Rio Jordan with Niamh McGroarty |
The First Minister’s Reading Challenge was introduced to primary pupils throughout Scotland last year, with the aim of the programme being to encourage children to read for pleasure.
This year, the initiative has been introduced to six secondary schools and targeted at S1-S3 specifically for a ‘test run’. Both St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School students and teachers were delighted to discover that our First Minister chose to launch this programme at our very own school.
Throughout the challenge, participating students read novels before being invited to fill in their reading passport and completing book reports or recommendations. Other exciting initiatives are still to be announced.
Already much has been done around the school. Pupils from S1 through to S3 are encouraged to read a book brought from home or borrowed from the library for the first 10 to 15 minutes of their English class. It is now being introduced to registration, and has become a particularly enjoyable and anticipated part of the school day.
Pupils and teachers alike have been doing their bit to promote literacy throughout the school building. The S1 students of St Andrew’s and St Bride’s have been displaying the books they’re reading by writing the titles on the leaves of the trees in the ‘Forest Of Fiction’ in the English department. In addition, there has been a competition held to see which class can read the most books with a reward of £50 worth of books of their choice to add to their class library .
Teachers have also been showing their interest in reading, with “What I am Reading/Watching” sheets posted on every classroom door allowing pupils to see what their teachers are reading, as well as the TV programme or series they are currently watching. This helps to show children that reading is a lifelong pleasure to be enjoyed through both childhood and into adulthood. Teachers have also been sharing their most beloved poems with all staff, supporting prestigious events like World Book Day and Book Week Scotland, and have been in attendance at Professional Reading Discussion sessions. As well as all this, our school was delighted to have won the South Lanarkshire Council’s ‘Better Eating Better Learning’ scheme, which was themed surrounding World Book Day in March.
The challenge has been very effective in giving pupils the opportunity to read, particularly when the individual may not have initially had a strong interest in the hobby, allowing them to improve their literacy skills, and in turn, helping them to perform better in English classes. It is hoped that pupils and teachers will now be able to form a unique and very special bond based on a shared love of reading.
Reading is certainly something that I have enjoyed from a very young age and I am very glad that others are now able to share my favourite past time with me so openly. I hope to see the project further grow and flourish as I enter the upper school in a few years time. Our school is certainly up for the Challenge.
