SCHOOLS are “squeezing every scrap of imagination” out of children by following a rigorous schedule of testing that even the Chinese authorities are beginning to reject, according to the winner of Britain’s oldest children’s book prize.

Tanya Landman, winner of this year’s CILIP Carnegie Medal, said books are now treated as source material for tests, rather than stories to be read for pleasure from beginning to end.

“I’ve watched teachers tied in strait- jackets by the demands of the national curriculum and Ofsted, and students imprisoned in boxes that need to be ticked,” Landman said.

“At a time when China is looking for ways to teach their children to create and innovate, we seem to be heading in the opposite direction.

“When I was at school, the day ended with a teacher reading us a chapter of a book, and the next chapter the day after that. Now children go through primary school and if they get to read anything it is an extract for the purposes of a com- prehension test.” Landman’s winning book, Buffalo Soldier, was inspired by the true story of a former slave who disguised herself as a man to fight in the US army.

In her acceptance speech, she cited reading as a crucial means of developing empathy.

“Someone who reads for pleasure is far less likely to be a bully or a bigot. They are far less likely to cause harm to others because they can imagine how it would feel,” she said. Previous winners of the Carnegie Medal include Arthur Ransome, Penelope Lively and Philip Pullman.