Tynecastle High is the first in the city to be named as a gold Reading School

Tynecastle High School has become the first school in Edinburgh to be awarded the Gold Reading School accreditation by Scottish Book Trust, and they were presented with their trophy by author Brian Conaghan.

The successful Reading Schools programme, developed by Scotland’s national charity changing lives with reading and writing, supports schools to build a reading culture, where every pupil is encouraged to feed their imagination through books.

Reading for pleasure is central to supporting wellbeing, improving attainment across the curriculum, and boosting critical thinking, creativity, empathy and resilience.

Tynecastle High School is not only the first school in Edinburgh to be awarded the top Gold level, and it is also the first secondary school in the capital to be named a Reading School.

Celebrated author Brian Conaghan, Reading Schools ambassador for secondary schools, met with the some of the pupils who led the programme and presented the school with their trophy.

Rachel Alexander, English teacher at Tynecastle High School said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to be awarded a Gold Reading School accreditation by Scottish Book Trust.

“Working towards this has been an absolute labour of love over the last couple of years, with pupils, staff, carers, parents, and partners in the community all working hard to demonstrate our school’s commitment to reading.

“At Tynecastle High School we believe in the power of reading to transform lives. We also know that reading is a great way to relax and a whole lot of fun.

“Some reading-related highlights from the last year or two have been our reading clubs; visits to libraries, publishers and book festivals; producing our own books in partnership with Super Power Agency; and our fantastic partnership with Edinburgh International Book Festival and their Citizen project.

“It is fantastic to be recognised for the colossal effort and drive by the whole school community to put reading at the heart of what we do. This is just the start!’

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: ‘We are thrilled that Tynecastle High School has achieved the honour of not only being the first school in Edinburgh to be accredited with their gold Reading School trophy, but the first secondary Reading School in the city.

‘A Reading Schools accreditation is a fantastic accomplishment for pupils and teachers alike, and achieving this status is a way of demonstrating a school’s commitment to developing vibrant reading cultures and the many benefits this brings.’