Lancing primary school hosts World Book Day quiz with Matt O'Riley and Jack Hinshelwood

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The two classes were also helped by children’s picture book author Nadia Shireen.

Jacob Heath

2026-03-06T09:00+00:00

Matt O'Riley and Jack Hinshelwood were put through their paces in the quiz.

North Lancing Primary School were chosen to host the nationwide World Book Day quiz for 2026 – with the help of some surprise Albion guests.

A group of pupils from Year 4 to Year 6 were invited to take part in the Great Big World Book Day Footy and Booky Quiz, which the Premier League and National Literacy Trust will bring to thousands of children on World Book Day later this week.

The pupils were helped out by two Albion players, Jack Hinshelwood and Matt O’Riley, who came to lend a hand in the quiz.

Matt O'Riley and Jack Hinshelwood helped out at the quiz.

They put their football and book knowledge to the test in a series of questions posed by famous authors and football figures. The group were also helped by children’s picture book author Nadia Shireen.

Jack, who grew up just down the road from the school, said, “It was amazing, they were all a bit shocked when we came in which was nice.

“We got going with the quiz and the kids had some good knowledge luckily otherwise we would have been struggling!

“It was really nice to come down and see the smiles on their faces, and that’s what it’s all about really.”

Matt spoke about the importance of young people getting involved with reading, particularly in the social media age.

A group of pupils from Year 4 to Year 6 were invited to take part in the Great Big World Book Day Footy and Booky Quiz at North Lancing Primary School.

“It was really fun today, it’s always really good to connect with children and have some fun,” he said.

“Especially when I was younger I read more than I do now – maybe I need to get back into it!

“Reading helps to learn different vocabulary and use your imagination. I think especially nowadays with the amount of social media, reading is another good tool to get away from the screens and to feed their minds, so I’d definitely encourage it.”

Tom Mahoney, Education and Employability Manager at the Foundation, said, “We’ve been working with the National Literacy Trust to celebrate World Book Day here today, and it’s been absolutely fantastic.

“Having players come down to events like this is a unique opportunity for the kids, and it creates memories that they’ll never forget.

“We feel it’s really important for children in our local community to feel inspired by the work that we do, especially with North Lancing Primary being just down the road from our training ground, and the young people here really benefit from that.”

The Foundation works in North Lancing Primary in a number of ways, including delivering the Premier League Primary Stars programme which uses football-themed lessons to help teach key skills in maths and literacy.

Find out more about the Foundation’s work in primary schools.