22/05/2026
On Thursday, 30th April, Riverside Radio broadcast their breakfast show live from Southfields Academy to celebrate The National Year of Reading. The hosts, Jason Rosam and Alison Palmer interviewed some of our staff- asking what their favourite children’s books were when they were growing up-and how our school community promotes reading for pleasure across all year groups.
The Riverside Radio team also invited a group of our students to speak on the show to discuss their passion for reading. All involved enjoyed this incredible opportunity and they showed remarkable enthusiasm and professionalism throughout the experience. It was wonderful to see the confidence of the students who were interviewed as they stepped up to the microphone and represented the school so brilliantly. The feedback from the radio team was overwhelmingly positive—they were impressed by our students’ communication skills and maturity when responding to questions. Southfields Academy is very proud of everyone involved for embracing this unique opportunity and making it such a success!
As if having a local radio station broadcast live from the school wasn’t enough, on the same day we were also thrilled to welcome Sarah Crossan, the multi-award-winning author, for a very special visit. Crossan is best known for her novel One, which won the VILIP Carnegie medal and YA Book Prize in 2016. Some of her other popular titles include, The Weight of Water and Apple and Rain. After speaking on the radio, Sarah Crossan delivered a presentation to all of our Year 10 pupils. This hour was filled with discussions about poetry, writing in verse and the appreciation of language constantly changing and adapting. Crossan also gave the audience a deeper understanding about her latest release- April’s Book of the Month at Waterstones bookstore: Gone for Good. The presentation ended with every Year 10 pupil being gifted a signed copy of Crossan’s new thriller- courtesy of Book Clubs in Schools- who were celebrating their birthday that day too!
