Elgin Academy achieves Reading Schools Gold Award
Elgin Academy has become the first secondary school in Moray to achieve the gold award in the Scottish Book Trust’s Reading Schools programme.
Run by Scottish Book Trust, Reading Schools is an accreditation programme that recognises schools for their commitment to building a culture of reading for their learners and communities.
Since achieving the silver award in early 2023, the school and pupils have worked extremely hard to earn that gold status, participating in a variety of events and activities designed to promote the joys of reading.
Elgin Academy’s librarian, Shelagh Toonen, and her school improvement group supported by the pupils, have been instrumental in this achievement. They’ve created an environment that not only celebrates the fun and importance of reading but have become proud champions of reading across the whole community.
The group has implemented partnerships and family projects such as a reading projects with primary schools and Anderson’s care home, worked with local businesses and held a fundraiser for a book basket to give away to parents in a free raffle.
One S4 Reading Leader, Evie Collins, said: “Working towards our Gold Award gave us the opportunity to build connections with our community in and outside of school. It helped us to share our love of reading and to spread the importance and fun of reading with others in lots of different ways.”
Bethan Dodd, another S4 reading leader, added: “Achieving Gold has taught us that, even though we have now achieved gold accreditation, we still have lots of creative opportunities to share reading in our community.”
Chair of Moray Council’s Education, Communities and Leisure Services Committee, Cllr Kathleen Robertson, said: “A massive congratulations to everyone at Elgin Academy. What an amazing achievement to become the first school in Moray to receive the Reading Schools’ Gold award and it’s so encouraging to see the dedication the staff and pupils have had in sharing reading within the community.”
To find out more about the projects the school has been involved with visit the Elgin Academy library webpage.