Students take part in literacy programme

STUDENTS at The Helena Romanes School in Great Dunmow were given a free book each as part of a national programme to encourage children to read for pleasure. Booked Up – which is organised by the independent national charity, Booktrust, and supported by

STUDENTS at The Helena Romanes School in Great Dunmow were given a free book each as part of a national programme to encourage children to read for pleasure.

'Booked Up' - which is organised by the independent national charity, Booktrust, and supported by the Department for Children, Schools and Families with an allocation of over �4 million - is aimed at 11-year-olds.

It allows Year 7 students to make their own choice of book from a selection of 12 titles.

There is something to suit everyone, with titles including 'The London Eye Mystery' by Siobhan Dowd, 'Scarlett' by Cathy Cassidy, 'Skulduggery Pleasant' by Derek Landy, and 'Why Eating Bogeys is Good for You' by Mitchell Symons.

Annette Turner, the school's literacy coordinator, said: "This has been a very exciting way of encouraging Year 7 students to read for pleasure. They have loved getting the book of their choice with a goody bag that included a sticker and book mark."

The programme encourages Year 7 students to read independently and aims to maintain the development of reading levels between Years 6 and 7 as children make the difficult transition from primary to secondary education.