Liking your analogy, Paul!

On another tack -- does anyone know how much reading to primary school pupils happens in the current system?
I well remember in P2/3 (60 or so years ago!) how the teacher often read to us for the final half hour of the day, and it wasn't wee, repetitious picture stories but extended versions of fairy stories etc. The whole class relaxed and lost themselves in a kind of magic -- but nowadays there are so many competing distractions (endless noise, flashing imagery, text messages and so on) that it seems to me miraculous if individual pupils can find any focus or concentration for more than two minutes at a stretch! [End of rant, you'll be glad to hear.]

Anyway, advance bookings are good, so there are obviously enough interested parties out there!