Key Stage 1 and early years pupils at Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School in Liverpool took part in our Pirate Reading Adventure competition, which was the result of a partnership with Swashbuckle magazine, encouraging reading for pleasure from an early age.
Schools and early years settings were provided with a range of resources to deliver a reading-themed week centred on the Swashbuckle theme, with different stories and literacy activities each day. Children were be able to record their progress on an achievement chart and every child who completes all five stories and activities was entered into a prize draw to win an ereader.
Teacher Georgina Cummings led the competition at Holy Trinity Catholic Primary Schoolwith her class of 29 pupils. “Our literacy coordinator heard about the competition from a lecturer at a local University and forwarded the information on to me as it fitted in really well with what we were currently studying," she explained. "We ran the competition over one week, with a story and activity each day, and stories were also added to the class page on the school website so pupils could read at home with their parents.”
The class watched Swashbuckle video clips via the CBeebies app, which was downloaded onto class iPads. This helped to engage even the most reluctant readers. “Half of the group were already familiar with the Swashbuckle series so they were very excited about the competition," Georgina said. "Once we got started it didn’t take long for the excitement to spread to the whole class!”
The Swashbuckle stories and activities engaged the group and emphasised the positive impact the competition has had on pupils of all abilities. “The whole class was motivated and it was fantastic to see them all on task," said Georgina. "The competition didn’t just have a positive impact on literacy skills; it also changed their attitudes to learning more widely. After the final session I asked the group if they wanted a copy of the story to read at home and every hand went up!”