PUPILS at Newington School have received national acclaim for their reading skills.Class 4A youngsters at the Annan primary have won the Pupil Reading Journey Award in the First Minister’s Reading Challenge organised in conjunction with the Scottish Book Trust.
Guided by class teacher Mrs Swan the eight to nine-year-olds were involved in many different reading activities both in school and at home through the many months of Covid-19 disruption.
The initiative open to schools, libraries and communities provided learning resources and other support to help encourage a love of reading, which can have a significant impact on pupils’ future education and wellbeing.
The class school reading journey submission impressed the judges and the Newington success was announced on Wednesday.
Newington head teacher Irvine Torbett said: “We are delighted that our Primary 4 children have won this award.
“They have been on a reading journey during a very different school year. They were in an ever-changing situation but they kept reading.
“For many of the children it has shown them how much pleasure they can get from reading and also how they can use reading as a way to make them feel good.”
Amongst the first to congratulate pupils and staff on the award was Dumfriesshire constituency MSP Oliver Mundell, who was invited to give a short talk to the pupils in the school’s outdoors learning facility.
He praised the efforts of everyone involved and said he was impressed by the wide range of reading the pupils were enjoying.
Mr Mundell, his party’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, added: “The Newington pupils are enthusiastically engaged in reading, something they really enjoy and benefit from. The award reflects great credit on the young people, their teacher and everyone else involved at the school and at home.”
