North Lanarkshire school awarded prestigious Silver Reading Schools Award

Daily Record

3 days ago

The recognition for Alexander Peden Primary in Harthill celebrates their commitment to fostering a vibrant reading culture throughout their school community.
A North Lanarkshire school has announced they have been awarded the prestigious Silver Reading Schools Award by the Scottish Book Trust.
The recognition for Alexander Peden Primary in Harthill celebrates their commitment to fostering a vibrant reading culture throughout their school community.
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Lyndsay McIndewar, the school's acting principal teacher, said: 'I am delighted with this achievement, it illustrates the commitment from everyone fostering a love of reading within our school community.
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'Through the dedication of our teachers, the enthusiasm from our pupils, and the support from our families, we have built a vibrant reading culture that inspires learning and imagination.
'A special thank you has to go to our children within our Reading Pupil Focus Group for their leadership and passion for reading that encouraged them to create amazing activities for every class, and we couldn't have achieved this without them.'
Staff and pupils at the school have worked tirelessly over the past year to boost enthusiasm for reading, with initiatives ranging from book clubs and paired reading sessions to creative literacy events.
Their efforts have now been recognised at a national level.
Pupils at Alexander Peden were just as excited about the recognition.
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'Helping to organise the book café was such an exciting time. I loved seeing everyone enjoy the books and the atmosphere that we created,' said P6 pupil Lexi.
'It made me feel proud to be part of the Reading Pupil Focus Group.'
Primary seven pupil Amy added: 'We started doing Reading Superstars every week to celebrate how much effort pupils put into their reading.
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'It's really rewarding seeing who gets a certificate, and it makes everyone want to read even more!'
As one enthusiastic Primary 2 pupil, Miller, put it: 'The Reading Pupil Focus Group has helped me get better at reading and now I enjoy it. I like picking new books from Miss Mac!'
The Silver Award marks an important step towards the school's aim of achieving Gold status in the future. Staff are already planning more activities to build on the momentum, including community reading.
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This achievement reflects the school's dedication to literacy and the collective effort of their entire community.