Dartmouth Academy celebrated World Book Day 2026 with a day full of excitement, imagination and a love of reading.

Pupils arrived at school dressed as their favourite book characters, from unicorns and classic villains to Harry Potter favourites.

Parents and carers were welcomed into the school at the start of the day to share stories with their children.

The activity underlined the importance of reading together and demonstrated how shared reading experiences can inspire a lifelong love of books.

A special highlight of the celebration was a performance by the teachers, who brought a poem in the style of Allan Ahlberg’s ‘Please Mrs Butler’ to life on stage.

Pupils were thrilled to see their teachers perform, combining storytelling, humour and theatrical flair to make reading fun and engaging.

To conclude the day, every child went home with a free book, ensuring that the magic of World Book Day could continue at home and encouraging further reading and storytelling.

Jennifer Tierney, Primary Principal at Dartmouth Academy, said: “World Book Day was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate reading with our whole school community.

“Seeing the children so enthusiastic about books, and sharing stories with their families and teachers, was truly inspiring.

“We hope that the books and experiences from today will continue to spark curiosity and a love of reading long after the day has ended.”

Matthew Shanks, CEO of Education South West said: “World Book Day at Dartmouth Academy was a wonderful celebration of reading and creativity.

“It’s fantastic to see pupils so engaged and inspired, and to witness the whole school community coming together around books.”

World Book Day is a charity event held annually in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Every child in full-time education in the UK and Ireland is provided with a voucher to be spent on books.

The event was first celebrated in the United Kingdom in 1998.