Burnley primary school pupils are ready to read more after huge event

The We Are Reading campaign aims to encourage schools to sign a pledge urging pupils to read.

Pupils at Rosewood Primary School performed the Dinner Lady Dance poem that they had learned specifically for the event. Local performance poet Ian Bland, the author of the poem, attended the celebration.

The performance by the children was also filmed by a drone and the footage will be available for all of the participating local schools.

Schools across the county have taken part in many activities over the last 12 months for the campaign including:

• A launch event of the We Are Reading Campaign attended by award-winning children and young people author, Phil Earle. Phil ran a workshop for the children at the event.

• Reading Rox – painted rocks were hidden at the school. Children were encouraged to read a book relating to the picture on the rock they found.

• Scrap Book Challenge – schools kept a scrap book and shared good practice on agreed themes and swapped the books.

• Snuggle up with a book – schools held a bedtime story event.

• Tales on the Turf – a reading event was held at Turf Moor to encourage reluctant readers.

• Nursery cluster – good practice was shared across the local eight maintained nursery schools including story reading sessions.

Nerys Ditchburn Hughes, headteacher at Rosewood Primary School, said: "We felt that it was important to celebrate all the excellent work that the pupils have achieved for this reading initiative.

"Schools county-wide have taken part, including many in Burnley, and we wanted the event to reflect this, rather than simply have an event to celebrate the participation of our own pupils.

"Parents and carers have also really engaged with this campaign. We worked together to agree our strategy at the beginning, and this has proved successful.

"The children have benefitted so much from taking part in We Are Reading. Reading is an essential skill for life, and we've been able to encourage the children to enjoy reading, and also to read more.

"Hopefully this will contribute to the aspiration and achievement of our children and young people.

"The children were also excited by the drone. The novelty of this really engaged them.

"We had hundreds of children together at the event, celebrating with each other. We're hoping that meeting Ian and performing the dance to the poem together will inspire them to read, and maybe even write some poetry themselves over the summer."

The Burnley schools that took part in this event were:

Rosewood Primary School

Ightenhill Primary School

Heasandford Primary School

Christ the King RC Primary School

Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School

Padiham Green Church of England Primary School

Springfield Community Primary School

St. Peter's Church of England Primary School

Lowerhouse Junior School

St. John's Church of England Primary School

Holly Grove Primary School

Barden Primary School

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School

Cherry Fold Community Primary School