Southborough hosts Junior Reading Conference

Southborough welcomes every Year 5 student from ‘South of the Borough’ to a special Reading Conference featuring author Natasha Farrant

It was an absolute privilege to welcome every Year 5 student from ‘South of the Borough’ – including Ellingham Primary, St Mary’s Primary, Lovelace Primary, Castlehill Primary and St Paul’s Primary -  to Southborough High School on Thursday afternoon for a special Reading Conference, featuring British children’s author –and Costa Book Award winner – Natasha Farrant.

Natasha was primarily invited along to talk about her latest book ‘Secrets of Golden Island’ and share a personal insight into what inspires and motivates her to write such wonderful stories, but the overriding reason for the event was simply to celebrate the love of reading books! Year 5 students were all sent a copy of her latest book – courtesy of Southborough - a number of weeks beforehand so that the children could read the book in preparation. Indeed, many of the children arrived that afternoon with their well-read, dog-eared copies clutched to their chests, eager to ask the author a plethora of questions regarding their favourite characters and the plot.

The students enjoyed hearing how Natasha had been inspired in her latest book to bring big world events (e.g the Ukraine war) and combine them with little, everyday incidents (e.g  the rehoming of a new dog) to weave a story that was both compelling and captivating for a young audience.

Headteacher Mr Smith commented: “Instilling a love of reading in children is crucial for their academic and personal development. It fosters a lifelong love of learning, enhances vocabulary and comprehension, and improves academic performance across various subjects.”

Senior Leader and Reading Conference Event Organiser Ms Linney added: “Reading for pleasure can boost a child’s confidence, empathy and imagination, while also expanding their horizons and providing a valuable escape. Reading is good for everybody’s mental health!!”

Suffice to say, the event was a great success and it was wonderful to see so many young children so excited about reading!!!!

#SouthboroughReads #LoveOfReading #PrimaryPartnerships #NatashaFarrant  #LiteracyMatters #FutureAuthors #ReadingForPleasure #SouthOfTheBorough #CommunityEducation

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