectation or pressure. What we were being reminded, quite rightly I believe, is that sometimes it’s important to make your own reading choices, beyond the curriculum and free from others’ perspectives of what comprises a worthy choice of text. Just as we encourage our students to engage in a wide range of extension and enrichment activities, part of our overarching ethos of ‘stretch and challenge for all’, so we must value and validate their reading-for-pleasure adventures.

Recent studies have shown that reading for pleasure brings benefits far beyond those which might naturally be expected; while of course improved literacy and comprehension are foreseen as part of the package, additional proven advantages include stronger feelings of social inclusion, improved confidence and self-esteem and a rise in levels of empathy. Indeed, some Medical Schools now offer optional literary study modules in recognition of the connection between reading fiction and empathy for patients. As an English teacher, I’m all for that! Aside from this personal-professional interest, of course, this recognition has resonance in terms of post-16 subject choices and combinations, even for those who aspire to enter fields seen traditionally as purely scientific. Harnessing the joy of reading for pleasure at all points of a student’s educational journey is a sustained focus at The Abbey and last week, in particular, saw activities taking place school-wide to support and celebrate World Book Day 2024.

At the Senior School, our Librarian, Ms Wenman, invited staff and students to take and share a photograph of themselves reading ‘their own way’. We were encouraged to take either a conventional snap, perhaps enjoying a book while curled up on the sofa at home, or something a little more unexpected, demonstrating that reading for pleasure does not have to conform to preconceived ideas. It was wonderful to see these photographs displayed on in-school screens and shared more widely through social media channels, depicting members of our School community engaged in the luxurious escapism that a good book can bring.

I took my own photograph at the home of one of London’s many Premier League football teams, combining two of my favourite pastimes in one moment, pre-match, as the opponents warmed up on the pitch below me. We know – and teach – about sport and its benefits for physical health and are recognising more and more the positive impact of sport on mental health and wellbeing. We also know, thanks to work including that of the National Literacy Trust, that those young people most engaged with reading are likely to have better mental wellbeing than those less engaged; University College London advises its students that stress-related reactions, such as worrying, can be reduced by 60% with as little as six minutes a day of reading for pleasure.

It isn’t easy, as we navigate busy, activity-filled lives, always to make time for a good book, one that we have chosen because it delights us (rather than because we have to read it for school or for book group or because we think it’s something we ought to be able to say we’ve read). But if this year’s World Book Day’s impact is to resonate as we leave the imagination-capturing photographs behind, we could do worse than remember this: we are all more likely to enjoy reading when our individual choices are championed and by enjoying reading, we are all more likely to live happier, healthier and more successful lives.

Dr Dawn Bellamy, Deputy Head