Primary Enews

www.hants.gov.uk/sls March 2016

National News Ereading Survey Report The National Literacy Trust have published the results

of a study they have been conducting in conjunction

with RM Books which looked at the effects of using

ebooks on reading ability and attitude. Forty schools

took part and the results are very interesting and

informative, this being one of the first and largest studies to examine the impact of digital books on

enjoyment of reading. The greatest change was seen in boys, with twice as many boys thinking reading

was cool at the end of the project, rising from 34.4% before the start to 66.5% afterwards. The

percentage of boys who felt that reading was difficult also dropped from 28% to 15.9%.

http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0002/9076/The_Impact_of_Ebooks_final_report.pdf

Penguin Classics Sets As part of the government drive to introduce more classic texts into schools, publisher

Penguin is offering primary schools a set of 100 of its Penguin Black Classic books for £100.

You will need to register at the Penguin Classics website to be notified when the sets are

available for purchase. The books must be ordered during the promotional period, which will

run from 1 March 2016 until 30 June 2016, although they won't be delivered before 5

September 2016. Schools are reminded however that almost all of the listed titles are out of

copyright and, if you prefer this format, are therefore freely available as downloads from the public

library and your favourite ebook store.

http://edu.penguinclassics.co.uk/

BBC Get Reading campaign The BBC is teaming up with five core partners for their Get Reading campaign for 2016. Get Reading

aims to inspire the nation to talk about and enjoy books, with a host of activity planned across BBC

platforms over the course of the year. The partners

include The Reading Agency, BookTrust, National

Literacy Trust, the Society of Chief Librarians and the

Scottish Library and Information Council.

There will be a range of special programming about great

authors and their works, beginning with the BBC

Shakespeare Festival in the spring, which will showcase

the writer’s work in bold new ways.

In the summer the focus will be on children’s books, at

the heart of which will be programmes to celebrate

Roald Dahl's centenary.

The campaign climax will be the Get Reading Weekend,

which will feature specially commissioned programmes

across television, radio and online in November 2016.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2015/get-reading

www.hants.gov.uk

A Horrible Histories special on CBBC

will look at the early life of Shakespeare.

© BBC/Guy Levy

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Literacy Resources Shakespeare Week 2016 Schools can still register to use Shakespeare Week resources, which

provide tools and support to enable schools, families and cultural

organisations to take part in the Shakespeare 400 anniversary

celebrations across the UK. The week runs from 14-20 March 2016.

Registered teachers can access free classroom resources covering all subjects to develop anything from

single activities to term-long programmes; events listings to help find arts workers or workshops in the

region; and on Monday 14 March at 1.30pm there is a digital tour of Shakespeare’s childhood home and

a live Q & A for registered schools, when experts will answer pupils’ questions. http://shakespeareweek.org.uk/

Premier League Reading Stars Registration is still available for the Premier League Reading Stars 2015-16 programme. PLRS is

particularly successful in narrowing the reading attainment gap between those who are reading at the

expected level for their age and those who are

underachieving. It is also highly effective in

transforming boys’ attitudes towards literacy by

engaging their passion for football to inspire a love of

reading. Each PLRS package contains enough resources

for 20 pupils, and every pupil in a participating school

can access the brand new PLRS website.

The National Literacy Trust have published their latest

evaluation on the impact of the scheme, showing the

substantial effect the programme has on the reading

attitudes and behaviours of participants. Compared with a group of children who did not take part,

pupils who participated in PLRS activities are significantly more likely to feel confident as readers and

enjoy reading, with a 50% increase in the number of children who enjoy reading at the end of the

programme. The evaluation builds on that of 2013/14, which showed three out of four pupils’ reading

levels increased by six months or more.

https://plrs.literacytrust.org.uk/

http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0002/9369/PLRS_2015_Evaluation_Report_Final.pdf

Go For Gold 2016 Hampshire SLS has updated its Go for Gold Reading Challenge for the Rio Olympic

Games this summer. Pupils can complete five challenges to win the Reading Pentathlon or

ten challenges to win the Reading Decathlon. A booklet is available for pupils to mark off

their progress, and have it endorsed by their teachers.

http://sls.hias.hants.gov.uk/course/index.php?categoryid=6

The Week Junior Brought to you by The Week magazine, The Week Junior is a new current

affairs magazine for children aged 8-14. It's filled with stories and

information, from news to nature, science to geography, and film to coding.

