World Book Day 2026: What Pupils Shared in Our National Debate
Happy World Book Day week, everyone!
We hope you’ve been enjoying immersing yourselves in books, discovering new stories and exploring different worlds through reading this week.
As part of our ongoing work with the World Book Day charity, we hope you enjoyed taking part in our Big Debate Club discussion back in November, where we gathered your thoughts on how best to celebrate reading and encourage reading for pleasure. Using your responses, we’ve now created a new Big Debate Club video to help schools across the country continue the conversation: Is dressing up the most effective way to make reading enjoyable? What do you think?
Both World Book Day debates are still available on the Big Debate Club website and in your Class Meeting Tool, so why not include them in your World Book Day activities? You can also use our debate pack to help pupils practise expressing their opinions using structured sentence starters.
We received so many thoughtful responses from schools across the country, thank you to everyone who took part!
Here are just a few of the ideas shared:
Samuel Laycock School in Ashton-Under-Lyne suggested that dressing up can help pupils express themselves through their favourite books. Creating costumes allows pupils to show their love for a story, and seeing others dressed up helps pupils understand each other’s interests and share their enthusiasm for reading.
Green Park Primary School in Liverpool shared that dressing up can inspire pupils to read by making World Book Day more engaging and memorable. By connecting reading with fun experiences, pupils may feel more motivated to explore new books.
Sea View Primary School in South Shields highlighted that dressing up may not be accessible to everyone, but sharing stories is.
They suggested that bringing in a favourite book to share (whether in small groups, as a class, or individually) could be a more inclusive way to inspire reading.
Bedford Girls’ School suggested that while dressing up can be enjoyable, focusing on reading activities such as designing book covers, creating bookmarks, sharing recommendations, or presenting favourite books may be even more effective in promoting reading for pleasure.
Thank you again to the World Book Day charity for collaborating with us in 2026, and thank you to all the schools who shared such thoughtful and insightful opinions.
We wish you a wonderful World Book Day from all of us at Smart School Councils.
— Becky Gittins, Head of Delivery
💡 Want your pupils to join the conversation?
Smart School Council Members can take part in the World Book Day debate through the Class Meeting Tool on your dashboard. Make sure to get your students involved!
