Fife secondary school praised by MP for work on reading skills

Glenrothes and Central Fife MP visited Glenrothes High School to hear about the work being done to encourage pupils to develop their reading skills.

Peter Grant MP met pupils who help to run a weekly Film Club, Book Club and Comic Club, and senior pupils who support younger pupils whose reading skills have fallen behind.

Head Teacher Avril McNeill and Principal Teachers Graeme Keir and Grant Rintoul were on hand to show how the Scottish Government Pupil Equity Fund funding is being used to make a difference to reading skills.

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Mr Grant said: “It’s impressive to see the work that school staff are putting in to ensure all of the pupils here are achieving the best they can, but it’s especially inspiring to see the young people themselves taking the lead and organising and attending groups such as Book Club and Film Club in their spare time.

“There are studies that suggest that reading can be more powerful than a person’s socio-economic background when determining how successful someone is in later life. I’ve no doubt that encouraging young people to read a wide variety of material, and to think and talk about what they’ve read, is a powerful way of helping the prepare for whatever life might bring. This is clearly something Glenrothes High School recognises, which is why they’re doing all they can to improve the chances for the next generation.”

Avril McNeill added: “We are working extremely hard to create a reading culture at Glenrothes High in order to raise attainment, help bridge the poverty-related attainment gap and close the vocabulary gap.”