It’s all written to engage young, curious minds and encourage them to

explore and understand the world around them in a safe, accessible and inspiring way, without spoon-feeding or patronising. There is a copy on the

site available to browse, and when you take a trial subscription, you will

receive the first six issues for free.

http://theweekjunior.co.uk/

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National Book Awards

Klaus Flugge Prize for newcomer to book illustration Andersen Press have announced a new award in children’s books: the Klaus Flugge Prize

will be awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s book

illustration. The Prize honours publisher Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press which publishes

David McKee, Tony Ross, Ruth Brown, Michael Foreman, and Colin McNaughton. Chair of the Klaus

Flugge Prize committee, Julia Eccleshare, said “The UK has long provided a home for some of the very

best illustrators in the world… It is wonderful to have an award to highlight the gifted illustrators

working in picture books and put them in the spotlight.” The shortlist will be announced at the end of

April and the winner will be revealed in September 2016.

http://www.andersenpress.co.uk/KlausFluggePrize/

Peters Book of the Year Winners The shortlists in three categories, Picture Books, Junior Fiction and Teen

Fiction, were compiled by Peter's team of librarians, but are voted for online by

pupils. Voting closes at 4pm on the 11 March 2016 and the winners are

announced at a special ceremony in Birmingham on the 15 March. http://peters-books.co.uk/pboty/

Waterstones Book Prize The Waterstones Children’s Book Prize champions new and emerging

talent within three categories, Illustrated Books, Younger Fiction, and

Older Fiction. Children’s Buyer Florentyna Martin said, “It has been a brilliant year for children’s books, and these lists show that great new talent continues to be found and nurtured. As proved by our

shortlists, today’s children do not just enjoy books for the escapism they offer, but for how they can

illuminate life in all its shades of light and dark. This is a wonderfully diverse selection of books to be

justly celebrated.”

https://www.waterstones.com/book-awards/waterstones-childrens-book-prize

Carnegie and Greenaway longlists announced The Carnegie Medal longlist has Terry Pratchett’s final novel up against

books by fellow previous winners Sally Gardner, Patrick Ness and David

Almond as well as Frances Hardinge’s recent Costa Book of the Year

winner, The Lie Tree. On the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal longlist,

former Children’s Laureate Anthony Browne could win a second Medal

nearly a quarter of a century after his previous triumph with the return of his much loved chimpanzee

hero in Willy’s Stories. He faces competition from fellow former winners Chris Riddell, Helen Oxenbury

and Emily Gravett. Gravett’s illustrations for AF Harrold’s The Imaginary are also in the running for this

year’s Carnegie Medal. The winner in each category and the author who scoops the overall prize will

be revealed on 17 March. http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2016/feb/16/carnegie-medal-2016-longlist-in-pictures http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2016/feb/16/kate-greenaway-medal-longlist-2016-in-pictures

Laugh Out Loud Book Awards The Roald Dahl Funny Prize closed a couple of years ago, so Scholastic’s

new book award for funny books that literally make kids laugh out loud is

especially welcome. The Laugh Out Loud Awards, aka the Lollies, are

made up of three categories, Best Laugh Out Loud book for 6-8 year olds,

Best Laugh Out Loud Book for 9-13 year olds, and Best Laugh Out Loud

Picture Book. Voting closes on 10 June.

http://shop.scholastic.co.uk/lollies

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Branford Boase Award The Branford Boase Award was set up to reward the most promising new writers and

their editors, as well as to reward excellence in writing and in publishing. The Award is

made annually to the most promising book for 7 year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist. The longlisted books for 2016 have been announced, and the shortlist will be

published on 4 May 2016.

http://www.branfordboaseaward.org.uk/BBA_Current/BBA_Long_List.html

Reading and Writing Competitions

Read for my School This year's Read for My School is now in full swing. Last year’s entrants read

over 700,000 books and it is hoped that this number will be topped this year.

The competition is open to pupils in Years 3-8. Schools can still register and win prizes based on how

many books they read. There are also individual prizes for pupils who encourage others to read,

challenge themselves, continue reading after the competition finishes and overcome personal or

educational difficulties to read their books. The competition winners will be announced at a celebration

event in central London in June. Find out more about the competition and how to register on the

website.

http://www.booktrust.org.uk/programmes/primary/read-for-my-school/

Betjeman Poetry Prize Founded in 2006 to mark the centenary of the former Poet Laureate

John Betjeman’s birth, the Betjeman Poetry Prize attracts around

3,000 entries per year from across the UK. The competition aims to foster creativity in young people

whilst discovering and encouraging the next generation of British poets. Entries are invited from 10-13

year olds on the theme of ‘place’. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Prize and the judges are Poet

Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Imtiaz Dharker. The competition closes on 31 July 2016. http://www.betjemanpoetryprize.co.uk/

Branford Boase Writing Competition The competition is open to any young writer under the age of 19, who must complete

the story begun by last year’s winner, Rosie Rowell. The story should be between 800

and 1000 words. Six winners will be invited to the celebration party in London in July

2016, and Dame Jacqueline Wilson will present the prizes. The closing date is Saturday

23 April 2016. Last year’s winners included Charlotte Avery from Waterlooville with

her story Alone with my Thoughts.

http://www.branfordboaseaward.org.uk/HBWC/HBWC_current/henriettabranfo1.html

SLS IT News MLS’s Reading Cloud Hampshire SLS’s forums this term have included discussion of Micro

Librarian Systems’ Reading Cloud software. JL.net and Eclipse.net hosted or

non-hosted currently use Microsoft’s free Silverlight plug-in, for which

Microsoft will be ending support in 2021. Schools using these versions of MLS’s software or those

wishing to move from the non hosted versions are being offered the Reading Cloud, which is MLS’s

HTML5 alternative. This software does everything that the current versions do, but has added social

media aspects which schools may or may not wish to enable. As there are costs involved in moving

over to the Reading Cloud, schools are strongly advised to consult both MLS and the School Library

Service for advice and a demonstration before committing to the Reading Cloud.

https://www.microlib.co.uk/home/ReadingCloud.aspx

Primary Enews Page 5

SLS News New Manager and Bookshop News First of all I would like to introduce myself, Liz Weighell, as the new School Library

Service Manager. I have a background in children’s librarianship and have managed

libraries for a number of years. I am very much looking forward to working with

the School Library Service and look forward to meeting some of you soon.

I am writing to tell you about some alterations we are making to the service in

response to changes in use. There has been a steady decline in schools using the

SLS Bookshop over the past year as schools

have preferred to use the alternative options of purchasing

online via Petranet or through the SLS Assisted Purchase and

Personal Shopper Service. It has therefore been decided that the

SLS Bookshop will close from 31 March 2016. However, a small

collection of newly published and current stock by quality authors and titles to support our SLS Transition lists and Book

Awards will be retained for schools to consult and order from.

The 22% discount from Peters will still apply.

The SLS Centre at Fareham was refurbished last year resulting in a

modern, vibrant and spacious area for schools in the south of the

county. To capitalise on the space released by the Bookshop it has

been decided to consolidate the offers at Fareham and nearby

Waterlooville into one centre of excellence, providing a more

extensive range of materials and attractive, flexible spaces for

meetings and training. The service to schools in the South East will

remain the same as is currently on offer, retaining current staffing

levels with only a change to the location of the base.

The relocation of the Waterlooville Centre to Fareham will take place after the May half term with the

centre closing on Monday 23 May 2016 to allow time to pack up the books. The Centre at Fareham

will then close from 6-19 June 2016 with the new Centre reopening to schools on Monday 20 June to

allow a full four weeks for schools to arrange base visits before the end of the summer term. Schools

will be able to use other bases during this time to ensure that your service is not interrupted.

We hope you will find the new centre better

suits your needs and will offer a wider

selection of resources for your school. Please

don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any

questions on

elizabeth.weighell@hants.gov.uk.

Liz Weighell

School Library Service Manager

New Staff Steve Thompson is our new Library Assistant/Driver based at our SLS Centre in Fareham. Steve was a

Teaching Assistant at Bedenham Primary School in

Gosport for three years and prior to that he was in the

Royal Navy for 33 years. Steve has been a school

governor and youth football coach for the past ten years.

Matthew Williams is the new Library Assistant at our

North East base in Farnborough. He comes to us from a

retail and charity sector background and enjoys travel,

walking and the big outdoors.

Primary Enews Page 6

New Assisted Selection and Delivery Service A new Assisted Selection and Delivery service has begun in the south area of the county. Instead of a

visit from a mobile library, schools receive a carefully selected range of resources to suit their current

needs. The books will arrive in a small delivery van on a pre-arranged date and, just as with the current mobile service, schools will be notified well in advance when that date will be. We will still ask schools

for your requests and your curriculum maps prior to the delivery so that the stock can be selected for

you. As part of the exchange we will always include a selection of current fiction titles. With this new

service schools can exchange a minimum of 100 items and up to a maximum of 200 items.

We hope this new method of delivery will provide schools

with an enhanced service and better suit the ways in which

schools operate. Benefits include:

Stock selected by trained library staff who have a wide

knowledge of current publishing trends

A saving of time as school staff will no longer have to

come onto the mobile library to select stock themselves.

