06 Jun Shrewsbury Bookfest
The Wynn Foundation Presents a Grant to the Shropshire Bookfest
Claire Rogers of the Wynn Foundation visited Shrewsbury Bookfest to present a cheque for £5000 to support the annual Bookfest. The aim of Shrewsbury Bookfest is to reach a total of 1,800 pupils from the two age groups from Shropshire and Telford primary schools. Supporting these pupils will be teachers from 30 participating schools. The legacy of this project within schools reaches a much wider audience, as the schools keep the shortlisted books for future pupils.
The main objectives of Book Award are to provide primary schools in the specified area with a child-centred, non-competitive reading initiative with a view to achieving the following:
• Help pupils develop a love of reading by introducing them to range of well written and genuinely engaging new books suitable for their age. The shortlists are selected to cater for both reluctant and confident readers.
• To encourage pupils to express their views about and responses to contemporary fiction through both guided and informal discussions with their peers and teachers and through art, film and drama.
• To find the title published in the last two years that most appealed to pupils aged 5-7 years and 9-11 years in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin.
• To encourage Shropshire and Telford pupils to become part of a community of young readers.
• To provide CPD for teachers designed to support the interpretation of literature in the classroom.
Picture Book Award is targeted at senior Key Stage 1 (Year 2) pupils whilst Big Book Award is targeted at senior Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6) pupils who are typically independent readers, moving through a critical transition phase before entering secondary school. Evidence shows that if children enter secondary school engaged in reading, they are more likely to maximise their chances of success through the next phase of their academic career.
Claire Rogers (right) presents a cheque for £5000 to Shrewsbury Bookfest