Taking the lead Pioneering project leads to a passion for reading
BY RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL LEADER IAIN NICOLSON
Burns Night is now a worldwide cultural event and another example of the talent that Scotland exports around the world.
I enjoy haggis, neeps and tatties throughout the year and an extra special double helping may be justified tomorrow to celebrate the work of Robert Burns.
I still fondly remember learning about his poems at school and a music teacher who regularly went all out with Tam ‘O’ Shanter.
It was all great fun and a lasting memory of the works of Burns is still with me.
His passion for writing is inspiring, having penned his first poem aged 15.
In Renfrewshire primary schools, our pupils are gaining a love of reading and developing their literacy skills thanks to a pioneering project called the Renfrewshire Literacy Approach.
It received national recognition last week when Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and Deputy First Minister John Swinney visited Our Lady of Peace Primary School, in Linwood, to hear about the results it is achieving.
The project provides specialist teacher training and, having launched three years ago, has seen impressive improvements in primary pupil’s literacy attainment, particularly for children who have previously struggled with learning to read.
Our teachers play a hugely important role in giving our children the best start in life and their efforts do not go unnoticed.