Stock can still be exchanged even if school staff are not

able to be released from class

With schools providing SLS staff with their current

curriculum maps, stock can be ordered prior to delivery

to meet your individual needs. This will mean schools

have up to date resources on topic areas

Selection of stock will be from a large pool of resources currently held in our SLS centre, ensuring

schools have a more tailored choice of books delivered to school.

Feedback on the new Assisted Selection and Delivery service has been extremely positive with schools

reporting that they appreciate the selection of resources chosen by the SLS for them and the extra

time they now have to add the resources to their school system.

Hampshire SLS Book Awards The Hampshire Illustrated Book Award for 2015 has been won by Angela

McAllister and Grahame Baker-Smith for Winter's Child. The HIBA Award

ceremony takes place both at Fryern Junior School and Romsey Primary on the

14 March so that as many Year 5 pupils as possible are able to meet the

winners. The Award will be presented by Liz Weighell, the new SLS Manager,

to writer Angela McAllister.

The Hampshire Picture Book winner will be announced on 13 April and the

Hampshire Information Book Award winner on 24 April.

http://sls.hias.hants.gov.uk/course/view.php?id=33

Pupil Librarian of the Year The winner of Hampshire SLS’s Pupil Librarian of the Year Award was Callum

Blithe from Dogmersfield Primary School. The school librarian Ann Goddard

explained, “Callum chose a really good range of books for the whole school to

enjoy and really was a very worthy winner of the award, as he has been a

wonderful advocate for reading at the school.” Callum won the award when he was in Year 5, as Dogmersfield train their Year

5s to be Pupil Librarians, and as well as being especially good at recommending

books, Callum also worked on the library displays.

Now in Year 6, he continues to promote reading and was delighted when the

delivery of his chosen books arrived at school.

http://sls.hias.hants.gov.uk/course/view.php?id=114

Primary Enews Page 7

School News

Romsey Primary School Romsey Primary School has made a lovely display to

support the Hampshire Information Book Award

work they have been doing this term, and sent us

some photos. http://sls.hias.hants.gov.uk/course/view.php?id=33&section=4

Nightingale Primary School Ruth Hole, Facilities Manager at Nightingale Primary School in Eastleigh, wrote to tell

us about their new library. Headteacher Mrs Wallis-Maclean wanted to focus on

creating an inspiring new library to engage the children in the wonderful world

of books. The old library was tired, with old shelving, shabby carpets and little

in the way of seating. We took inspiration from the new Year R building

through to the library, and the result was a bright and inviting area for the

children to enjoy books by themselves, with their parents, or as a class. The

teachers now enjoy a comfortable chair whilst sharing tales, and the children

adore the hidey-holes and colourful puppets used to re-create magical stories.

Lots of new books were purchased and we recycled old damaged books into

pictures to hang on the wall. Children have new computers to scan their own

books, promoting independence and responsibility. Also, we created a beautiful

“poetry park” where children sit on the park bench and enjoy our selection of

poetry books. They can now research at the information station dedicated to

non-fiction books.

Miscellaneous

Siobhan Dowd Trust funding In 2016 the Siobhan Dowd Trust is funding an opportunity for schools and

groups who work with disadvantaged young people to apply for a series of

small grants to be spent in local independent bookshops. The total amount awarded, up to £1000, may

go entirely to one school or group, or may be broken down into several smaller grants. The

bookshops chosen will depend on the location of the winning groups. Young people will choose the

books themselves, with guidance from their librarians, teachers and booksellers. The closing date is 30

November. http://www.siobhandowdtrust.com/teachers-and-librarians/

TES book reviews The Times Educational Supplement has started publishing reviews of

children’s books. Librarians and teachers can send in their own review,

along with their pupils’. Jo Clarke, who is school librarian at Whitchurch

Church of England Primary in Hampshire, has already written a review of

Electrigirl by Jo Cotterill; Jo writes a book blog, and tweets as

@bookloverJo. If you and your class would like to submit a review,

contact Adi Bloom on adi.bloom@tesglobal.com.

https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/book-review

World of Books Collection and Recycling Service Hampshire SLS received an offer from World of Books recently to collect surplus books for resale or

recycling. World of Books will take books regardless of their condition with the aim of recycling or

reselling them, and will pay 25 pence per kilo (£25 per tonne). Contact Steven Murray, Group Stock

and Logistics Manager, at steven.murray@worldofbooks.com or phone 07980 966923.