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.