Children at a primary school in Coventry have celebrated Roald Dahl Day (Friday, September 13) by taking part in an interactive storytelling session based on the author’s books, courtesy of Platform Home Ownership.
Platform, which has Shared Ownership homes coming soon at a development named The Spires, arranged for a professional storyteller to visit 90 children aged between seven and eight at Aldermoor Farm Primary School, as part of its commitment to giving back to the communities it provides homes for. Roald Dahl Day is an annual global celebration of Roald Dahl’s stories, characters and worlds, with many schools across the country taking part.
According to the National Literacy Trust, just 2 in 5 (43.4%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed reading in 2023, the lowest percentage since this statistic was first recorded in 2005. Professional storyteller Mark Fraser conducted the engaging session, with a number of Roald Dahl tales told, including Fantastic Mr Fox, George’s Marvellous Medicine and The Witches, while pupils were given the chance to ask questions and share their own stories, and the importance of doing so underlined.
The donation and storytelling session is another example of Platform providing for schools in Coventry recently, with supply of football goals, a book donation, and a storytelling competition all also arranged through the housing association. Sabina Cox, Marketing Manager at Platform said, “Roald Dahl and his tales have had a lasting impact on a number of generations, and we hope to inspire the readers of tomorrow into a love of stories through this storytelling session.
“The themes within the famous tales told are valuable, and to have them explored in such an engaging way is important. We hope that the children enjoyed the session, and we hope to organise yet more community-enhancing initiatives within Coventry in the near future.”
Emma Hardy, Assistant Headteacher KS2 at Aldermoor Farm Primary School, said: “The children thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling session, which was informative, compelling and entertaining throughout, as Mark delivered a number of fascinating tales.”
“We’d like to thank Platform for generously arranging this for our pupils, which will no doubt help to inspire a love of sharing stories and reading for a number of them.”
