SOME of the biggest names in children's books are to boost reading in primary schools at a festival in Oxford.

More than 150 delegates are expected to attend Oxford Reading Spree at Larkrise Primary School in East Oxford along with authors including Mary Roach, Piers Torday and Darren Chetty.

Organiser Ed Finch, a teacher at Larkrise, was inspired to hold the April 1 event after hearing about a similar event in Liverpool.

He hopes it can inspire teachers and boost the way diversity is addressed in teaching.

Mr Finch said: "One area we are focussing on that I am really excited about is 'representation'.

"We have Darren Chetty as a speaker, who has looked at the representation of black and ethnic minority children in books.

"They are just not seeing themselves portrayed.

"We have another speaker called Andrew Moffat who is talking about LGBTQ representation, so we are looking at whole areas of diversity and inclusion.

"The other thing, which I am really excited about is that we have people who are top of their game in guided reading.

"From a selfish point of view, because I work at Larkrise, I want good results for the children here.

"I want teachers to really have a think about what real representation looks like and hopefully others schools will get that too."

The event has been sponsored by educational publisher RisingStars and will comprise of a mix of speeches, workshops and 'free flow' sessions.

As well as giving delegates the opportunity to hear from inspiring speakers it is hoped they will have the chance to mix with new people and explore different ideas.

Mr Finch said: "The conference in Liverpool looked like a lot of fun as well as a lot of learning.

"It was a real party but a party with a purpose.

"I thought there should be one in Oxfordshire so it ended up becoming my baby.

"It is fantastic to see the range of people we have got coming along. They are working Monday to Friday and then coming in at the weekend.

"Mary Roache is flying in from Ireland because she wants to develop critical thinking.

"I am so excited."

A small number of tickets are still available for the event, which has spread far beyond Oxford.

Mr Finch said: "I had thought it would be largely attended by people from the Oxford area but we have people from the north, people from East Anglia and people from the south west.

"It is a network of people who want to make a difference."

A small number of tickets are still available. To find out more visit oxfordreadingspree.com