A Suffolk school has turned to the West End for help in marking World Book Day.

Sarah Loxley, oracy at Leiston Primary School pupils reached out to actors from stage and screen to bring children’s favourite books to life.

Stars of Les Miserables, Oliver and Matilda will help bring books to life with readings.

Actors from Call the Midwife, Holby City and Coronation Street are also making contributions.

The stories range from We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers to actress Katy Secombe reading the book that her father wrote for her, Katy and the Nurgla.

“The power of language development is vital to support children’s development and attainment, especially at a time when their access to wider experiences has been so restricted,” said headteacher Melissa Geater.

“The vocabulary that children gain from reading and discussion is vast and this is at the heart of our curriculum across all subjects and begins in our onsite nursery.”

“We are so lucky to have professional actors perform this fantastic selection of children’s favourite stories,” said oracy lead Sarah Loxley.

“At Leiston Primary School we are passionate about the power of the spoken word to transform lives, and there is no better way to developing children’s vocabulary, speech and language skills, than through the magic of books and storytelling.”

English lead, Amy Storey said: “We all have special memories from school; remembering those inspiring visitors and fun days out, the lessons that stick in our memory.

“During times like these, this fantastic opportunity to have actors from stage and screen perform for us explicitly, offers another memorable experience at Leiston Primary School.

“For us to nurture passionate readers and writers, we must first inspire and teach our children the skills of storytelling, developing language and confidence through performance and reading aloud.

“We’ve had the professionals model to us how to tell stories in an entertaining, magical and interactive way - a lesson that will never be forgotten."