Scottish Book Trust have asked that we share the following information about submissions for the First Minister’s Reading Challenge this year. (First Minister’s Reading Challenge)

We understand that this year has been especially disruptive for schools, and that they have had to continually adapt their way of working. We also know that their time is precious, so want to encourage submissions which are short and simple, and show how they’ve kept children and young people engaged with reading despite the challenges – whether that’s big or small activities.

By entering, schools will be considered for a national award and could receive books for their setting. Every school that submits will also receive a free festival kit full of materials and the chance to take part in our online Celebration Festival with author events and activities from 14 June.

If it is of interest, we are hosting a webinar on Submitting an entry to the Reading Challenge on Thursday at 4.30pm which will include practical ideas and advice for schools who are planning their submission.

Schools don’t need to have registered for the challenge so far to submit, and we want to emphasise that entries can be in whatever format suits best. The deadline for submitting an entry is Thursday 29 April at 5pm.

DARTs are activities that are designed to challenge pupils to engage with texts. They ask them to read closely and to interpret the information carefully. The aim is to improve pupils’ reading comprehension and to develop them as critical readers. DARTs can often go beyond the comprehension question, which can sometimes only ask pupils to move information, rather than to understand it. Join us on the Active Literacy Teams site.

Professional Learning Event: ‘Leading on Reading for Pleasure in primary and secondary schools’

The ES  Literacy and English team has organised the above webinar which will focus on equity in literacy. Details of the webinar and how to register  are given below.

Date and Time: Thursday 3^rd September at 16:00

Audience: This webinar is for school leaders and leadership teams working in primary and secondary school contexts.

Summary: Long-term school closures earlier this year have potentially widened inequalities in the language and literacy experiences and outcomes of children and young people.  In this webinar we take a look at the importance of reading for pleasure to redress these inequalities.  For example, reading for pleasure promotes independent language and literacy learning, in addition to being beneficial for children and young people’s health and wellbeing.  However, promoting reading for pleasure is not as simple as it sounds.  In this webinar, we combine research insights and practical guidance to support primary and secondary school leaders to embed reading for pleasure in their school settings, in order to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and young people.

Speakers:      Dr Sarah McGeown, Senior Lecturer, University of Edinburgh

Rachael Laburn, School Communities Manager, Scottish Book Trust will co-present the session.

Eventbrite Registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/leading-on-reading-for-pleasure-in-primary-and-secondary-schools-tickets-117537516877