Almost 250,000 free books given to school children in literacy drive

Almost a quarter of a million books will be handed out to children in primary two and three this year as part of a child literacy programme.

On Wednesday, Humza Yousaf visited a primary school to promote “Read Write Count with the First Minister” – which hands out free bags of books and counting materials.

The programme, which aims to build parents’ confidence and introduce everyday learning activities, received £932,132 in Scottish Government funding.

Around 248,000 books will be given to pupils this year.

Mr Yousaf visited Craigentinny Primary School in Edinburgh to gift pupils with bags to mark Book Week Scotland.

He said: “I want to encourage all children to enjoy reading, writing, and counting.

“Reading for pleasure is crucial in developing children’s literacy skills, and our funded national programmes such as Read Write Count with the First Minister are about supporting and enhancing a love of reading from an early age.

“When I was young my favourite books were the ones that were fun and that taught me something new. A good story, or a good book, can open new worlds to us.

“Reading can even help us if we feel sad, or if we’re unsure about something, and want to learn more about it.”

The campaign was launched in 2015 and hopes to raise attainment by fostering a love of reading from an early age.

Stephanie Dean, the head teacher at Craigentinny primary, said: “The Read, Write, Count bags is a fantastic initiative that has a huge impact on our pupils.

“As well as providing equity of access to books and resources, the bags also encourage families to support their children with reading, writing, and counting in a fun way.

“This is so important as research shows the benefits of parental engagement on their child’s learning and future successes.

“When they receive their bags, the children are engaged and excited and we hope this will help to promote a passion and lifelong love of learning.”