The Corby Sixth Form brings Icelandic Christmas reading tradition to local primary schools

This week, students from The Corby Sixth Form made a festive trip to Grange Primary School, Kettering, to take part in Jólabókaflóð (pronounced yo-la-bo-ka-floth), the Icelandic Christmas tradition that encourages communities to share stories and celebrate reading together.

The visit marked the start of The Corby Sixth Form’s first community celebration of Jólabókaflóð. Around 50 Sixth Form students volunteered, spending time in classrooms sharing festive stories with younger pupils. Most sessions focused on Reception to Year 3, while alternative stories and activities were also offered for older children up to Year 6. Grange Primary was filled with Christmas spirit, with pupils joining in enthusiastically as Sixth Formers read aloud, talked about the characters, and led activities.

Following the success of the Grange Primary visit, The Corby Sixth Form students are set to continue the initiative throughout December, visiting three more local schools: St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Oakley Vale Primary School, and Corby Primary School. Each visit aimed to build festive community spirit while strengthening reading confidence and enjoyment among younger pupils.

Shawn Offor, Year 13 student and Academic Excellence Officer of the TCSF Student Council, said:

“Reading is what allows me to have new ideas and perspectives. It allows me to channel my thoughts and focus them into one area. It’s relaxing after a long day, and once you find an enjoyable book to read, it’s hard to stop. There are so many interesting and surprising themes that you can only find in books, and it truly opens your mind up to engaging emotions. I truly believe everyone should read books because frankly, we have too many not to read.”

Ben Morris, Head Teacher of The Corby Sixth Form, said:

“The Corby Sixth Form was proud to launch its first community celebration of Jólabókaflóð, the Icelandic tradition of sharing and enjoying books, by sending students and staff out to read in our local primary schools. This new initiative reflected the Sixth Form’s commitment to fostering a love of reading across all stages of education and strengthening links with the wider community in Corby and Kettering.

“As Head of The Corby Sixth Form, and as an English teacher who feels deeply passionate about the transformative power of reading, I was delighted that our students helped to champion literacy and inspire younger pupils. As we know, reading is one of the most significant factors in a child’s academic journey; research consistently shows that strong reading habits support progress in every subject (even Maths!), improve vocabulary and critical thinking, and form the foundations for long-term educational success.

“But reading matters for personal development, too. It fosters curiosity, imagination, empathy, resilience, and emotional well-being, life skills that are essential for young people growing up in today’s somewhat noisy and chaotic world. By sharing our favourite Christmas tales with these amazing primary pupils, our students not only celebrated the wonder of Jólabókaflóð, but also helped to establish a lifelong love of reading.

The Corby Sixth Form remained committed to promoting literacy, enriching our community relationships, and ensuring that reading remained at the heart of educational excellence.”