Celebrating reading in all its forms, this year’s Reading Competition was a tremendous success and a wonderful celebration across the school. It marked the culmination of many weeks of preparation, beginning with our launch before Christmas to mark the National Year of Reading.

This year’s competition also coincided with the centenary of The House at Pooh Corner – and of the beloved characters created by A. A. Milne, an Old Westminster. Inspired by this anniversary, every pupil in the school was challenged to seek out a text that would push them somewhere new – beyond the familiar and beyond their comfort zone. As Piglet wisely observed: “You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you; you have to go to them sometimes.” Our pupils embraced that spirit wholeheartedly, discovering texts that challenged, inspired and delighted them.

After a year’s hiatus in the 2024–25 academic year, it was fantastic to welcome the Reading Competition back in its new home in Chapter House. The refreshed format created a lively and dynamic atmosphere, giving pupils the opportunity to experience the finals both as performers and as an appreciative audience.

Our Junior Competition was held on World Book Day, and we were delighted to welcome back Yassmin Abdel-Magied as our guest judge. As a writer, Yassmin is a passionate advocate for storytelling and young people’s voices. Her work celebrates the power of words to challenge, connect and inspire, making her the perfect judge for this year’s event. She brought warmth, insight and great energy to the occasion.

Congratulations to our runner-up, Kian, who delivered a superb performance from The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾. His comic timing landed perfectly with the audience, bringing fresh life to a text first published in the early 1980s.

Joshan was deservedly awarded Highly Commended for his fantastic performance of The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh. He selected an excellent extract that allowed him to demonstrate both empathy and a strong understanding of the novel’s central themes.

Congratulations also to our winner, William, who gave a rousing call to arms for the farm animals from Orwell’s classic Animal Farm. The speech format allowed him to address the audience directly with a powerful message of unity and equality, which our judge felt resonated particularly strongly.

Years 3–6 Reading Competition Finalists

Henry (T), Yr 6 — The Hunger Games (2012), Suzanne Collins
Henry (F), Yr 4 — The Wind in the Willows (1908), Kenneth Grahame
William (F), Yr 5 — Animal Farm (1945), George Orwell
Kian (M), Yr 6 — The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ (1982), Sue Townsend
Hugo (M), Yr 4 — The Silver Sword (1956), Ian Serraillier
Joshan (T), Yr 5 — The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh (2021), Helen Rutter
Arihan (T), Yr 4 — David Copperfield (1850), Charles Dickens
Shay (M), Yr 6 — The Art of Stillness (2014), Pico Iyer

The Senior Final (for Years 7 and 8) was held on Friday afternoon, and the older pupils were especially pleased to welcome back Stephen Smith. Having previously visited to deliver his chilling One Man Poe performance of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, Stephen has already built up a wonderful rapport with our pupils, and we look forward to welcoming him back again soon.

All of the pupils performed to an impressively high standard, and there was a striking range of texts chosen. Special mention must go to Ethan, who had the challenging task of opening the performances with his moving delivery from Kwame Alexander’s novel in verse, The Door of No Return. He conveyed a convincing emotional connection with his chosen extract.

Congratulations also to Nirvayesh, whose energetic delivery from Morpurgo’s War Horse brought the pages vividly to life.

Years 7–8 Reading Competition Finalists

Ethan (M), Yr 7 — The Door of No Return (2023), Kwame Alexander
Adithyan (F), Yr 8 — The Iliad (c.650 BCE), Homer
Eli (F), Yr 7 — Outside the Lanes (2025), Becca Mann
Sebastian (L), Yr 8 — We Choose to Go to the Moon (1962), John F. Kennedy
Nirvayesh (T), Yr 7 — War Horse (2011), Michael Morpurgo
Ollie (M), Yr 8 — UN Speech on Youth Education (2013), Malala Yousafzai
Joshua (T), Yr 7 — Children of Blood and Bone (2017), Tomi Adeyemi
Hugo (L), Yr 8 — Black Beauty (1877), Anna Sewell

Many thanks to our judges and to the English teachers across the school who helped to prepare their classes and stepped in to judge at the earlier stages of the competition.

Events such as these remind us that reading is not only a private pleasure but also something to be shared – a way of giving voice to great writing and discovering new perspectives.