Read all about it! Turnbull High School in Bishopbriggs has achieved a Gold Award accreditation in the Scottish Book Trust’s Reading Schools Programme.
The prestigious award recognises the efforts of staff and pupils to focus on the importance of reading for pleasure and taking that message out to other schools and community organisations.
As part of their drive to encourage reading, pupils play the storytelling game, Dungeons and Dragons, where imagination and creativity bring adventures to life and allow players to become the narrators of their own stories.
They also took part in this year’s Carnegie Award and selected their favourites from those nominated. And staff and young people regularly recommend books, discuss themes that matter to them and discover diverse stories that reflect their identities and experiences.
East Dunbartonshire’s Education Convener Lynda Williamson visited the school today with Chief Education Officer, Greg Bremner and said, “The enthusiasm for reading was evident among the pupils and staff and I can see why the Scottish Book Trust is so impressed with what is happening at Turnbull to promote reading.
The young people do so much work to foster a vibrant culture of reading for pleasure, supported by the school librarian, the English Department and wider staff team. I am delighted that they have been recognised for their efforts with this well deserved Gold Award. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Author Nadine Aisha Jassat - the Scottish Book Trust’s Reading Schools Programme’s newest ambassador – visited the school at the end of last term to celebrate their success.
She said, “I was impressed by the range and knowledge of the books recommended by young people when we were chatting. I was pleased to share some practical writing tips and personal insights to hopefully inspire them to embrace the creative process and create their own texts. This Award is richly deserved.”
Headteacher Eileen Kennedy added, “We are absolutely thrilled and immensely proud to have achieved the prestigious Gold Reading School status. This award is a well-deserved recognition of the powerful reading culture we have fostered here in Turnbull High School. Pupils have embraced the innovative opportunities provided by our school librarian and English staff with genuine excitement, proving that reading for pleasure is alive and flourishing."
Turnbull High joins St. Ninian’s High School in Kirkintilloch as the only two Secondary Schools in East Dunbartonshire to achieve Gold Award status while six Primaries have already achieved that accolade. They are Craigdhu Primary, Holy Trinity Primary, Meadowburn Primary, Mosshead Primary, Thomas Muir Primary and Westerton Primary.
Many more schools are taking part in the Programme and hope to achieve Gold Award status too, inspired by this success.
As part of that journey, at the end of last term, more than 100 pupils, staff and librarians from Primary, Secondary and ASN schools across the area came together at the East Dunbartonshire Reading Schools Showcase in Kirkintilloch High School.
They shared their reading journeys and the positive impact that their initiatives have had on their school communities. They participated in a quiz set by the Scottish Book Trust that put their analytical reading skills to the test by challenging pupils to work together to uncover clues that would help them to identify themes, titles and authors of various books.
Some of the pupils who took part in the event said:
- “Reading means so much to me – it’s empowered me, excited me, soothed me and opened up the world to me!”
- "Reading helps your imagination get new ideas.”
- “Reading is an escape from the real world.”
- “Reading is dreaming with your eyes open.”
Councillor Williamson added, “It is encouraging that so many schools are embracing the Scottish Book Trust Programme and getting actively involved in so many different literacy projects to share their love of reading with others. A love of reading will stay with you for a lifetime and it is wonderful that so many young people are being introduced to it by their peers.”
