This Spring term has been one of our busiest yet at Bigfoot North! We’ve tackled online safety, launched the National Year of Reading, and empowered young people through our International Women’s Day workshops, all while inspiring a love for reading during World Book Day. We also welcomed some fantastic new Bigfooters who have already jumped in to make a difference!
Here’s what we’ve been up to…
Safer Internet Day 2026
This year, our Be a SMART-Y programme for KS2 toured schools across the North to celebrate Safer Internet Day. Exploring the theme of Smart Tech: Safe Choices this fun, interactive assembly celebrates what we love about the internet and how we can use it, and AI; safely, respectfully and responsibly
Schools responded incredibly well to the programme, with many teachers highlighting how it helped their students engage with online safety in a meaningful, age-appropriate way.
“After a great experience last year, we wanted to rebook for this year and yet again it was outstanding. It has also helped identify what we need to cover in more depth through the quiz questions” – Red Lane Primary School
“It was incredibly valuable to have direct and explicit teaching of responsible use of AI, particularly how much AI is being exposed to our learners” – St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School
A huge thanks to Rebecca and Papi (or should we say Bip!) for their hard work!
Among our ever successful Online Safety and Online Behaviour workshops, we also tackled the issue of cyber safety with the youngest learners. Our friend Boo the Bunny had a great time visiting so many EYFS children schools to pick up top tips on staying safe.
Recruitment
In February, Rachel and Steph held a recruitment day in Manchester to expand our pool of brilliant Bigfooters! We were blown away by the skills and talent displayed and are thrilled to welcome so many amazing educators onboard.
We received some wonderful feedback from recruits about how friendly and accessible they felt the training session was, which means the world to us!
Here’s a snapshot of us doing some final prep on the train!
World Book Day
This World Book Day was another a creative literacy hit!
We took a moment to ask our Bigfooters which books inspired their love for reading as a child. We had a wonderful mix from Esio Trot by Roald Dahl, to The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams to The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.
This year celebrates 100 Years of Winnie the Pooh, so we thought it was only right to create a new programme to mark the occasion! The workshops tell us more about it’s creator – A.A Milne as well as the heartwarming messages which still ensure today.
2026 is also the National Year of Reading! This campaign is all about reconnecting reading with the things children already enjoy – from football and facts to gaming, comics, cooking and culture, and helping every child find a way into books that feels right for them.
Our GO ALL IN workshops are designed for KS1 and KS2 and have been going down a treat as an enrichment day which supports oracy, and has left pupils excited to pick up a book because they want to, not because they have to!
Shakespeare Week
We absolutely love celebrating Shakespeare Week, and our Introduction to Shakespeare workshops are always a hit! This term, our Bigfooter Mat had an amazing time at Greenfields Community Primary in Newcastle, where students dove into the dark, twists and turns of the story of Macbeth.
The Year 3 teacher shared some fantastic feedback: “Easily one of the best workshops I have been a part of in my 5 years of teaching!” – Greenfields Primary School
A huge thank you to Mat for bringing Shakespeare to life and making it accessible and fun for our young learners!
To find out more about our programmes and discuss how we could work with your school next term please contact northeast@bigfootartseducation.co.uk
THE NATIONAL YEAR OF READING IN THE NORTH
