Once upon a time, on an freezing cold Tuesday in January, the children and staff of St. Margaret’s Primary in Ifield, arrived at school dressed ready for bed, clutching a favourite bedtime story. Throughout the day, staff and children enjoyed captivating reading opportunities, as well as time to share their own books with friends. After dark, more than two hundred pupils brought their parents and carers, grandparents, brothers and sisters back to school with torches, duvets, blankets and pillows to be read to and share their most loved books. The school hall had been transformed into a cosy, star-lit space ready to start the wind down to bedtime. Many parents bought their own special childhood books to share with their children and friends.

To finish this magical evening, children enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate to keep them warm on the journey home, back to bed.

The Dream Big Project is designed to promote the importance of bedtime stories. Not only is this a very special experience, research proves that children who are read to by an adult at home have an advantage over other children and do better in both primary and secondary education, in all subjects. We know that many parents stop reading to their children by the age of 7. At St. Margaret’s, we want all children to receive this benefit by having a bedtime story right up until the age of 12.

The staff and Head Teacher were overwhelmed by the support the Dream Big Project has received, welcoming record numbers of families to this after school event on an extremely cold and frosty evening.

And they all lived happily ever after...