QUEST Trust Turns World Book Day into a Week of Reading Across Wigan and Bolton Schools
Today, pupils at schools across the country have been celebrating World Book Day – but for QUEST Trust, the event wasn’t just a single day. The multi-academy trust, which includes four primary schools and one secondary school, extended the celebrations into a full week dedicated to reading, showing its commitment to literacy right from early years through to secondary education.
From story swaps to book donations, pupils were encouraged to explore reading in creative ways. At the heart of the celebrations were the Trust’s Reading Ambassadors - a team of pupils who promote reading across all year groups - supported by the Trust’s Reading Team. Their enthusiasm inspired children to explore stories and write from the heart.
Activities included a Bookcycle, where pupils donated and swapped pre-loved books; a Teacher Swap, with teachers reading stories to different classes; and Masked Reader, a mystery storytelling event featuring staff, parents and community members.
Fiona Brown, QUEST Trust Reading Leader, said:
“At QUEST, we endeavour to support all children from early years to employment, and to be able to work collaboratively and in cohesion with one another — from our youngest children to our oldest — truly is remarkable. To see our KS3 students engaging in the same activities as our two-year-olds is incredibly heartwarming. To encapsulate what it means to be a child at a QUEST school, and to share that love of reading with all, has made this World Book Day truly special.”
The Trust has also seen measurable improvements in literacy across its schools. Attainment in reading, writing and maths across the primary schools has risen to around 70 per cent – eight percentage points above the national average. Hindley Green Community Primary, in particular, has made a remarkable improvement, increasing from 41 per cent to 83 per cent in reading, writing and maths combined in just two years.
This year, QUEST pupils from nursery right through Key Stage 3 at UCS Bolton also collaborated on a new book, Diary of a QUEST Kid, contributing stories, diary entries, letters and other writing pieces. Each year group will select a winning entry to feature in a professionally published QUEST book, which will be available in schools and at the QUEST Training Centre and provide a lasting celebration of pupil voices and creativity.
The week-long celebrations demonstrates QUEST Trust’s ongoing commitment to fostering a love of reading, building confidence, and improving literacy throughout a child’s school life. QUEST Trust comprises four primary schools across Wigan and a secondary school in Bolton. The schools are:
- St. John’s Church of England Primary School, Abram
- St. John’s Church of England Primary School, Hindley Green
- St. Peter's Church of England Primary School
- Hindley Green Community Primary School
- University Collegiate School, Bolton