Developers in World Book Day bonus for school
PUPILS at St John’s Primary Academy, Stafford, were well prepared for this year’s World Book Day, thanks to two housebuilders.
Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes donated a number of books to the school, which is close to the developers’ respective developments, Bertelin Fields and The Catkins.
World Book Day is celebrated to inspire reading among children. Its mission is to promote reading for pleasure and education, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.
The global event aims to promote reading and sharing of stories among children of all ages.
Lorraine Parry, teacher and English lead at St John’s Primary Academy, said: “Children in our school really love reading and so they were very excited to have the opportunity to choose some new titles for their classrooms.”
According to a 2023 study by the National Literacy Trust, just two in five children and young people between the ages of eight and 18 said they enjoyed reading recreationally – the lowest figure the organisation has recorded since they began asking the question in 2005.
Tanya Silk, sales director at Barratt Homes West Midlands, said: “Encouraging children to read and appreciate literature in the communities where we build is something we regard as very important. We were delighted when St John’s Primary Academy accepted our offer as we knew how highly the school valued reading and the importance it placed on the literary world.”
Steve Barton, senior sales manager at David Wilson Homes Mercia, said: “Reading can be a wonderful hobby as it can help people of all ages unwind at the end of the day whilst stimulating our brains. We hope that our donation of books to St John’s Primary Academy will encourage more young people to pick up a book and enjoy getting lost in a great story.”