World Book Day was a brilliant celebration of reading and imagination at Great Sankey High School! Pupils and staff really embraced the magic of stories with a whole day of literary‑themed fun.

 

The day began with a form quiz for all year groups, getting everyone into the spirit of books right from the start.

 

One of the biggest highlights was the fantastic fancy dress participation by staff — 72 members of staff dressed up as characters from their favourite books! We had everything from Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland to characters from the Horrible Histories series, making the corridors a colourful and exciting place to be.

 

Pupils were given a list of all the staff taking part and spent the day on a mission to track them down and write down which characters they were portraying. The competition was fierce — and lots of fun — as students raced to complete their worksheets. Those who finished first were rewarded with a book from the school library, much to their delight. The atmosphere was full of laughter as students enjoyed spotting creative costumes and connecting them to familiar favourite stories.

 

We were also delighted to welcome author Mark Illis to the school today! Mark spoke to our Year 8 cohort in an inspiring author visit that took place straight after assembly. Mark is a highly experienced novelist and screenwriter whose work ranges from adult novels to exciting and heartfelt stories for young readers — including Running Away for Beginners, The Impossible and its sequel The Impossible: On the Run. His novels often combine humour, adventure and real‑life themes, and he has also written extensively for television, including well‑known series such as EastEnders, The Bill and Emmerdale. Mark regularly visits schools to share his passion for storytelling and to run creative writing workshops, and today’s talk was both motivational and insightful for our students.

 

Following his talk, Mark led two creative writing workshops in the LRC during Period 2 and Period 3, where pupils had the chance to explore writing techniques, share ideas and be inspired by a real working author. A big thank you to all who took part — pupils and staff — it was a fantastic opportunity to spark creative thinking! Please see below for the list of pupils who took part in the workshops.

 

The official World Book Day celebrations wrapped up with a full staff photo showcasing all those who dressed up — a wonderful tribute to a day filled with imagination, reading and community spirit.

 

Huge thanks to all staff and pupils for your enthusiasm and participation. Your creativity and excitement made World Book Day at Great Sankey a truly memorable event!