I can’t believe that we are at this time again!

Summer Reading Challenge (click on the link to see more)

Our school always has a great uptake and the children really enjoy the challenge.

Organised by charity The Reading Agency (www.readingagency.org.uk) and the UK public library network since 1999, the Summer Reading Challenge is the UK’s biggest annual reading promotion for children aged 4 to 11. Last year in Renfrewshire, 904 children took part.    This was a much reduced figure from previous years due to Covid restrictions, and with your help we hope that this year we can greatly increase participation.

The Summer Reading Challenge combines FREE access to books with creative activities during the summer holidays. This year the theme is called Gadgeteers,  and will celebrate the key role of the imagination in both reading and the sciences.  Throughout the Challenge, library staff support the children, helping them to discover new authors and illustrators and to explore a wide range of different types of books and ways of reading, with some fun activities thrown in for good measure!

 How the Challenge works

• The Challenge launches in libraries on Saturday June 25^th
• Children sign up through their local library or the Skoobmobile and receive a Gadgeteers collector poster.
• Children set a reading goal and borrow and read library books of their own choice during the summer, collecting special stickers to complete their poster – after reading 3 books they will receive a pass for a free swim at any OneRen swimming pool
• Library staff are on hand to advise and run family-friendly activities with a STEM theme (we have some excellent Dip into Digital gadgets!)
• Children who take part in the Summer Reading Challenge are presented with a certificate and will also receive a medal if they read 6 books or complete their personal reading goal.
• The official Challenge website hosts digital rewards, author videos, games and more for children to enjoy all summer: www.summerreadingchallenge.org.uk
• This year we will be running a Design A Robot Competition with a prize of an iPad for the overall winner, sponsored by Doosan Babcock, and there will also be a prize draw for a lucky winner in each library to win cinema tickets, sponsored by Consilium

 How do schools benefit?

 The Summer Reading Challenge is intrinsically inclusive and can contribute to the achievement of ALL  pupils including those with special educational needs, disadvantaged pupils and
the most able.

• It enhances and supports your school’s reading policy and your mission for all children to read more widely and for pleasure.
• It encourages parental engagement and family involvement in reading and helps your school make links with the library and the wider community.
• It allows children to become more independent in their reading when choosing books and encourages using imagination and empathy to explore a text beyond the page.
• It takes place at your local library and is a brilliant opportunity for extra-curricular activity
• It keeps your pupils reading over the summer, ready for their return to school in the autumn, and supports the successful transition between year groups and key stages.
• Renfrewshire Libraries can share information with you regarding how many of your pupils signed up and completed the Challenge