Tag: First Minister’s Reading Challenge

Interesting update 2 from the last National Literacy Network meeting

Illustration of superhero made of letters

The First Minister’s Reading Challenge (FMRC) supports the Scottish Government’s ambition to tackle the attainment gap. It intends to encourage reading for pleasure and building a reading culture within schools and communities. An independent evaluation of FMRC yielded positive findings and recommendations for developing the Challenge. In September 2018 it will be rolled out to secondary schools after a successful pilot in 6 schools, public libraries and extra-curricular groups will also be able to register to participate in the Challenge.

A National Strategy for School Libraries. The chief executive of the Scottish Library and Information Council gave an update on the progress of a National Strategy for school libraries in Scotland. The school library is seen as a resource at the heart of the school, supporting the curriculum, a gateway to information, crucial to reading for enjoyment and a space for exploration. There are 5 working groups contributing to the Strategy looking at the school librarians’ impact on the curriculum, health & wellbeing, digital literacy, family learning and standards. The National Strategy will be published in August 2018.

UKLA prize winning school, St Anthony’s PS, Renfrewshire, spoke about the progress they have made in creating a reading culture in the school and the benefits which have resulted in pupils becoming enthusiastic readers. You can read more about the great ideas the school implemented here.

Creating a Reading Culture – Inspiring Classrooms

Bring reading to life in the classroom

Inspiring Classrooms is a project created by the First Minister’s Reading Challenge to help schools build and sustain a reading culture.

Schools can apply to Inspiring Classrooms to receive a small grant for a project of their choice which includes an author visit and books for Primary 1 – 7 children taking part in the First Minister’s Reading Challenge.

The 2nd round of funding is now open for applications:

  • 16 February 2018 – Application deadline
  • 9 March 2018 – Notification of outcome
  • March 2018 – Funding distributed
  • March – June 2018 – Events held
  • June 2018 – Evaluation feedback deadline

Find out more about Inspiring Classrooms here.

First Minister’s Reading Challenge


Scottish Book Trust, on behalf of the Scottish Government, is delivering an exciting new reading initiative for children in Primary 4 – 7.

Reading has the power to change lives, and developing a love of reading in childhood can have a huge impact on educational attainment and future wellbeing. The First Minister wants to make sure every child in Scotland has an equal opportunity to experience the huge benefits that reading for pleasure brings.

The First Minister’s Reading Challenge aims to build on the work already taking place in schools across the country to encourage children to read widely, explore a range of books and develop a love of reading. The main focus of the Challenge is to encourage reading for pleasure and support schools, libraries and communities to build reading cultures.

Children in P4-P7 in every school in Scotland are invited to take part in the Challenge. Once schools have registered, they can order Reading Passports that pupils can use to log their reading journeys. They can also register classes to take part in the challenges and find book suggestions, learning resources and ideas to encourage young people to develop a love of reading.

There will be a range of prizes awarded in June 2017 for schools and pupils to celebrate their reading journeys. The Challenge will also give the opportunity for every child’s personal achievements to be recognised by their teachers and librarians.

https://www.readingchallenge.scot/