Inverness school celebrates being named 500th Reading School in Scotland 
In December, our Director of Programmes, Rosemary Ward, and our Highland Outreach Coordinator, Jen Grainge, had the pleasure of celebrating with our 500th Reading School, Inverness Royal Academy. They had a lovely afternoon in the school library to present their Core trophy and hear all about their plans for Silver.
We were really impressed with a strength of their learner-led reading culture, creative approaches and the strong role of the Gaelic learners in the programme.
Kathryn O’Donoghue, English teacher at Inverness Royal Academy, said: ‘We are so proud to not only have been accredited as a Core Level Reading School but also to be named the 500th Reading School in Scotland. The students and teachers have all worked incredibly hard to promote reading and it is a wonderful accomplishment.
‘As a Gold Rights Respecting school, we know how important it is to allow everyone to be included. and this was one of our main focuses as we worked hard to ensure that we both encouraged students to explore minority voices through text and provided support structures for all of our students, regardless of reading ability, to access books. Our Gaelic Department has been an asset to this process, as we were able to think about how our Scottish Culture and Heritage can be explored through reading.
‘Our work towards Silver Accreditation is very exciting and, as an added bonus, we've been chosen to pilot the Scottish Book Trust Book Box project this year, which we’re planning to incorporate into our Mental Health Mentor programme.’
Marc Lambert, CEO at Scottish Book Trust, said: ‘We are thrilled to have surpassed such a monumental milestone of 500 schools across Scotland now accredited in our Reading Schools programme. It truly is a unique programme, and with every region in Scotland now boasting a school working towards their accreditation, it demonstrates widespread commitment to developing vibrant reading cultures. Scottish Book Trust looks forward to seeing even more schools across Scotland get on board to boost their reading cultures and all the benefits that brings.’
Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, said: ‘Congratulations to pupils and staff at Inverness Royal Academy for becoming the 500th accredited Reading School. Embedding a reading culture in schools can open young people’s eyes to a lifelong love of reading and is beneficial to their attainment, health and wellbeing.
'Through Reading Schools, we want to to promote a positive reading culture for communities across Scotland. I am grateful to the Scottish Book Trust for delivering this programme and to all schools who have taken part so far.’
Congratulations Inverness Royal Academy and we hope you enjoy the journey to your Silver accreditation!
Futher resources
Schools in the Highland area can gain extra support by contacting our Highland Outreach Coordinator, Jen Grainge.
(this will open in a new window)Article: Reading Schools in Gaelic speaking classes and schools