Forrester pupils are getting it write

Published on Wednesday 8 January 2003 00:00

LITERARY standards at Edinburgh’s Forrester High School have soared above the city’s average.

Teachers today revealed that first and second year pupils at the school have improved their attainment by around 15 per cent in both reading and writing during the past twelve months.

The positive result is said to be a combination of a new school reading scheme and the support of WH Smith’s community investment programme.

Forrester High is the only school in the Capital to benefit from WHSmith TXT, a programme designed to help teachers to raise literacy standards of students aged between 11-14. Under the scheme the school is given 4000 worth of books, magazines and gift vouchers from the store each year for three years.

Headteacher Allan Clapperton said today: "We are delighted to be involved in this project. At Forrester we firmly believe that the way to improve literacy in the UK is to get our young people reading.

" The support from WHSmith has allowed us to offer a far wider range of literature for young people than would otherwise have been possible. The combination of first-class teaching supported by these excellent resources has worked very well indeed."