At the end of last year, Bo’ness Academy teaching staff were the overall winners of a national award for their work  promoting reading for pleasure with pupils. 

The award is linked to the use of an online Literacy programme that is used in 63,000 schools in over 60 countries across the world.

Bo’ness Academy were judgedthe overall UK ‘Team of the Year’ 2018 for their innovative and effective approach to using the online reading tool. 

The team were led by teacher, and reading for pleasure co-ordinator, Sam Phillips.  The staff team gained recognition for the work they have already done to increase the number of students who are reading for pleasure - and for the more focussed work that they have done to support the school’s most reluctant and least able readers.

Representatives of the wider team were invited to attend an event in London at the end of November where it was announced that they were the overall winners of the National award.

Headteacher, Steve Dougan, said: “We’re very excited and absolutely delighted to have received this award. The work that is going on across the school to make reading enjoyable for all ages is fantastic.”

Sam Philips was keen to dedicate the win to the students in her reading programme: “The real achievement is that we are getting our young people reading and talking about books!”

The UK judges were very impressed at the way in which the team at Bo’ness are using this as part of a wider strategy to close the attainment gap and also spoke at length about the results that the team have already observed in what is only their first year using the programme. 

The initiative has been financed from theScottish Government’s Pupil Equity Fund. This fund is spent at the discretion of teachers and school leaders on targeted, localised initiatives just like the one at Bo’ness Academy.  While the results of this initiative were clear to see it was the additional wrap-around work that the Bo’ness team have carried out which has really created a buzz about reading around the school community involving students and staff from across the school as well as parents and members of Bo’ness Academy’s cluster primary schools. 

Bo’ness Academy was recently inspected by Education Scotland and the great work that is taking place to improve literacy in the school was noted in their positive final report.